Appreciating Vagabond - Musashi's Spiritual Journey
Summary
TLDRThe video script explores the character development of Miyamoto Musashi in the manga 'Vagabond,' tracing his journey from a young man seeking strength through violence to a philosopher swordsman. It discusses Musashi's transformation influenced by Zen Buddhism, as depicted through his introspective battles and encounters, highlighting the manga's themes of self-discovery, enlightenment, and the true meaning of strength. The script draws parallels between Musashi's experiences and the teachings of 'Zen in the Art of Archery,' offering viewers a deeper appreciation of the manga's narrative and philosophical depth.
Takeaways
- 🗡️ Miyamoto Musashi's journey in the manga 'Vagabond' is a profound exploration of self-discovery and the true meaning of strength.
- 🌞 Musashi starts as Takazo, a young man obsessed with proving his strength by defeating renowned swordsmen, driven by a fear of being left behind.
- 🤺 Musashi's early life is marked by callousness and a disregard for life, which is a source of frustration for the reader but is later revealed to be intentional for character development.
- 🌱 As the story progresses, Musashi evolves from a reckless warrior to a more introspective and kind individual, learning from his experiences and mentors.
- 🧘 Musashi's spiritual awakening begins with his encounter with the Buddhist monk Takuan, who teaches him to value his own life and look inward for strength.
- 🎯 The concept of 'Zen' is introduced through the book 'Zen in the Art of Archery', highlighting the pursuit of self-emptying and heightened awareness.
- 🏹 The goal of Zen practice is to achieve a state of emptiness where the mind is free from desires and emotions, which parallels Musashi's own journey.
- 🌌 Musashi's character development is gradual and natural, reflecting the idea of 'natural unnaturalness' or finding harmony between instinct and control.
- 🛡️ Musashi's transformation is evident in his approach to combat, shifting from a brutal style to one that is more fluid and seemingly effortless, reflecting his internal growth.
- 🌾 The manga also explores themes of kindness and compassion, as Musashi learns to value the lives of others and act out of sympathy rather than self-interest.
- 🎨 The art style of 'Vagabond', particularly the use of ink brushes, embodies the theme of flow and imperfection, mirroring Musashi's journey and the concept of Zen.
Q & A
Who is the main character of the manga 'Vagabond'?
-The main character of the manga 'Vagabond' is Miyamoto Musashi, who starts as Takazo and evolves into a legendary philosopher and swordsman.
What is the initial motivation behind Takazo's journey in 'Vagabond'?
-Takazo's initial motivation is to prove his strength by defeating famous swordsmen across the land and becoming 'invincible under the sun', stemming from his deep-seated fear of being left at the bottom.
How does the character of Musashi develop throughout the series?
-Musashi's character develops from a callous and self-centered individual to a more introspective, kind, and methodical person, learning from his experiences and mentors.
What role does the Buddhist monk Takuan play in Musashi's spiritual journey?
-Takuan saves Musashi from self-loathing and teaches him to value his own life, leading Musashi to focus less on external conflicts and more on introspection and self-improvement.
How does the concept of 'Zen' from the book 'Zen in the Art of Archery' relate to Musashi's journey in 'Vagabond'?
-The concept of 'Zen' involves achieving a state of emptiness and acute awareness, which parallels Musashi's experiences where he enters a state of zen during pivotal moments, leading to profound personal growth and understanding.
What is the significance of Musashi's fight with Den Sichiro in the manga?
-Musashi's fight with Den Sichiro is significant as it highlights the transformation in Musashi's character and his new understanding of strength, as he is able to fight without drawing his blade, embodying the zen concept of art becoming artless.
How does Musashi's encounter with Master Yagyu influence his perception of strength?
-Musashi's encounter with Master Yagyu shifts his perception of strength from killing others to understanding the profound kindness and the true meaning of being invincible, realizing that true strength lies within oneself.
What is the connection between Musashi's introspective battles and the concept of 'Metta' in Buddhism?
-The concept of 'Metta' in Buddhism revolves around kindness and appreciation for life. Musashi's introspective battles lead him to embody this idea by showing genuine compassion and respect for others, even his opponents.
How does the manga 'Vagabond' reflect the idea of flowing with life?
-The manga reflects the idea of flowing with life through Musashi's experiences and realizations, where he learns to adapt and change, much like water, instead of trying to fight against the natural flow of life.
What is the significance of the art style used by Takahiko Inoue in 'Vagabond'?
-Takahiko Inoue's art style, which includes using ink brushes for both coloring and line work, embodies the theme of flow and imperfection, reflecting the manga's philosophical underpinnings and Musashi's journey.
What lesson can be learned from the creator's personal experience with taking a Buddhism class?
-The lesson is to find positivity in undesirable situations, as unexpected insights and opportunities can arise, such as gaining a deeper appreciation for a subject or developing new skills.
Outlines
🗡️ The Evolution of Miyamoto Musashi
This paragraph delves into the character development of Miyamoto Musashi, a legendary swordsman in manga, from his early days as Takazo to his eventual transformation into a philosopher. Initially, Musashi is portrayed as a young man obsessed with proving his strength through combat, driven by a fear of inadequacy stemming from an abusive upbringing. As the story progresses, Musashi evolves from a callous warrior to a more introspective and compassionate individual, guided by life experiences and mentorship. His journey is marked by a nuanced understanding of strength, which he redefines over time through self-reflection and spiritual growth, highlighting the believability of his character's evolution.
🧘♂️ Zen and the Art of Swordsmanship
The second paragraph explores the influence of Zen Buddhism on Musashi's life and his pursuit of swordsmanship. It discusses the concept of Zen as a path to spiritual enlightenment through the arts, rather than traditional religious practices. The paragraph references 'Zen in the Art of Archery' by Eugen Herrigel, drawing parallels between the philosophical teachings and Musashi's experiences. It explains the Zen goal of achieving a state of emptiness, where the mind is free from desires and distractions, and how this state can be reached through intense focus and practice in martial arts. The discussion includes the idea of 'artless art', where the practitioner transcends technique to a level of instinctive mastery.
🎯 The Profound Experiences of Musashi
This paragraph examines the pivotal moments in Musashi's life that lead to profound personal growth and spiritual experiences. It discusses Musashi's encounter with a Buddhist monk, Takuan, who teaches him to value his own life and look inward for strength. The narrative highlights Musashi's transformation from seeking external validation through combat to finding inner peace and self-worth. The paragraph also touches on Musashi's battles, particularly his fight with Den Shichiro, where he enters a state of zen, demonstrating a transcendent level of swordsmanship that goes beyond physical technique.
🌱 Musashi's Spiritual and Philosophical Transformation
The fourth paragraph continues to explore Musashi's journey, focusing on his encounters with Master Yagyu and the philosophical shifts that occur as a result. It discusses how Musashi's understanding of strength evolves from a desire to be invincible to recognizing the insignificance of such a concept. The paragraph also delves into Musashi's introspection during his battle with the 70 Yoshioka, where he demonstrates an advanced level of perception and a deep respect for his opponents. The summary emphasizes Musashi's internal struggle and the life lessons that lead him to value kindness and compassion over violence.
🛣️ Musashi's Life Lessons and Growth
This paragraph reflects on the broader implications of Musashi's experiences and the life lessons he learns along the way. It discusses how Musashi's character changes over time, moving from a fear-driven fighter to a compassionate and introspective individual. The narrative highlights Musashi's ability to adapt, such as when he adopts a more defensive fighting style after an injury, and his realization that some things in life cannot be fought. The paragraph concludes with a discussion of Musashi's newfound appreciation for the natural world and the importance of kindness, reflecting the Buddhist concept of metta.
🎨 The Artistry of Takahiko Inoue and Life's Flow
The final paragraph shifts focus to the artistic techniques of Takahiko Inoue, the creator of the manga 'Vagabond'. It discusses Inoue's unique use of ink brushes for both coloring and line work, which embodies the theme of fluidity and natural beauty present in the story. The paragraph draws a parallel between Musashi's life philosophy and Inoue's artistic approach, emphasizing the idea of flowing with life's challenges. It concludes with a personal reflection on the value of finding positivity in undesirable situations, inspired by Musashi's character development and the creator's artistic process.
📚 Embracing Life's Opportunities for Growth
In this closing paragraph, the narrator shares personal insights about making the most out of life's opportunities, even when faced with challenges or undesirable situations. The narrator reflects on their own experience of taking a university class on Buddhism, which unexpectedly led to a deeper appreciation for the manga 'Vagabond'. The summary encourages viewers to find positivity and growth in every situation, highlighting the potential for unexpected benefits and personal development.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Miyamoto Musashi
💡Self-discovery
💡Zen
💡Strength
💡Vagabond
💡Takahiko Inoue
💡Takuan
💡Sekigahara
💡Denshichiro
💡Yagyu
💡Metta
Highlights
Miyamoto Musashi's journey of self-discovery and enlightenment is portrayed as a unique and thought-provoking narrative in the manga.
Musashi's initial concept of strength is tied to his ability to defeat others, stemming from a fear of being left behind.
The manga shows Musashi's growth from a callous and self-absorbed individual to a more introspective and kind person.
Musashi's early life experiences, including an abusive father, contribute to his insecurities and actions.
The gradual development of Musashi's character is paced naturally, reflecting significant changes over 25 volumes.
Musashi's spiritual journey begins with meeting a Buddhist monk named Takuan, shifting his understanding of strength.
Zen practices are depicted as a means to achieve spiritual enlightenment through arts such as swordsmanship.
The concept of 'artless art' is introduced, where the practitioner transcends technique to a state of naturalness.
Musashi's battle with Den Sichiro illustrates his evolved understanding of strength and zen-like state during combat.
Musashi's introspection during combat allows him to read opponents' intentions, reflecting a heightened sense of awareness.
The encounter with Master Yagyu is pivotal for Musashi, challenging his previous notions of invincibility and strength.
Musashi's character transformation is evident in his respect for opponents and the duels they share.
The manga reflects on the importance of kindness and sympathy, even in Musashi's earlier violent actions.
Musashi's philosophy of flowing with life, like water, is a key takeaway from his experiences and growth.
The art style of the manga, using ink brushes, mirrors the themes of flow and natural beauty.
The author's personal experience with Buddhism in university led to a deeper appreciation of the manga's themes.
The video concludes with a message of finding positivity in undesirable situations, relating to Musashi's character journey.
Transcripts
miyamoto musashi is one of the most
fascinating protagonists in all of manga
even compared to some of his seinen
contemporaries musashi's journey of
self-discovery and enlightenment makes
for a truly unique and thought-provoking
story
before becoming the philosopher
swordsman of legend we're introduced to
him as takazo a young man who wants to
prove his strength by defeating famous
swordsmen across the land and becoming
in his own words invincible under the
sun
however this is a path paved with death
as takazo's idea of strength lies only
within his ability to kill other
warriors because despite his grand
ideals of standing at the top his real
motivations stem from a deep-seated fear
of being left at the bottom
being raised by an abusive father has
left takazo angry and afraid of the
world and he acts the way he does to
cover up these insecurities
for much of early vagabond i was kind of
frustrated with musashi because of his
callousness disregard for life and
generally because he was kind of a dumb
ass however i do think that this was
intentional he's just so caught up in
his pursuit of strength that he ignores
the beautiful world around him and
pushes away those who care about him and
it creates this kind of disconnect
between him and the reader which slowly
closes over time as we learn more about
his upbringing and see him grow as a
person
through guidance and experience he
becomes a much more methodical
introspective and kind individual it was
always a story about self-betterment but
over time musashi gains a much more
nuanced understanding of what it means
to have strength
and what makes his journey so compelling
is the believability of it
everything from the densely drawn
environments the small details like
people having to shave and bathe and the
characters who all have their own lives
within this world with motivations flaws
and philosophies which guide them
throughout their own personal journeys
mirroring clashing and oftentimes
changing to reflect their experiences of
course this is a fictional version of
musashi's life so there are definitely
some creative liberties taken but
there's always a sense that the story is
grounded in reality and on top of
everything i just mentioned i think a
lot of that comes from the very very
gradual development of musashi's
character
look at takazo in volume 1 then musashi
in volume 25 and you'll see two
completely different people i mean
obviously a character can drastically
change over the course of 25 volumes but
his growth is paced so gradually and
handled so naturally that it almost
doesn't register until you really take a
step back and look at the bigger picture
so many of the life-changing lessons
musashi learns take time to fully sink
in and it's only after repeated failure
and reflection that he's able to truly
internalize these changes
musashi's spiritual journey begins when
he meets a buddhist monk named takuan
at this point in the story his idea of
strength is solely reliant on his
physical capabilities so after being
captured by a monk and stripped of his
agency musashi deems himself a failure
and wishes for death he hates himself
because for his entire life all he's
ever known is this toxic idea that
you're only ever worth something if you
can prove that you're the best
but it's taco on who saves musashi from
his self-loathing and teaches him to
value his own life he stops focusing so
much on external conflicts and instead
starts looking inward challenging
himself rather than the world around him
compare takazo fighting in the battle of
sekigahara for fame with musashi
climbing some random mountain just to
see if he could
he isn't proving anything to anyone but
himself
such a profound change could only be
brought about by profound experiences
and that's what i want to talk about in
this video because there are these
moments in vagabond where that
aforementioned veil of reality is lifted
and we're left with what i can only
describe
as transcendent spirituality
yagyu protecting himself in his sleep
musashi forgetting to draw his blade
taqwan exuding a demonic presence
small instances that almost imply a
supernatural influence
these are the moments that lingered in
the back of my mind after i finished
reading the latest chapter and for the
longest time i felt like i didn't really
understand what they all meant sure i
had a general idea and i definitely knew
that these instances were psychological
instead of supernatural but i felt like
there was more to it that i just didn't
understand
that is until i read a certain book
zen in the art of archery was published
in 1948 and written by the german
philosopher oygen herigel it details his
experience training under a master of
japanese zen buddhism and it was written
with the intent of explaining zen to
western people now i really recommend
reading this book for yourself because
oygen's experience is really interesting
and that just around 80 pages it's
really accessible even to the typical
manga degenerate who can't handle more
than three sentences per page the
language is a bit unconventional because
it was written in the 40s and translated
from german to english but just give it
a couple pages and you'll get used to it
the links are in the description
okay now that all the nerds have left
the room let me preface this by saying
that i am not an authority on the
subject and that any knowledge i have
regarding zen is purely from an academic
standpoint not a practical one so i'll
try to explain this to the best of my
ability but even oygan himself admits
that it can be difficult to explain
without experiencing it yourself
as
like all mysticism zen can only be
understood by one who is himself a
mystic and is therefore not tempted to
gain by underhand methods what the
mystical experience withholds from him
but essentially the goal of zen is to
achieve a state of being in which one
loses their sense of self allowing their
minds to become empty and therefore
open to everything
the mind reaches a kind of equanimity an
acute state of awareness where it's free
from disparate thoughts of desire
emotion or pain
now when people typically think of
buddhist practices things like
meditation and prayer come to mind but
in the case of zen it's believed that
spiritual enlightenment can actually be
achieved through the arts things like
ink painting tea ceremonies and flower
arrangement along with martial arts like
archery and swordsmanship
however it's really important to
understand that students of zen are not
learning these skills for their original
utilitarian purpose they are learning
them exclusively as an art form in
oygen's case he doesn't learn archery
for the purpose of hunting fighting or
sport but rather for the sake of the art
itself
because by training one's body and mind
through these arts they can eventually
reach that state of emptiness and it's
within that moment that the art becomes
artless
then comes the supreme and ultimate
miracle
art becomes artless
shooting becomes not shooting a shooting
without bow and arrow
the teacher becomes a pupil again the
master a beginner
the end a beginning
and the beginning perfection
so what i'm saying actually you see i
mean it's a combination of both i mean
here it is the natural instinct and here
is control
you are to combine the two in harmony
the ideal is unnatural naturalness or
natural unnaturalness
this might sound kind of blasphemous for
me to say but you can almost think of it
like high level daydreaming
imagine focusing on something so much
that your perception of the rest of the
world falls away
now imagine the subject of your focus
falling away too
and what are you left with
nothing
but also
everything
for all my math homies out there imagine
focusing on a single point that becomes
infinitesimally small
eventually the point will become so tiny
that it might as well not even exist
and you'll realize that while focusing
on something that becomes nothing
your focus has now extended to infinity
i understand that this can sound really
vague and even paradoxical but this is
the point where the spiritual concepts
of zen become difficult to explain so
let's reign it in a little and try to
understand this in simpler terms with an
example after training with his master
for four years oygan eventually achieves
a state of zen while firing off an arrow
then one day after a shot the master
made a deep bow and broke off the lesson
just then it shot he cried as i stared
at him bewildered
and when i at last understood what he
meant i couldn't suppress a sudden whoop
of delight
what i have said the master told me
severely was not praise only a statement
that ought not to touch you
nor was my bow meant for you for you are
entirely innocent of this shot
you remained this time absolutely
self-oblivious and without purpose in
the highest tension
so that the shot fell from you like a
ripe fruit
once again i understand that this seems
contradictory or paradoxical like how
can the master say that oygan is
innocent from this shot when it's
clearly oygin that's holding the bow
knocking the arrow and letting it go
this is where a lot of people
understandably get confused within the
abstraction honestly myself included
even oygen finds it difficult to
articulate a definite unambiguous
explanation of what happened despite the
fact that he himself has experienced a
state of zen but in essence art is
simply a means for deeper introspection
and spiritual enlightenment which is
also why so many of oygan's experiences
with archery can be applied to musashi's
experiences with swordsmanship
one of the ways that this relates to
vagabond is when the master explains
that bow and arrow are only a pretext
for something that could just as well
happen without them
only the way to a goal not the goal
itself
which is exactly what happens during
musashi's second fight with den shichiro
as the two combatants approach each
other then shichiro draws his blade and
assumes a stance
he's tense and anxious
after all he's facing the man who killed
his own brother musashi on the other
hand is calm and composed
unconcerned with himself and only
focused on how he will swing his sword
until eventually
it
swings
for just a moment musashi enters a state
of zen and swings without drawing his
blade
just like a bow and arrow a blade is
only a pretext for something that could
just as well happen without it
notice how musashi becomes unaware of
his body's actions only coming to his
senses after bumping into den shichiro
just like oygen not realizing that he
had entered a state of zen until seeing
his master bow look at musashi's eyes
during these moments and all you'll see
is emptiness
even when trying to recall their
encounter musashi doesn't seem to
remember many of the details or even
some of his own actions
this next one might be a stretch but
during the fight both men notice a key
difference between each other musashi
observes denshichiro's rigid posture and
denchicudo marvels at musashi's strong
presence despite his looseness
this could be a reference to the special
breathing techniques used by those who
practice zen
instead of relying on the strength of
their muscles they instead use a
breathing technique that allows them to
tap into a sort of inner strength while
staying outwardly relaxed in oygen's
case he was having difficulty drawing
his bow so his master showed him how to
do so by using this technique
for through this breathing you will not
only discover the source of all
spiritual strength but will also cause
this source to flow more abundantly and
to pour more easily through your limbs
the more relaxed you are
and as if to prove it he drew his strong
bow and invited me to step behind him
and feel his arm muscles they were
indeed quite relaxed as though they were
doing no work at all
now i'm not going to pretend like this
is a one-to-one comparison but the idea
is still there i mean just look at the
animalistic way that musashi used to
fight and compare that with his delicate
flowing swings in the latter half of the
manga there's almost a weightlessness to
his movements as if his body was under
no strain whatsoever and even after
injuring his leg he's still somewhat
able to fight
but most importantly this moment between
musashi and denchichito highlights the
distance between them and their past
selves
it's been around a year since they last
fought with nearly 200 chapters in
between and while danshichiro hasn't
really changed much the same can't be
said for musashi oygen actually
experienced something very similar to
this
after spending several years learning
the way of zen in japan he eventually
had to return home and as he was leaving
his master left him with a warning
you have become a different person in
the course of these years for this is
what the art of archery means a profound
and far-reaching contest of the archer
with himself
perhaps you have hardly noticed it yet
but you will feel it very strongly when
you meet your friends and acquaintances
again in your own country things will no
longer harmonize as before
you will see with other eyes and measure
with other measures
musashi has moved past the person he was
a year ago
his fear replaced with calmness his
bloodlust replaced with mercy
he even offers to call off the duel once
he realizes the difference in their
strength returning then she chose
sentiments from their previous encounter
but this time neither of them run away
and the fight ends with denshi chito's
death
this leads into musashi's battle with
the 70 yoshioka and it's during this
scene that musashi once again enters a
state of emptiness allowing the loss of
his own ego and letting his mind flow
into a deep introspection
he loses track of himself
his opponents
and his own thoughts
even the artwork becomes more abstract
to reflect musashi's growing
dissociation but then something really
interesting happens
musashi seemingly gains the ability to
read his opponent's intentions and is
able to distinguish between those who
wish to kill him and those who don't
have the resolve to fight this could be
an allusion to an anecdote by the
religious scholar and buddhist monk dt
suzuki who's featured in ogan's book the
anecdote follows a student learning the
art of swordsmanship from a zen master
the student repeatedly tries and fails
to hit his master who effortlessly
dodges and avoids the student's strikes
even when he isn't expecting them and
when trying to understand how the master
is able to do this suzuki explains that
the pupil must develop a new sense or
more accurately a new alertness of all
of his senses which will enable him to
avoid dangerous thrusts as though he
could feel them coming
once he has mastered this art of evasion
he no longer needs to watch with
undivided attention the movements of his
opponent or even of several opponents at
once rather he sees and feels what is
going to happen and at that same moment
he has already avoided its effect
without there being a hair's breath
between perceiving and avoiding
this then is what counts
a lightning reaction which has no
further need of conscious observation
this can be seen in musashi's behavior
during this battle he fights even when
he can't see his opponents whether he's
blinded with mud or simply too deep in
his own introspection that he loses
sight of his surroundings
and within that introspection he begins
to question the very purpose of all this
and decides that he will live on and
escape this spiral of killing inching
ever closer to the idea of true strength
he saw long ago when he met master yagyu
this encounter is one of the most
important moments in the manga because
it begins one of the major shifts in
musashi's character
at this point in the story musashi is
trying to kill yagyu under the idea that
killing someone of his status will prove
his own strength
he eventually finds yagyu but despite
being an old man asleep in his bed
musashi simply cannot kill him
it isn't pity or guilt that's stopping
him
but rather a profound display of
kindness
this is when musashi's understanding of
strength begins to change
even someone like itosai who is much
farther along in his journey gained some
insight into the nature of strength by
talking to yagyu
the imagery used in this scene and
musashi's relationship to yagyu are very
similar to a part of that previous
anecdote
one day the master was found cooking his
own vegetables over an open fire
the pupil took it into his head to avail
himself of this opportunity taking up
his big stick he let it fall on the head
of the master who was then stooping over
the cooking pan to stir its contents but
the pupil stick was caught by the master
with the cover of the pan
this opens the pupils minds to the
secrets of the art which had hitherto
been kept from him
he then for the first time
really appreciated the unparalleled
kindness of the master
musashi compares his own understanding
of what it means to be invincible with
what he's experiencing from the old man
in front of him
he flashes back to his father who was
crushed under the weight of his own
achievements and driven mad by the
thought of being invincible
untouchable to the point that he was
afraid of anyone who could ever threaten
that identity
even his own son
through his inability to harm yagyu
musashi comes to realize that to be
invincible
really means nothing at all
and within that nothingness
you can see just how infinite you truly
are
this is the point in the story where
musashi really starts to look inward
remember that mountain he climbed just
to see if he could well that's one of
the first things he does after meeting
yagyu
and as he reaches the top all he sees
are higher peaks stretching infinitely
towards the sky
a beautiful representation of the
journey to come
at this point you might be wondering
what's the point of all this
understanding oneself reaching
enlightenment mastering an art what's it
all for
and to answer that question i want to
take a look at the most infamous parts
of the manga
during the farming arc musashi comes
across a starving village and helps them
grow crops he doesn't have any ulterior
motives and he doesn't even do it for
recognition as he gives them the name
takazo instead of musashi
he simply helps them out of genuine
sympathy and kindness
because after all any random person or
even animal has the ability to kill
but to show kindness to others
one must be truly strong
this isn't really mentioned in oygan's
book but metta is a buddhist concept
that revolves around appreciation of the
natural world and the value of kindness
towards sentient life
and i think at this point in vagabond
musashi embodies this idea in his own
way
it might seem a bit hypocritical for me
to say that considering all of the
people he's killed but you have to
consider the key difference in his
motivations and circumstances at various
points in the story
he began as an instigator seeking out
fights and killing as a means to prove
his own self-worth and throughout the
story it's a constant struggle for him
to break free of that toxic mindset
but no matter how many setbacks musashi
faces he always strives to move forward
to change and to grow from the person he
was yesterday
all of his experiences in life
regardless of whether they were good or
bad helped musashi understand himself
and the world a little better like how
he was forced to adopt a more defensive
fighting style after crippling his leg a
pretty literal representation of him
learning to stop seeking confrontation
and not just with other people but also
with nature and life itself
like when he's trying to stop a flooding
river from ruining iori's rice paddy
musashi tries time and time again to
obstruct the flowing river but even
something as soft as water can be strong
enough to smash through stone
so instead of trying to stop the water
musashi redirects it i said empty your
mind
be formless
shapeless
like water
now you put water into a cup
it becomes the cup you put water into a
bottle it becomes the bottle you put in
a teapot it becomes the teapot now water
can flow
or it can crash
be water my friend
simply put musashi learns to flow with
life
whether it be with nature other people
or yourself there are some things you
can't fight and some fights you can't
win
but once you accept these truths once
you realize your own weakness and
insignificance in the grand scheme of
things
you will be free free to look the other
way to look inward where you will find
that strength purpose and infinity all
exist from within your own self
and this isn't just idealistic [ __ ]
either this philosophy is literally
reflected in the way that takahiko inoue
draws vagabond
on top of pens and pencils he often uses
ink brushes not only to color in the
blacks like most mangaka but to actually
draw the line work and his art embodies
that idea of flow in the way that he
works with the imperfections of the
brush
while he is definitely the one holding
the brush and moving it across the paper
inoy gives the ink a certain degree of
freedom to flow on its own accord
of course there is some masterful
[ __ ] artistry on display here but at
the same time there's also an element of
chaos
faded colors uneven lines and straight
bristles guided by inoue's hand create
an image that is all at once
deliberately crafted and natural in its
beauty and i think it can't be
understated just how cool it is that
inoue's technique reflects his art in
such a unique and thematically relevant
way
by the end of the story musashi is much
more considerate of his opponents both
in who he chooses to fight and how he
chooses to fight them
his previous disregard for life gives
way to a profound respect towards his
opponents whether it be offering peace
honoring them in death or just
appreciating the duel they had
and i think for me that's the real
takeaway here
those small moments where musashi just
takes a second to reflect on the
positive aspects of his life and express
his gratitude
like how he tries to find his sword
after fighting the 70 yoshioka
it made me think back to when this dude
was using freaking sticks and rocks to
beat people to death whereas now he's
lamenting the loss of his sword because
he knows how hard kotetsu worked on it
or how about musashi's shallow
relationship with jyotaro compared to
his genuine compassion for iori
these are real tangible changes in
musashi's character and i think it
speaks volumes that even when he finds
himself starving and working himself to
the bone every single day for scraps in
some nameless backwater village
he can still smile
like this
i was originally going to title this
video understanding vagabond or
something pretentious like that and
while i do think i have a better
understanding of the narrative after
reading zen in the art of archery i'd
honestly say that it gave me a deeper
appreciation for vagabond than its
themes more than anything
now whether that's even more pretentious
than what i originally said i'll leave
that up to you but what i'm ultimately
trying to say here is that reading this
book made me enjoy this book
even more than i already did so if you
enjoyed vagabond i highly recommend
reading zen in the art of archery for
yourself
if you've gotten this far into the video
then you might still have one last
question on your mind
why
why did i even read this book in the
first place
and the very disappointing answer to
that question is because i had to take
an elective class in university and i
just so happened to pick a class about
buddhism
now if you've ever gone to college or
university then you know that you're
required to take a bunch of general ed
and elective classes that have
absolutely nothing to do with what
you're actually trying to study this is
without a doubt just a [ __ ] excuse
to keep you there for longer and to get
as much money from you as possible but
at the end of the day higher education
in the us is a scam and it seems like we
just have to live with it
that being said
you now have two options
you could either be cynical and just
pass the class while disregarding any of
the actual lessons being taught
or
you can try to make the most of it
because you never know when you might
learn something that's actually relevant
to your life maybe you'll even meet some
cool people that you wouldn't have
otherwise
i know this was a pretty benign example
but if you ever find yourself in an
undesirable situation
try to find something positive about it
i mean just look at how many people
became content creators because of the
quarantine
myself included so appreciate what you
have and always try to look on the
bright side take care you guys and i'll
see you on the next one
hey thanks for watching i really hope
you enjoyed holy [ __ ] that took way
longer than it should have i know it's
been like uh insert how many months a
year uh since my last upload but
yeah i'm trying to get these out slowly
but surely i've got like 10 trillion
scripts in the works
um it's just honestly a matter of time
before i can just set aside enough time
to actually record
and
finish scripting and just editing all of
those
but i really do appreciate you guys
patience i know it can be frustrating
waiting months and months and months for
a video but i mean that's just how it is
for now at least hopefully
i'll be in a better position later to uh
make more frequent uploads which i do
want to do
but until then i just want to thank you
guys once again for your patience and i
really do hope you enjoyed i also want
to shout out my awesome patrons whose
names are on screen now these folks are
generous enough to support my efforts
and it's just really bizarre and
humbling to receive any kind of support
like this so seriously thank you you
guys are awesome
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