Musashi's Dokkodo (The Way of Walking Alone)

M. Guthrie,
Federal Air Marshal
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Table of Contents
Contents
Foreword (by Dan Anderson)
Introduction
Precept 1: Accept everything just the way it is
Precept 2: Do not seek pleasure for its own sake
Precept 3: Do not, under any circumstances, depend on a partial
feeling
Precept 4: Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world
Precept 5: Be detached from desire your whole life
Precept 6: Do not regret what you have done
Precept 7: Never be jealous
Precept 8: Never let yourself be saddened by a separation
Precept 9: Resentment and complaint are appropriate neither for
oneself nor others
Precept 10: Do not let yourself be guided by the feeling of lust or
love
Precept 11: In all things, have no preferences
Precept 12: Be indifferent to where you live
Precept 13: Do not pursue the taste of good food
Precept 14: Do not hold on to possessions you no longer need
Precept 15: Do not act following customary beliefs
Precept 16: Do not collect weapons or practice with weapons
beyond what is useful
Precept 17: Do not fear death
Precept 18: Do not seek to possess either goods or fiefs for your old
age

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Precept 19: Respect Buddha and the gods without counting on their
help
Precept 20: You may abandon your own body but you must preserve
your honor
Precept 21: Never stray from the Way
Conclusion
About the Authors
Other Works by the Authors

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Foreword (by Dan Anderson)
Dan Anderson’s martial arts
career began at the age of 14 under the tutelage of Loren
Christensen in Vancouver, Washington. Dan achieved his
1st degree Black Belt on January 7, 1970 at the age of 17.
For the next 10 years Anderson committed himself to
becoming a karate tournament champion, eventually
becoming rated in the national top 10 ratings four years in
a row. He began his writing career with the book American
Freestyle Karate: A Guide to Sparring, first published in
1981. He has since authored 20 books on karate and
Filipino Martial Arts as well as producing 25 DVDs on the
subjects.
In 1980, Dan began training in the second martial art that
would shape his research and career from that time
forward, Modern Arnis under Remy A. Presas. Since then

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Dan has been personally accepted as a student of
Manong Ted Buot, a student Balintawak Eskrima’s
founder, Anciong Bacon. In 2006, Dan traveled to the
Philippines to teach at both the 3rd World Filipino Martial
Arts Festival and the 1st Remy A. Presas memorial
Training Camp, one of a handful of westerners to teach at
these events. It was during this trip where he became a
founding member of the Worldwide Family of Modern
Arnis. His branch of Modern Arnis, the MA80 System
Arnis/Eskrima was also recognized by the International
Modern Arnis Federation Philippines as a valid branch of
the Remy Presas’ art.
In 2008, Dan Anderson received the Gat Andres
Bonafacio award from the Philippine Classical Arnis
society. In 2012 Dan Anderson tested for and passed the
examination for 9th dan in karate by the American Karate
Black Belt Association. Dan Anderson currently teaches
karate and Filipino Martial Arts at the Dan Anderson
Karate School in Gresham, Oregon. He is aided by his
wife, Marie, and his daughter, Amanda.
This is a most uncommon book that you hold in your hands.
Miyamoto Musashi is the stuff of legend. Known as Japan’s greatest
swordsman, there has been much written about him coming from the
oral lore of that country. He won his first duel at the age of 13. He
ended up killing over 60 adversaries before retiring to a life of
solitude. Musashi in Japan is much like the icons of the Wild, Wild
West of American history; Wild Bill Hickok, Bat Masterson, Billy the
Kid and so on. How much of his story is fact and how much of it is
fiction?
He has been revered as Japan’s “sword saint” and yet at the same
time been dismissed by one of the leading swordsmen of the 19th
century, Yamaoka Tesshu (1836 – 1888).
[1]
As there has been very
little written of Musashi that can be verified with any historical
accuracy, who really knows what he was like. In the introduction

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Kane and Wilder have presented a viewpoint of him in 21st century
terms based on his conduct rather than his legend. The results differ
from the stuff of legend and are disturbing.
This is a most uncommon book that you hold in your hands. Musashi
wrote two books. His first book was Go Rin No Sho (The Book of
Five Rings), a treatise on the martial arts strategy that he formulated
over the years based on his combat experience. That book has been
the subject of many translations and commentaries, much like The
Art of War by Sun Tzu, and has been studied by literally thousands
and thousands of martial artists across the globe. The volume you
hold in your hands is his second book, Dokkodo (The Way of
Walking Alone), a much lesser known work of Musashi’s. Compared
to his book of strategy, Go Rin no Sho, in present day publishing
terms Dokkodo is more of a pamphlet or booklet than a book.
One week or two prior to his death Musashi wrote out a series of 21
precepts regarding life for his favorite student Terao Magonojō and
left it at that. Unlike L. Ron Hubbard’s The Way to Happiness and
other works like it wherein the author goes on to further elaborate on
each precept, Musashi wrote Dokkodo in line-item form and left it at
that. It might be said that Magonojō was so familiar with Musashi that
he needed very little to go on. It might also be said that Musashi
thought that since he had to come to these conclusions himself over
a lifetime of experience so too should Magonojō, so he wrote very
little expecting his disciple to do some life research himself. Who
knows?
This is a most uncommon book that you hold in your hands.
Musashi’s last work is examined by no less than five people from
very different walks of life: a monk, a warrior, a teacher, a
businessman, and an insurance executive. Each one has expertise
in their walk of life. How do each of these individuals read Musashi’s
last work? What is their take on it? Their views are not the usual
martial artist’s take on it. These are areas of life which martial arts
may have very little or no impact on. What does Japan’s warrior
strategist have to say to them?

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Read on. Find how they view Musashi’s writings. They agree and
disagree, both with Musashi and each other, but they all have one
thing in common—this book caused them to think about life and their
relationship to it.
What is my own reaction to this book? Here are the writings of a man
in the twilight of his life attempting to lay down a foundation of life for
a favored student. I think to myself, “What might he have written
differently if he’d done this ten, twenty, or thirty years earlier?”
This book makes me reflect on what I thought was important at
various points of my life and what I think now at age sixty three. With
life experience I view things quite differently than when I was a hot-
blooded karate competitor. Thirty odd years, six children and twelve
grandchildren will do that. What is Dokkodo? I feel these are the
writings of a man who has reflected on the excesses of his life and
wishes to guide his student down a different path, a less turbulent life
path than the one he took.
Explore each precept from your own point of view, your own life
experience, and find out what Miyamoto Musashi, arguably the
greatest swordsman Japan has ever produced, has to say to you.
Yes, this is a most uncommon book that you hold in your hands.
Prof. Dan Anderson
October, 2015

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