Under this category we share Ninja Wisdom articles with you.
Cardinal rule of the ninja: hold your tongue. This meant never speaking frivolously, never giving too much away, always choosing to listen far more than you speak. Long before “loose lips sink ships” became a war slogan, the ninja realized that their silence ensured their safety.…
The Bansenshukai, the primary ninja manual, begins with not one but two books about the importance of correct mind. The first book shares this excerpt from The Great Learning in Confucianism: If your mind is not present in the ‘here,’ you cannot see even if you…
When you’re traipsing around in the night, in an unknown and unfamiliar place, it’s important to know how to find your way back home. The ninja call this the art of not losing your way. The tactic is simple: when you’re infiltrating one of these places,…
Your staunch enemy is inattentiveness. -the Shinobi Hiden Scroll The Shinobi Hiden scroll is a 17th century ninja manual passed down and preserved by the legendary family of Hattori Hanzo. In the quote above, its brevity speaks volumes. Inattentiveness is the enemy. And it’s not…
In the 8th century Japan, the Shinto often used a phrase called “naka-ima.” It means “the middle of now.” Naka-ima describes not just the point in time you find yourself in, but the very center of that point in time. Not just now, but the middle of…
Here’s some ninja wisdom that has hugely practical applications for us: Space is your best defense. In fact, until you become aware of space, you won’t be able to defend yourself at all. When you spar in martial arts, much of what you’re doing is navigating…
Kokoro is a Japanese word that means heart. But it’s so much more than that. In the world of martial arts, kokoro means something closer to “indomitable spirit.” You could also call it grit. When someone has kokoro, they have the kind of energy and passion that…
It is against soul ninja policy to freak out. This is a cardinal rule. And it’s a hard one, so it helps that it’s also funny. Life can be unbelievably infuriating. It can be scary, and unfair, and heartbreaking. It can be violently unjust. Life is…
The more I learn about and practice martial arts, the more I realize this is true: real strength is quiet strength. I know this is a strange thing to say when we’re surrounded by a culture that thinks real strength is bully strength, bravado strength. But…
Here’s the foundation of all soul ninja wisdom: begin with a stable mind. A stable mind is what allows us to choose wisely, not reactively. It’s what gives us the discernment we need to do what is most needed. You can obviously see why a stable mind…
