The Book of The Ground
Opening – The Book of The Ground. Miyamoto Musashi (宮本武蔵, c. 1584 – June 13, 1645) was a legendary Japanese swordsman, strategist, artist, and writer. He is often called a “sword saint“ because of his skill in swordsmanship. He wrote, “The Book of Five Rings.
The Secret Stuff Begins with The Ground Book
Miyamoto Musashi’s “Book of Five Rings” is a renowned text on martial arts and strategy. The “Book of the Ground” is one of its five books. Here is the one overarching key point from the first chapter, “The Book of the Ground.”
The first book in The Book of Five Rings is The Ground Book, and Masashi deliberately placed it there. The tendency is to want to jump ahead. I know when I first got my copy of the book back in 1981, the first thing I did was jump ahead to what I thought was the secret stuff.
We overlook foundational aspects of many things for the sparkly keychain. What Musashi says in the first book, The Ground book, and I paraphrase, is “Get your act together, know who you are, and know what your purpose is.”
Begin knowing your mind-body. Not your mind and your body, but your mind-body. See your mind and body in much the same way physicists talk about space-time these days. The idea being traditional space consists of three dimensions (length, width, and height). Time is the fourth dimension, there is space and there is time, but there is spacetime. See your grounding work in the same light – unified.
Become Stable
The foundational work in the ground book can best be described as a search for stability. Stability is part of a high-level response. Think of that bad day
you had at work, and you came home to another problem. That new problem you discovered when you walked through the front door is exacerbated by what happened earlier in the day.
Musashi says don’t do that, don’t overreact. Treat the moments as separate as possible. There is no need to transfer energy from one problem to the other.
From the World of Music
Metered rhythm comes from grounding, balance, and stability. Good musicians are grounded. These musicians have the fundamentals in place. They know where they want to go, they know what they want to do, and they do it. Bad musicians are flighty and ultimately useless to the rest of the band. They are not grounded.
The Same Applies to Combat
Seeing patterns, understanding patterns, creating patterns, and often exploiting patterns are the keys to successful combative situations. The first principle is to be grounded. How do you use The Book of the Ground? How do you anchor yourself, begin to become Mindbody not mind and body?
Some people use breath, others sit, there are many choices. Not every method is for everyone. If you have your protocols which allow you to ground yourself, excellent. If you don’t you need to find your method. because all further success is based on this first act, grounding of Mindbody. This chapter is not to be overlooked.
Some resources are:
- Wimhof.com Wim Hof is known as the “The Iceman.” He is famous for his ability to withstand extreme cold.
- The Muse. https://choosemuse.com The Muse is a brainwave-measuring device that rewards you as you meet your goals of relaxation and unity.
- A pulse oximeter, A pulse oximeter allows you to watch your heart rate as you begin to control your pulse.
There are many guided meditation apps as well. You have the choice to seek stability in your day-to-day life. But know this: the greatest swordsman of all time recommends you start right here, with the ground.
You may enjoy more on this subject from a previous post: https://www.martialjournal.com/musashi-and-bruce-lee-agree/
Be well, and keep the path.
Key Takeaways:
- Seeing patterns, understanding patterns, creating patterns, and often exploiting patterns are the keys to successful combative situations.
- The foundational work in the ground book can best be described as a search for stability.
- Bad musicians are flighty and ultimately useless to the rest of the band. They are not grounded.
Quotes:
- “Get your act together, know who you are, and know what your purpose is.” – Musashi, paraphrase.
He has authored several books on martial arts and self-defense, such as "The Way of Kata" and "The Little Black Book of Violence". Kris also runs the Wilder Karate Academy, where he teaches classes and conducts seminars.
- Opening – The Book of The Ground - March 10, 2025
- Musashi and Bruce Lee Agree - February 12, 2025
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