Ancient Music in the Pines ~ 05
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| event type | discourse |
| date & time | 25 Feb 1976 am |
| location | Chuang Tzu Auditorium, Poona |
| language | English |
| audio | Available, duration 1h 24min. Quality: good. |
| online audio | |
| video | Not available |
| online video | |
| see also |
|
| online text | find the PDF of this discourse |
| shorttitle | ANCIEN05 |
- notes
- synopsis
- Reader of the sutras: Sw Ananda Teertha.
- The sutra
- Yagyu Yajima no Kami Munenori was a teacher of swordsmanship to the shogun.
- One of the personal guards of the shogun came to Tajima no Mami one day asking to be trained in swordplay.
- 'As I observe, you seem to be a master of the art yourself,' said the teacher. 'Please tell me to what school you belong before we enter into the relationship of teacher and pupil.'
- The guardsman said: 'I do not belong to any school, I have never studied the art.'
- 'It is no use trying to fool me,' said the teacher. 'My judging eye never fails.'
- 'I am sorry to defy, your honour,' said the guard, 'but I really know nothing.'
- 'If you say so then it must be true, but I am sure that you are the master of something, so tell me about yourself.'
- 'There is one thing,' said the guard. 'When I was a child I thought that a samurai should never be afraid of death, so I grappled with the problem, and now the thought of death has ceased to worry me.'
- 'That's it!' exclaimed the teacher. 'The ultimate secrets of swordsmanship lie in being released from the thought of death. You need no technical training, you are already a master.'
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