Goethe said, "life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes". Infinite change, no surprises.
According to Toda Shinryuken Masamitsu, "know that the secret of Taijutsu is the foundation of peace. If you learn this, you can walk the path of the immoveable heart", which resonates with the Roman saying "if one loves peace, one must prepare for war".
"Falling seven times but recovering eight" the famous Buddhist monk Bodhidharma traveled from India to China where he formed the Shaolin Kung Fu school and later on other great monks came to Japan and built their own lineage of this spirit of endurance which is called Zen.
"The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting" Sunzi Bin Fa (The Art of War). This principle is key and cannot be separated from the true art of Ninjutsu, much like what Shihan Yakov Hazan said "The motto of the ninja is concealment...." This also relates to escaping and avoiding to the last which is yet another Ninjutsu method, so one might ask where does the subduing part come in? Well, that depends entirely on the opponent, the circumstances, and timing which leads to the principle of attaining the "eyes and mind of god".
"Real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time." Terry Prachett. A remark reminiscing Hatsumi Sensei's saying about how in the early days in the literature about Ninjutsu humor was emphasized over combat, as well as a note for all sci-fi fans who fear things like A.I. rising against humans :)
"There are no stupid questions only stupid people" Robert "Uriel" Gvirz. As the saying goes stupid is what stupid does, which reminds us of the old proverb "the end of a deed begins with a thought at first" at times though thinking is way over-rated and it is always better to simply follow your subconscious!
Strategy eighteen- "Crush the enemy's main force and capture it's chief to disintegrate it's body. A dragon compelled to fight on land is faced with an impasse." this kind of strategy reminds us not to fool around when the time is right or to fool around when the time is not right as well as the saying "to go to the heart of the matter". We are all humans (or are we dancers?) Shakesphere would agree...LOL
"This too will pass..." Crazy Reuben
"I'm back" !( Arnold "the governer" schwartzeneger)
Hatsumi sensei often speaks about the demon gate changing into the life gate into the infinite change no surprise gate. Space is the final frontier however Danny waxman sensei teaches that there are only beginnings ,however, one must be creative and keep going avoiding unneccesary conflict thus allowing our ryu to exist for over a 1000 years. Artists who understand the principle of space can create forever. 18\9\2013
I went to the eighth floor trying to look up at the sky only to realize I had to bend down to clearly view the movement up on high. 25\92013
"In a perfect world , you should'nt carry any tools at all , even a tiny object like a needle might fall out when you have to move fast and give you away if the context is not right. you should be aware that such a single small thing could possibly unmask your cover as a shinobi soldier" reflections of a ninja master quoted by Natori sanjuro masatake. If it's not natural it aint Ninjutsu , in real life tools are all around us and evil thoughts be it through hollywood films or other unnatural reasons give rise to disharmony and the individual than the collective then the ozone layer suffer. one must be able to clealry see the way of ninjutsu in protecting other people and nature subtley and gracefuly. Hatsumi sesnei often says that ninjutsu is for sensible and balanced beings....1\10\2013