"The Way of the Eye" as Taught in Miyamoto Musashi's "

Miyamoto Musashi's "The Book of Five Rings" contains many lessons that are applicable not only to tactics but also to everyday life. His thoughts on "the way of the eye" in particular are very useful even today.

Musashi writes, "The way of the eye should be broad and encompassing. There are two kinds of eyes: 'the observing eye' and 'the perceiving eye.' It is crucial in the martial arts to strengthen the 'observing eye' and weaken the 'perceiving eye.' To see distant things as if they are close and to view close things as if they are distant is essential. Knowing the position of the enemy's sword while not focusing on the sword itself is important."

This lesson is immensely valuable in our daily lives. For instance, when someone brandishes a knife, most people instinctively focus on the knife. However, by concentrating only on the knife, we might not be prepared for the next attack. What's important here is to observe the opponent's entire body broadly.

In fact, this involves using peripheral vision. Utilizing peripheral vision allows for quick judgment. We have all had experiences where we react swiftly to something caught in the corner of our eye. For example, when a child is about to do something dangerous, and we instinctively reach out to protect them. Although I'm no expert in neuroscience, it is said that things caught in our peripheral vision connect more directly and intuitively to our motor nerves.

Moreover, this concept of 'observing with the mind’s eye' relates to mindfulness and meditation practices. In these practices, one observes the present happenings and thoughts as if watching television from a distance, thereby regaining a sense of calm detachment from matters.

This mindset is crucial for survival in extreme situations and is also beneficial in everyday life. Whether overwhelmed with work or angered by a sudden rude remark, trying to view the situation with the 'mind’s eye' is valuable. Essentially, it means to step back and view things from a different perspective. Often, we feel trapped in a dead end, but in retrospect, there are usually many ways out.

Of course, adopting this perspective immediately may be challenging, but like all things, it comes with practice. This is a lecture video by Gozo Shiota, a master of Aikido. At around 2:30, he advises not to focus on the knife or sword of the opponent. Instead, he emphasizes the importance of seeing the opponent's whole body. His lecture videos are incredibly beneficial for students of Kobudo.