How to Be a Samurai
Practice Gi (integrity.), Practice Yuuki (courage.), Practice Jin (kindness; benevolence.), Practice Rei (politeness; etiquette.), Practice Makoto (honesty.), Practice Meiyo (honor.), Practice Chugi (loyalty.)
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Practice Gi (integrity.)
Traditionally, samurai lived according to the moral and ethical code known as Bushido.
While the samurai are gone, the central virtues of the Bushido code still describe an honorable, moral life that is perfectly possible to follow today.
The first of these virtues is integrity.A samurai always strives to do the right thing, even (and especially) when it's hard.
When presented with difficult decisions, the samurai chooses the path that is best for the greater good — even if it's not the best for him.
Modern example:
Kate accidentally makes an error when she's applying for college online: instead of giving her correct high school grade point average of
3.5, she absentmindedly types in
3.9.
Kate later spots her mistake, but only after she's submitted her application.
Though the mistake makes her look like a better candidate and she's pretty sure it will go unnoticed, she emails the department of admissions about her mistake anyway to ensure that she is judged fairly and to preserve her honor. -
Step 2: Practice Yuuki (courage.)
Samurai don't run away from doing difficult (even impossible) things.
Even in the face of grave circumstances and unlikely odds, they present a strong face and do their best to perform their duty.
Note that this doesn't mean that samurai never get scared.
Everyone gets scared.
Rather, when samurai get scared, they still do their best to complete the task at hand.
Modern example:
Joe is scared to go back out on the football field after halftime — his team is down by four touchdowns, the players on the other team insult him after every play, and he knows his coach will embarrass him in the locker room about the interceptions he threw in the first quarter.
After a brief moment of reflection, Joe returns to the field with his head held high — in his mind, his goal is now to have the best second half possible in spite of his fear and the difficult odds he faces. , While samurai are remembered today mainly for their fierceness on the battlefield, in their day-to-day lives, they were anything but fierce.
The ideal samurai was a warm (though always dignified) companion to friends, family, and strangers alike, treating the people he met with love and compassion.
Today, you can follow the virtue of Jin by doing your best to live a life full of human kindness — even when you run into people who may not especially deserve it.
Modern example:
The new kid at school is, by all accounts, a weirdo — he doesn't talk to anyone, he doesn't seem to have good hygiene, and he acts nervously whenever he has to speak in front of others.
Shawn sees him sitting alone in a corner of the cafeteria and decides to sit next to him and make an effort to start a conversation.
Whether the new kid turns out to be a kind soul who was simply shy or someone who's just as odd as everyone has made him out to be, he still deserves the same compassion that Shawn would give any of his friends. , Believe it or not, samurai strove to be perfect gentlemen in their day-to-day interactions just as much as they strove to be deadly on the battlefield.
This virtue differs from Jin (kindness) in that it describes a precise set of social customs and behaviors that constituted "politeness" in Japan at the time.
While it may be impractical today to participate in tea ceremonies from Japan's feudal period, for instance, you can still practice Rei by acting according to the modern notions of politeness and etiquette for gentlemen and gentlewomen.
Modern example:
For some reason, the old cashier at the grocery store just doesn't like Kim.
Every time she goes through his checkout line, he scowls and says nothing more than a terse "Do you want anything else?" She isn't sure whether he doesn't like the way she looks, whether she said something he disagreed with in the past, or whether the problem is something else entirely.
In spite of this, she resolves to greet him with a smile and some polite conversation every day.
Maybe, one day, he'll eventually learn to give her the same. , A samurai was expected to be honest in both word and action at all times.
The Bushido code dictated that he should always tell the truth, should never knowingly lie, and should never intentionally act in a way to cheat or deceive another person.
To do this is to show respect for the laws of the universe nature and the cosmos never act dishonestly, so neither should the samurai.Modern example:
After work, one of Sandeep's office coworkers tells him that he will be getting a call from his girlfriend, whom Sandeep has met.
He asks Sandeep to say that the two of them went to the local bar for drinks last night and stayed there until closing time.
Sandeep, who was at home with his family, apologizes and politely refuses.
His acquaintance becomes frustrated, but Sandeep doesn't give in — he won't knowingly lie, especially not to help someone get away with something immoral. , A samurai valued his honor above almost everything else, even sometimes his life.
Samurai made lifelong efforts to be admired and praised for their strength, competence, and virtue.
To be disgraced was usually out of the question: when put in a position where he was faced with a major failure (like, for instance, if he had lost an important battle for his daimyo, lord), it was not uncommon for a samurai to commit suicide by seppuku (ritual disembowelment) to preserve his honor.Though practices like seppuku are fairly extreme for the modern world, people who want to live like a samurai should be mindful of how the way they live affects their honor and reputation.
Modern example:
When she gets home from class one day, Isabella finds an invitation to a costume party at the prestigious sorority she's been trying to make friends at.
Though she's at first overjoyed, her hopes are dashed when she sees that the organizers of the party have chosen a tasteless racist theme for the party.
Though she's dying to make inroads in her college's Greek community, Isabella decides to skip the party for another one at a less-prestigious sorority — she would never want her reputation tarnished by being associated with such trash. , The samurai were nothing if not loyal to their masters, their clans, and their subjects.
A samurai was expected to follow the orders of his daimyo with absolute obedience.
Samurai even signed "blood contracts" with their daimyo that swore the loyalty of their entire bloodline to the bloodline of the lord.While, once again, this sort of extreme loyalty is out of place in the modern era, it's still possible to practice Chuugi by sticking by the people in your life that you are honor-bound to in times of difficulty, like your friends, your family, and the people who are dependent on you.
Modern example:
Tim and his son have always had a difficult relationship.
Whenever Tim tries to help his son make the right decisions in life, the two of them always seem to end up in a heated argument.
Now, his son is marrying a woman that Tim doesn't care for at all.
Despite his extreme reservations, Tim resolves to be there by his son's side at his wedding — he's his son, and he'll love him no matter what. -
Step 3: Practice Jin (kindness; benevolence.)
-
Step 4: Practice Rei (politeness; etiquette.)
-
Step 5: Practice Makoto (honesty.)
-
Step 6: Practice Meiyo (honor.)
-
Step 7: Practice Chugi (loyalty.)
Detailed Guide
Traditionally, samurai lived according to the moral and ethical code known as Bushido.
While the samurai are gone, the central virtues of the Bushido code still describe an honorable, moral life that is perfectly possible to follow today.
The first of these virtues is integrity.A samurai always strives to do the right thing, even (and especially) when it's hard.
When presented with difficult decisions, the samurai chooses the path that is best for the greater good — even if it's not the best for him.
Modern example:
Kate accidentally makes an error when she's applying for college online: instead of giving her correct high school grade point average of
3.5, she absentmindedly types in
3.9.
Kate later spots her mistake, but only after she's submitted her application.
Though the mistake makes her look like a better candidate and she's pretty sure it will go unnoticed, she emails the department of admissions about her mistake anyway to ensure that she is judged fairly and to preserve her honor.
Samurai don't run away from doing difficult (even impossible) things.
Even in the face of grave circumstances and unlikely odds, they present a strong face and do their best to perform their duty.
Note that this doesn't mean that samurai never get scared.
Everyone gets scared.
Rather, when samurai get scared, they still do their best to complete the task at hand.
Modern example:
Joe is scared to go back out on the football field after halftime — his team is down by four touchdowns, the players on the other team insult him after every play, and he knows his coach will embarrass him in the locker room about the interceptions he threw in the first quarter.
After a brief moment of reflection, Joe returns to the field with his head held high — in his mind, his goal is now to have the best second half possible in spite of his fear and the difficult odds he faces. , While samurai are remembered today mainly for their fierceness on the battlefield, in their day-to-day lives, they were anything but fierce.
The ideal samurai was a warm (though always dignified) companion to friends, family, and strangers alike, treating the people he met with love and compassion.
Today, you can follow the virtue of Jin by doing your best to live a life full of human kindness — even when you run into people who may not especially deserve it.
Modern example:
The new kid at school is, by all accounts, a weirdo — he doesn't talk to anyone, he doesn't seem to have good hygiene, and he acts nervously whenever he has to speak in front of others.
Shawn sees him sitting alone in a corner of the cafeteria and decides to sit next to him and make an effort to start a conversation.
Whether the new kid turns out to be a kind soul who was simply shy or someone who's just as odd as everyone has made him out to be, he still deserves the same compassion that Shawn would give any of his friends. , Believe it or not, samurai strove to be perfect gentlemen in their day-to-day interactions just as much as they strove to be deadly on the battlefield.
This virtue differs from Jin (kindness) in that it describes a precise set of social customs and behaviors that constituted "politeness" in Japan at the time.
While it may be impractical today to participate in tea ceremonies from Japan's feudal period, for instance, you can still practice Rei by acting according to the modern notions of politeness and etiquette for gentlemen and gentlewomen.
Modern example:
For some reason, the old cashier at the grocery store just doesn't like Kim.
Every time she goes through his checkout line, he scowls and says nothing more than a terse "Do you want anything else?" She isn't sure whether he doesn't like the way she looks, whether she said something he disagreed with in the past, or whether the problem is something else entirely.
In spite of this, she resolves to greet him with a smile and some polite conversation every day.
Maybe, one day, he'll eventually learn to give her the same. , A samurai was expected to be honest in both word and action at all times.
The Bushido code dictated that he should always tell the truth, should never knowingly lie, and should never intentionally act in a way to cheat or deceive another person.
To do this is to show respect for the laws of the universe nature and the cosmos never act dishonestly, so neither should the samurai.Modern example:
After work, one of Sandeep's office coworkers tells him that he will be getting a call from his girlfriend, whom Sandeep has met.
He asks Sandeep to say that the two of them went to the local bar for drinks last night and stayed there until closing time.
Sandeep, who was at home with his family, apologizes and politely refuses.
His acquaintance becomes frustrated, but Sandeep doesn't give in — he won't knowingly lie, especially not to help someone get away with something immoral. , A samurai valued his honor above almost everything else, even sometimes his life.
Samurai made lifelong efforts to be admired and praised for their strength, competence, and virtue.
To be disgraced was usually out of the question: when put in a position where he was faced with a major failure (like, for instance, if he had lost an important battle for his daimyo, lord), it was not uncommon for a samurai to commit suicide by seppuku (ritual disembowelment) to preserve his honor.Though practices like seppuku are fairly extreme for the modern world, people who want to live like a samurai should be mindful of how the way they live affects their honor and reputation.
Modern example:
When she gets home from class one day, Isabella finds an invitation to a costume party at the prestigious sorority she's been trying to make friends at.
Though she's at first overjoyed, her hopes are dashed when she sees that the organizers of the party have chosen a tasteless racist theme for the party.
Though she's dying to make inroads in her college's Greek community, Isabella decides to skip the party for another one at a less-prestigious sorority — she would never want her reputation tarnished by being associated with such trash. , The samurai were nothing if not loyal to their masters, their clans, and their subjects.
A samurai was expected to follow the orders of his daimyo with absolute obedience.
Samurai even signed "blood contracts" with their daimyo that swore the loyalty of their entire bloodline to the bloodline of the lord.While, once again, this sort of extreme loyalty is out of place in the modern era, it's still possible to practice Chuugi by sticking by the people in your life that you are honor-bound to in times of difficulty, like your friends, your family, and the people who are dependent on you.
Modern example:
Tim and his son have always had a difficult relationship.
Whenever Tim tries to help his son make the right decisions in life, the two of them always seem to end up in a heated argument.
Now, his son is marrying a woman that Tim doesn't care for at all.
Despite his extreme reservations, Tim resolves to be there by his son's side at his wedding — he's his son, and he'll love him no matter what.
About the Author
Marie Bennett
A passionate writer with expertise in home improvement topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
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