The Teachings of Confucius - Special Edition

Confucius not only said interesting things, he sang them and accompanied himself on a kind of zither. The Smithsonian Institution’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery displays an exhibit of musical instruments from Confucius’ time, 2,500 years ago. A collection of his lyrics – unfortunately there are no melodies – is one of the first pieces of Chinese literature handed down through the centuries.

“It is said that Confucius accompanied himself on a ‘qin’ while singing the odes of the Shi Jing, or the ‘Classic of Poetry,’” says cellist Yo-Yo Ma in a guide to the exhibit. “We don’t know what Confucius’ qin may have looked like, but in popular accounts of his life, the image of the philosopher-musician became firmly established.” The qin is a kind of zither. Today’s Chinese musicians still use one kind. Ma is an American of Chinese ancestry, one of today’s leading cellists playing classical western music.

Jenny F. So, the Sackler’s curator of ancient Chinese art, said in an interview that some of the “odes” were just folk songs. Confucius reportedly made a practice of dancing with his disciples every day. In his time, music was considered of great social significance, linking rulers to subjects, parents to children. “It is by poetry that one’s mind is aroused; it is by ceremony that one’s character is regulated; it is by music that one becomes accomplished,” he said.

Most of the instruments on display come from a tomb of the Marquis Yi, found by Chinese soldiers in 1977 when they were leveling a hill as a site for a factory. The instruments are borrowed from a museum in Hubei, China. So said this is the first time they have been displayed in a musical context.

Confucius had definite ideas about what music ought to be. “Get rid of the tunes of Zheng,” he is quoted as saying. “The tunes of Zheng are lascivious.” The Zheng area lies just to the south of Lu, Confucius’ home state. A later chronicler, who So says may have been using his imagination some, told of a Chinese king who was fond of licentious music. “He assembled a large company of musicians and actors at the Shaqiu garden,” says the account, “filling a pond with wine and hanging up meats to make a forest. He caused men and women to disrobe and pursue each other through this scenery, as part of a drinking feast lasting long into the night.”

A costumed musician, Mei Min Su of the local Chinese Music Society, played more recent Chinese music for visitors before the official opening, on a zither like one from Confucius’ time. The marquis apparently had two sets of musicians: one for public ceremonials, which emphasized percussion instruments, and a smaller, more intimate one with strings. Chinese authorities considered his ceremonial set of 65 huge bronze bells too precious to leave the country. Inscriptions on them identify the notes they produce on the Chinese five-tone scale. So far as scholars can find, it took nearly another thousand years before actual tunes were written out, Su said. In one chamber of the tomb archaeologists found an elaborately lacquered double coffin with the body of a middle-aged man, presumably the marquis. Eight smaller coffins contained the skeletons of eight young women.

The Art of War by Sun Tzu - Classic Collector's Edition

A veteran of aerial combat in the Korean War could help America’s ground-pounders vanquish terrorists in the Middle East today. From his experience dueling with Soviet MiGs, Air Force Colonel John Boyd derived a way of thinking about strategy that applied not only to dogfighting over the Korean Peninsula, but to all dimensions of conflict and competition.

Boyd’s theory was deceptively simple: The combatant who was best able to adapt to an environment that was perpetually in flux, and thus to keep his opponent off-balance, would enjoy a nearly insuperable edge in battle.

Intuition started Boyd on his improbable journey from fighter pilot to strategic theorist. After Korea he landed an assignment as a flight instructor at the Air Force’s elite Fighter Weapons School. There he earned the nickname “40-Second Boyd” after issuing a standing $40 bet that he could win any dogfight within 40 seconds after starting from a position of disadvantage.

He won every encounter – and became obsessed with figuring out how, in theoretical terms, he had pulled it off.

Victory in air-to-air combat, reasoned Boyd, hinged on getting your opponent in a position where he was already reacting to something you had done, then making a quick change in altitude, speed, or direction that would put you in position to make the kill. The ability to cause and react to changes – “fast transients,” he called them – was decisive. Building on this insight, Boyd literally wrote the book on dogfighting in jet aircraft, the Air Force’s “Aerial Attack Study.”

In the early 1960s, working at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, Boyd further codified his thinking as “energy maneuverability theory.” Using stolen computer time, he developed a technique for comparing the performance characteristics of fighter aircraft throughout their operating envelopes. This allowed him to determine at what altitude, speed, and g force one aircraft would have an advantage over another flown by a comparably skilled pilot.

The energy-maneuverability concept transformed not only the way American aviators fought, but the aircraft they flew. Boyd had a hand in designing the F-15 Eagle; he joined with like-minded individuals to form a “Fighter Mafia” that lobbied the Air Force hierarchy for a simpler, cheaper fighter to complement the F-15. The result of their five-year bureaucratic insurgency was the F-16 Fighting Falcon – the most nimble fighter ever.

When Boyd retired from the Air Force in the mid-1970s, he began to expand upon his theorizing. Mathematics, physics, and biology influenced him. From Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, Incompleteness Theorem, and the Second Law of Thermodynamics he absorbed the idea that the human mind had to be able to destroy one model of reality when conditions changed – as they were apt to do – and quickly create a new model.

In the frenzied environment of combat, whoever could observe his surroundings, orient to new circumstances, make a decision, and act most swiftly would win. The winner would sow disorientation in the loser by getting “inside” his decision cycle, thus outwitting and outmaneuvering him. Brute force was a secondary concern.

History and strategic theory reinforced the insights Boyd had gained from the sciences. He found the writings of the classical Chinese strategist Sun Tzu, who prescribed a strategy built on deception and the artful blending of direct and indirect attack, particularly compelling. Boyd’s work found surprisingly receptive audiences in the ground services, which at the time were beginning to reinvent themselves as the ultramodern force of today.

Indeed, his influence helped wean the Army and Marines away from their traditional reliance on conventional wars of attrition, replacing this quintessentially American way of war with a doctrine premised on speed, indirection, and maneuver. This new outlook was on display both in Desert Storm – General Charles Krulak, then the commandant of Marines, credited him with being an architect of the victory – and in the high-intensity phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

To win in the fluid, unconventional environment of post-Saddam Iraq, the coalition needs to think unconventionally, and unleash some fast transients of its own. Fortunately, U.S. special operations forces excel at keeping their opponents in reactive mode, much as Boyd counseled. They have the language skills and the cultural acumen to ferret out the Baathist holdouts, disaffected Iraqi soldiers, and foreign terrorists who are trying to destabilize the country.

And, most importantly, they are renowned for inventiveness – witness the campaign in Afghanistan, where soldiers on horseback illuminated targets and called in air strikes featuring satellite-guided ordnance. America doesn’t need to throw more resources at the problem in Iraq. It needs to unlock the ingenuity of its unconventional forces.

Dr. James Holmes is a senior research associate at the University of Georgia Center for International Trade and Security and a former professor of strategy at the US Naval War College. This article is republished on an excellent military analysis siteDefense and the National Interest.

The Samurai Series on Amazon

From the Samurai Series:

I have been many years training in the Way of strategy, called Ni Ten Ichi Ryu, and now I think I will explain it in writing for the first time. It is now during the first ten days of the tenth month in the twentieth year of Kanei (1645). I have climbed mountain Iwato of Higo in Kyushu to pay homage to heaven, pray to Kwannon, and kneel before Buddha. I am a warrior of Harima province, Shinmen Musashi No Kami Fujiwara No Geshin, age sixty years.

From youth my heart has been inclined toward the Way of strategy. My first duel was when I was thirteen, I struck down a strategist of the Shinto school, one Arima Kihei. When I was sixteen I struck down an able strategist, Tadashima Akiyama. When I was twenty-one I went up to the capital and met all manner of strategists, never once failing to win in many contests. 

After that I went from province to province duelling with strategists of various schools, and not once failed to win even though I had as many as sixty encounters. This was between the ages of thirteen and twenty-eight or twenty-nine.

When I reached thirty I looked back on my past. The previous victories were not due to my having mastered strategy. Perhaps it was natural ability, or the order of heaven, or that other schools’ strategy was inferior. After that I studied morning and evening searching for the principle, and came to realise the Way of strategy when I was fifty.

Since then I have lived without following any particular Way. Thus with the virtue of strategy I practice many arts and abilities – all things with no teacher. To write this book I did not use the law of Buddha or the teachings of Confucius, neither old war chronicles nor books on martial tactics. I take up my brush to explain the true spirit of this Ichi school as it is mirrored in the Way of heaven and Kwannon. The time is the night of the tenth day of the tenth month, at the hour of the tiger (3-5 a.m.)

And so begins Miyamoto Musashi in trying to explain the ways of the warrior in Go Rin No Sho, now known as The Book of Five Rings.

The Samurai Series: The Book of Five Rings, Hagakure, Bushido

The Samurai Series brings together three of the most important books dealing with the Samurai path and philosophy into one volume. It contains:

The Book of Five Rings, written by Miyamoto Musashi, a Samurai of legendary renown, is a masterpiece of simple exposition written by a master swordsman, who near the end of his spectacular life, tried earnestly to explain the essentials of individual combat and the essence of being a Samurai. His book is widely considered to a cornerstone of the philosophy of Bushido.

Hagakure – The Way of the Samurai, meaning “Hidden by Leaves”, was composed from dialogs by the famous Samurai, Yamamoto Tsunetomo, by a scribe, Tashiro Tsuramoto. It explains the major ideas and philosophy that are essential to the “way of the Samurai”, by which is meant the “way of dying”. It contains numerous tales of various Samurai and their deeds which illustrate their philosophy and practice.

Bushido – The Soul of Japan by Inazo Nitobe is an extremely literate presentation by a Japanese intellectual who wished to present Japan and its fundamental philosophy in a way that could be understood by Westerners. It describes how the Shinto Religion and Buddhism are the underpinnings of the essentially militaristic view of honor and life that are inherent in Bushido, the Samurai code.

The Art of War by Sun Tzu - Deluxe Hardcover Edition

Ssu-ma Ch`ien gives the following biography of Sun Tzu:

Sun Tzu Wu was a native of the Ch`i State. His Art of War brought him to the notice of Ho Lu, King of Wu. Ho Lu said to him: “I have carefully perused your 13 chapters. May I submit your theory of managing soldiers to a slight test?”

Sun Tzu replied: “You may.”

Ho Lu asked: “May the test be applied to women?”

The answer was again in the affirmative, so arrangements were made to bring 180 ladies out of the Palace. Sun Tzu divided them into two companies, and placed one of the King’s favorite concubines at the head of each. He then bade them all take spears in their hands, and addressed them thus: “I presume you know the difference between front and back, right hand and left hand?”

The girls replied: “Yes”.

Sun Tzu went on: “When I say “eyes front,” you must look straight ahead. When I say “left turn,” you must face towards your left hand. When I say “right turn,” you must face towards your right hand. When I say “about turn,” you must face right round towards your back.” Again the girls assented. The words of command having been thus explained, he set up the halberds and battle-axes in order to begin the drill. Then, to the sound of drums, he gave the order “right turn.” But the girls only burst out laughing. Sun Tzu said: “If words of command are not clear and distinct, if orders are not thoroughly understood, then the general is to blame.”

So he started drilling them again, and this time gave the order “left turn,” whereupon the girls once more burst into fits of laughter. Sun Tzu: “If words of command are not clear and distinct, if orders are not thoroughly understood, the general is to blame. But if his orders ARE clear, and the soldiers nevertheless disobey, then it is the fault of their officers.”

So saying, he ordered the leaders of the two companies to be beheaded. Now the king of Wu was watching the scene from the top of a raised pavilion; and when he saw that his favorite concubines were about to be executed, he was greatly alarmed and hurriedly sent down the following message: “We are now quite satisfied as to our general’s ability to handle troops. If We are bereft of these two concubines, our meat and drink will lose their savor. It is our wish that they shall not be beheaded.”

Sun Tzu replied: “Having once received His Majesty’s commission to be the general of his forces, there are certain commands of His Majesty which, acting in that capacity, I am unable to accept.”

Accordingly, he had the two leaders beheaded, and straightway installed the pair next in order as leaders in their place. When this had been done, the drum was sounded for the drill once more; and the girls went through all the evolutions, turning to the right or to the left, marching ahead or wheeling back, kneeling or standing, with perfect accuracy and precision, not venturing to utter a sound. Then Sun Tzu sent a messenger to the King saying: “Your soldiers, Sire, are now properly drilled and disciplined, and ready for your majesty’s inspection. They can be put to any use that their sovereign may desire; bid them go through fire and water, and they will not disobey.”

But the King replied: “Let our general cease drilling and return to camp. As for us, We have no wish to come down and inspect the troops.”

Thereupon Sun Tzu said: “The King is only fond of words, and cannot translate them into deeds.”

After that, Ho Lu saw that Sun Tzu was one who knew how to handle an army, and finally appointed him general. In the west, he defeated the Ch`u State and forced his way into Ying, the capital; to the north he put fear into the States of Ch`i and Chin, and spread his fame abroad amongst the feudal princes. And Sun Tzu shared in the might of the King.

Zen Buddhism - Buddhist Verses, Sutras, Pure Land Teachings

Siddhartha Gautama, the Indian philosopher also known as Buddha Gautama, is believed to have attained Enlightenment sometime in the middle of the 5th century before the Common Era, while meditating under a Bodhi tree. From that time of enlightenment until his death, by which he entered Nirvana, he traveled by foot around the countryside of India, teaching others his philosophy of the Middle Path. The foundations of Buddhist tradition and practice are often called the Three Jewels: the Buddha, the Dharma (teachings), and the Sangha (community).

Presented in this modern special edition is a unique selection of the ancient texts which would follow the path of the Silk Road from India to China to Japan, and evolve into the school of thought known today as Zen Buddhism. This path follows the Indian Mahayana verses from the Dhammapada, to a collection of Buddhist sutras (or scriptures) transcribed from Chinese texts, and finally concludes with the Threefold Lotus, the three Pure Land sect sutras favored in Japan.

Within the texts, the reader will find the Noble Eightfold Path, the 10 Major Precepts, the 48 Minor Precepts, the teachings of Ananda, the teachings of Bodhidharma, the Twin Verses of theDhammapada, the Brahma Net Sutra and other basic tenets of Buddhism. The verses, sutras and texts stand on their own, as they have for centuries, to be interpreted by those who seek a deeper understanding of the world, and spiritual enlightenment.

Excerpt from Zen Buddhism – The Path to Enlightenment – Special Edition. Reprinted by permission – All rights reserved.

The Buddha said: “There are two aims which he who has given up the world ought not to follow after – devotion, on the one hand, to those things whose attractions depend upon passions, a low and pagan ideal, fit only for the worldly-minded; ignoble, unprofitable; and the practice on the other hand of asceticism, which is painful, ignoble, and unprofitable.

“There is a Middle Path discovered by the Tathagata– a path which opens the eyes, and bestows understanding, which leads to peace, to insight, to the higher wisdom, to Nirvana. It is the Noble Eightfold Path…”