Yagyu Munenori Quotes
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Conquering evil, not the opponent, is the essence of swordsmanship.
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It is the very mind itself that leads the mind astray.
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It is bias to think that the art of war is just for killing people. It is not to kill people, it is to kill evil. It is a strategem to give life to many people by killing the evil of one person.
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See first with your mind, then with your eyes, and finally with your body.
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When you strike a blow, do not let your mind dally on it, not concerning yourself with whether or not it is a telling blow; you should strike again and again, over and over, even four or five times. The thing is not to let your opponent even raise his head.
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The continually moving mind is philosophically symbolized by the avatar Fudo Myo-o, the Wisdom King, often depicted holding a sword in one hand for cutting through ignorance, and a rope in the other for tying up passions.
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If you gaze at a single leaf on a single tree, you do not see the other leaves. If you face the tree with no intention and do not fix your eyes on a single leaf, then you will see all the many leaves. If your mind is preoccupied with one leaf, you do not see the others, if you do not set your attention on one; you will see hundreds and thousands of leaves.
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Once a fight has started, if you get involved in thinking about what to do, you will be cut down by your opponent with the very next blow.
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It is easy to kill someone with a slash of a sword. It is hard to be impossible for others to cut down.
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A stroke of the sword that does not hit its target is the sword stroke of death; you reach over it to strike the winning blow. Your adversary's inititive having missed its mark, you turn the tables arround and get the jump on your adversary.
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There may be a hundred stances and sword positions, but you win with just one.
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If you have attained mastery of swordlessness, you will never lack for a sword.
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To cut a man with a single blow is easy. To avoid being cut by a man is difficult.
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You should strike at the moon in the water.