The Book of Five Rings, by Miyamoto Musashi, is a strategic masterpiece. Written by one of the greatest Japanese Samurai, who never lost a duel, this text examines a way of life with no second place. Success follows the readers and practitioners of this text. This is because of the simplicity of the many tenets. Remember, simplicity does not mean easy; these are not easy. Musashi wishes for all men and women to have a goal and attack it ceaselessly. One has to understand the harm and benefits that come from all actions. If one has a goal and way of life, one must not do anything useless. The Book of Five Rings strategy is ruthless, reflective, and concise.

“It is crucial to think of everything as an opportunity to kill (p.34.)” When you have a goal every step and choice you make should be intending to reach your goal. Defensive actions will cause you to lose. “Always be closing” is the name of the game. It is not a thinking game, because thinking about your next move will merely slow you down. Action is the only solace, and it is possible to achieve any goal with this in mind. Your opponent will not act like this; they will get defensive as long as you are consistent and offensive. Once the opponent backs down or tries to move away from the battle, you have won. There are many attack styles that Musashi employs in his strategy, but you’ll need to read the book to understand them. Musashi also pushed for reflective thought over all choices.

Before you begin a contest against an opponent, or challenge that you want to defeat, Musashi tells you to look for the harm and benefit of all of your choices. You must become the opponent. “ Becoming the opponent means you should put yourself in an opponent’s place and think from the opponent’s point of view (p.58)” Not all positions that look strong are strong from the perspective of those who hold them. Understanding the ways of men, you must completely destroy your enemy, because “As long as adversaries still have ambitions, they will hardly collapse (p.68.)” You must become “new” often.

Anytime you feel tension and friction building up between yourself and others, if you change your mind that very moment, you can prevail by the advantage of radical difference. This is “becoming new (p.69.)

The strategy of the Five Rings is concise, because you must not do anything that is useless. “The martial way of life practiced by warriors is based on excelling others in anything and everything (p. 6)” By practicing the art of the warrior, one gains a skill set that does not waste energy or act out of concert of the goal. “When you try to swing the long sword fast, you deviate from the Way of the long sword, and so it is hard to swing. The idea is to swing the sword calmly, so that it is easy to do (p.30.)” Actions become smooth and simple with clear goals. Your opponent will not always have this. “Whenever opponents try to attack you, let them go ahead and do anything that is useless, while preventing them from doing anything useful (p.54)” Unless you face a true warrior, you will not suffer much.

What people of the world ordinarily study when they practice martial arts is to parry, deflect, get away, and get through safely; therefore their minds are drawn by this method and wind up being maneuvered and manipulated by others (p.77.)

The strategy of the Five Rings is a set of rules that will create order and justice in your life. It is a textbook of success, but it is ruthless. It is a way of life that is hard to master, but continued practice will benefit you greatly. There are consequences to all actions, and every consequence has an answer. The way is neither minimalist or maximalist, it is a middle path that leads to harmony. This book is worth the read, and it short enough that you can attack it in an afternoon, but you will want to return to it constantly.