Dokodo: The way of walking Alone

In the late 16th century, there was a legendary samurai or swordsman in Japan. His name was
Miyamoto Mushashi. He spent his whole life on the battlefield and took part in 62 duels. He
never lost and finally wrote a book called “Book of Five Rings.” In his book, he put
forwarded the concept of Dokodo. In Japanese, it means “The way of walking alone.” From
his experience, he framed 21 principles to lead a successful life. These principles are still
relevant.
For students’ sake, a few relevant principles have been handpicked out of the original 21
principles.
1. Acceptance: Life is full of events; some are favourable and many are not. We feel happy
about the favourable events and get depressed due to the unfavourable ones. We need to
understand that many a time, we have no control over them. For example, you tried your best
to get into a good college and things did not go as you planned. Then, you keep regretting it.
Ultimately, it takes you to depression and despair. Miyamoto Musashi opines that we need to
accept the outcome as it is in the present rather than regret it all the time. The regret eats you
up from the inside and never allows you to get over it. The Greek Stoic Philosophers too
opine that we need to accept the present and try to live in present. If we keep thinking of past
unfavourable events, it will make us regret it. Moreover, if we do not live in present and
always keep thinking about our future events, we tend to be anxious. Therefore, from a
student’s perspective, students can put hard work into the present without thinking much
about the results in the future. The present is in your hand and you have control over it only.
2. Transient: Life is transient meaning it is ever-changing. If you have observed your
surroundings, you might have noticed that it is changing all the time. Nothing in the world is
permanent. Therefore, keeping a fixed mindset will be a futile exercise. People need to be
more open-minded and adaptable. In the current context, education, and the way of doing
jobs have changed. We have to embrace new knowledge & skills and be very adaptable
regarding jobs until and unless we reach a certain stage at which we can demand the terms. In
the early part of students’ lives, they should not restrict themselves to strict preferences
indicating fixed mindsets. Rather they should develop an open mindset to absorb knowledge
and mingle in any situation. Those with high adaptability will always move ahead. You might
have seen those examples in your family circles also.
3. Detachment: All the time, we want something from our lives. This is an unending
process. Do you notice, that our desires never cease? If one desire is satisfied, you will have
the next one immediately in the line and you expect it to be fulfilled. Your desire keeps
growing. Desire is the root cause of all human unhappiness. In this context, Lord Budha
opines one to practice some degree of detachment. Detachment does not mean that you stop
doing things. It means that one should do things without much expectation. I have seen that
when you put hard work into something it yields good result in the end. The expectation of a
good result is not your concern and it should be left to the divine forces once it is completed.
Lord Krishna suggested it to Arjun on the battlefield when he was in despair while fighting
his family members on the battlefield. Krishna told Arjun that it was his fate and hence his
duty to fight that war to establish right over the wrong. So, without thinking much, he should
perform his duty. We need to incorporate this philosophy in our lives.
4. Jealousy: Most of the time, humans compare their lives with others. We become jealous of
each other. We need to understand that each of us has a separate journey and one should not
compare with others. One’s journey is one’s journey only and it is none of others’ journey.
5. Customary beliefs: It has been already discussed that the world is always changing and so
concepts & beliefs need to change with time. As per Miyamoto Musashi, one should go by
the herd mentality like a thousand others. One should use his mind and challenge
conventional beliefs sometimes if they do not fit current situation. The risk-taking mindset
could be extremely rewarding. In the current context, students can think of start-ups as
alternative careers. It may not be a comfortable journey but could be an exciting one. One
should remember, that the universe does reward the risk-takers. We still remember explorers
like Columbus and Vasco Di Gama for their endeavours. Had they taken a comfortable life,
they would not have been remembered for ages.
6. Never get saddened by who has left: In life, you will meet many people. Some will stay
in touch and many will not. This is part and parcel of life. The statement has many meanings
and you can interpret it as you like, but the rabid attachment serves no good. Sometimes, we
should let go the toxicity from our lives. Many young people get stuck in those toxic
relationships and destroy their lives.