She says:
‘My beloved
master,
When there
was nobody saw me,
you saw me;
When there
was nobody understood me,
you
understood me…’
The master
replies:
‘If you
aren't seeking yourself,
you won’t
find me even I am sitting next to you;
If you aren't
ready yourself,
You won’t be
able to understand me
even I am
trying to explain to you…
We are merely
mirroring each other,
like the moon
is reflected in the lake.
If the water
is not clear enough, still enough,
the moon
wouldn't be seen so beautifully …’
She says:
‘My beloved
master,
you have
taught me about the fine swordsmanship.
What if , I
fail to defeat the other swordsmen,
will I bring
the shame upon your name?’
The master
replies:
’Wining and
losing is the game for the fools.
I have no
name which you can bring the shame upon-
I come from
the nameless ;
and I shall
return to the nameless.
A great name
may serve a great deal to a false master
but serves
nothing to a real master!’
She says:
‘My beloved
master,
Why have you
been so emphasizing on-
A man must
place his/her mind/heart in the right place first
before
walking on the path the warriors?’
The master
replies:
‘If an ill
-hearted man learns about the martial way,
he/she may bring
misfortunes and destructions to the others;
If a mediocre
man learns about the martial way,
he/she may
use the name of the warriors as his/her trophy;
But if a man
with right mind/heart learns about the martial way ,
he/she may
strive himself /herself towards the righteous way –
for serving
the good
for honoring
the courageous
other than
his /her trifle self interests;
Thus, only a
man of such is fitted to be a true warrior;
only a
warrior of such can truly protect and sustain life
even he/she
is a man who carries the sword…’
She says:
‘My beloved
master,
how shall I
NOT fear for death?
how shall I
be courageous
when someone
is pointing the chilly sword blade at my heart…?!’
The master
replies:
‘When a
warrior accepts his/her death,
it is not
because he/she doesn't want to live;
it is not
even because he/she is unafraid;
it is
because, they know in their hearts-
There is a
kind of death worse than the physical death-
the death of one’s spirit!
Knowing the
danger yet keeping forward is the way of warriors ;
Knowing the
pain yet swallowing away the tears is the way of the warriors;
Knowing the
death approaching yet not yielding is the way of the warriors;
…...
Legend says,
in the kingdom of the warriors,
Unless all
the fears are known to your mind and to your heart,
you won't be
able to enter the kingdom of the true warriors;
you won't be
able to have the companionship of
the bravest
and the most compassionate hearts…’
She says:
‘My beloved
master,
would you say
that the way of the warriors -
still have
its place in today’s society?’
The master
replies:
‘If an old
way can still serve you good-
Take
advantage of it even though the others ridicule it;
If an old way
can no longer serve you good-
Discard it no
matter how highly it was regarded once;
Consistency
without flexibility is just rigid foolishness,
Flexibility
without consistency leads nowhere either!
The way of
the warriors -
is NOT just
the way for the battlefields during the war times,
it is
also the way of life! ’
