自制 (jisei) "self-discipline" - the eighth virtue of 武士道 (bushidō)
Recently I've been researching 武士道 (bushidō) - the ancient Japanese way of the warrior, mostly to try to figure out if it ever was actually a legit thing, or if it's a modern invention.
Spoiler alert: it's a bit of both. You can read my conclusions in my Medium article here.
Bushidō comes with a handy list of 8 virtues that one can follow to lead one's best and most noble life. You may not have been born a samurai, but you can still live like one by following this code.
The eighth virtue is “Self-Control”, which I have translated as "self-discipline", for reasons explained below.
These 8 virtues were first mentioned in Nitobe Inazao's 1899 book "Bushido: the Soul of Japan".
When introducing “self-control”, Nitobe brings together previous virtues: “The discipline of fortitude (勇 (yū) courage) on the one hand, inculcating endurance without a groan (名誉 (meiyō) reputation), and the teaching of politeness (礼 (rei) respect) on the other, requiring us not to mar the pleasure or serenity of another by manifestations of our own sorrow or pain, combined to engender a stoical turn of mind.”
Nitobe makes it clear that this “stoical” behaviour was considered a virtue: “It was considered unmanly for a samurai to betray his emotions on his face… The most natural affections were kept under control.”
Such strict “control” of one’s emotions may seem excessive and unnecessary to a modern Western audience, which is why I have “translated” this virtue as “self-discipline”. With the previous seven virtues as a guide, one can use discipline to make a conscious effort to guide one’s life in a positive direction.
義 (Righteousness)
Justice is the most important virtue for the samurai. A true samurai does not attack the enemy without an important reason.
忠義 (Loyalty)
Loyalty is the 2nd most important thing in life. The samurai should always be loyal to his master. The samurai should also believe his duty to protect his master is the meaning of life.
名誉 (Honor)
A life without honor is not a life. If a samurai makes a mistake, he should honor his name by committing suicide.
礼 (Respect)
A samurai should always respect his enemy. A samurai respects his opponent before and after the fight. Even if a samurai kills his opponent, he is very respectful to the corpse.
誠 (Honesty)
A samurai never lies. “Deception” does not exists in the book of a samurai.
勇 (Courage)
A samurai fights until the end. A samurai is never afraid of anything. He is not afraid of death. A samurai is always brave because he fights for something he believes in.
誠 (Consistency)
A samurai never changes the path. He is like a dragonfly, he always moves forward, he never moves back.
勇 (yū) "courage" - the second virtue of 武士道 (bushidō)
Recently I've been researching 武士道 (bushidō) - the ancient Japanese way of the warrior, mostly to try to figure out if it ever was actually a legit thing, or if it's a modern invention.
Spoiler alert: it's a bit of both. You can read my conclusions in my Wordpress article here.
Bushidō comes with a handy list of 8 virtues that one can follow to lead one's best and most noble life. You may not have been born a samurai, but you can still live like one by following this code.
The second virtue is “Courage, the spirit of Daring and Bearing”.
These 8 virtues were first mentioned in Nitobe Inazao's 1899 book "Bushido: the Soul of Japan".
He describes "courage" as “bearing” as well as “daring”, which suggests that courage has a broader meaning than merely courage in battle; it also includes enduring difficult situations.
He goes on to say: “Courage was scarcely deemed worthy to be counted among virtues, unless it was exercised in the cause of Righteousness.” This implies that true courage comes from knowing what is right, having the clear-sightedness to understand one’s own values and to hold by them, whatever the situation. It is necessary for courage to be informed by 義 (gi) integrity .