Dogen with Hagakure, or how to be a snake, or how to hide (live) among fellow men (& women)—that is (con furia & strepito), on the brink of an ass' wisdom

Saint Nicaise carrying his head, photograph by A/Z available with other photographs and drawings at Fine Art America. 
Saint Denis (?) Musée de Cluny, Statue de l'Ange de Saint Nicaise (Reims) (photographie by A/Z, janvier 2018);

Images from Jim Jarmush's Ghost Dog (France, Germany, USA, Japan, 1999);

Images from Martin Scorsese's Silence (Mexico, Taiwan, USA, 2016);

Tommy Cash's Euroz Dollaz Yeniz;

Morton Feldman's Intersection (1935);

Toshi Ichiyanagi's Time Sequence;

Toshi Ichiyanagi's Life Music (1966);  

Arquipélago dos Pombos Correios (A/Z, still unpublished) [I took this video out of Youtube, because I wanted to change it];

Pillage (by A/Z) [I took this video out of Youtube, because I wanted to change it];

Commentary scholium, illustration and key:

"My girl half mutant half Japanese"

Tommy Cash

"La statue de l'ange de saint Nicaise (à Reims) n'est qu'un dommage collatéral de la terrible journée du 19 setembre 1914... après une chute de quatre mètres cinquante, la tête se brise au sol en plus d'une vingtaine de morceauux..." 

Yan Harlaut, L'Ange au Sourire de Reims.

"J'insiste: ce non-mental que Georges Bataille préconisait. (Acéphale c'était sans doute la recherche la plus aiguisée.) Ce non-mental, qui est au centre de la doctrine zen."

André Masson (Le soc de la charrue)

"... le doute que Cézanne apporte déjà sur la figuration... le fait que ses portraits les plus impressionnants portent des masques... Ça fait penser à Mycènes, aux masques de Nô aussi..."

André Masson (Le scandale de la figuration)

"Cézanne est le premier peintre qui ait conçu la peinture en termes de genèse. Et par le plus étonnant des paradoxes: en peignant d'après nature... Dans la dernière période, la concentration est telle qu'elle explode... En résulte une souveraine liberté, celle des ultimes quatuors de Beethoven, celle de la 'manière rude' des moines de la secte Zen."

André Masson (Cézanne est le premier peintre)

"Moralité des Tentations: le saint parfaitement immobile, aux prises avec l'horrible, sous une pluie de coups. Ceci rejoint une recette du Taoïsme: le non-agir."

André Masson (Le Jardin des Délices/Écrits, anthologie établie par Françoise Levaillant)

"Why, if everything is possible, do we concern ourselves with history (in other words, with a sense of what is necessary to be done at a particular time)? And I would answer, in order to thicken the plot... all those interpenetrations which seem at first glance hellish—history, for instance, if we are speaking of experimental music—are to be espoused."

John Cage (History of Experimental Music in the United States)

"Let me read a passage from the I-Ching... 'The fire whose light illuminates the mountain and makes it pleasing, does not shine far. In the same way beautiful form suffices to brighten and throw light upon matters of lesser moment. But important questions cannot be decided in this way. They require greater earnestness.' Perhaps this will make understandable a statement made by Blythe in his book Haiku: 'The highest responsibility of the artist is to hide beauty'... The important question is what is it that is not just beautiful but also ugly, not just good, but also evil, not just true, but also an illusion... and what other important questions are there? Than that we live and how to do it in a state of accord with Life."

"Let us say in life: No earthquakes are permissible. What happens then?"

"... it is more like Feldman's music—anything may happen and it all does go together. There is no rest of life. Life is one. Without beginning, without middle, without ending..."

"... we are all heroes, if we accept what comes, our inner cheerfulness undisturbed. If we accept what comes, that (again) is what Feldman means by Intersection."

"... all things have equally their Buddha nature."

John Cage (Lecture on Something)

"D'abord cela m'eût acheminé plus rapidement à l'idée qu'il ne faut jamais en vouloir aux hommes, jamais les juger d'après tel souvenir d'une méchanceté, car nous ne savons pas tout ce qu'à d'autres moments leur âme a pu vouloir sincèrement et réaliser de bon... C'était un homme capable de désintéressement, des générosités sans ostentation, cela ne veut pas dire forcément un homme sensible ni un homme sympathique, ni scrupuleux, ni véridique ni toujours bon."

Marcel Proust (le narrateur, La Prisonnière)

"Si je viens avec vous à Versailles comme nous avons convenu, je vous montrerai le portrait de l'honnête homme par excellence, du meilleur des maris, Choderlos de Laclos, qui a écrit le plus effroyablement pervers des livres, et juste en face de celui de Mme de Genlis qui écrivit des contes moraux et ne se contenta pas de tromper la duchesse d'Orleans, mais la supplicia en détournant d'elle ses enfants."

Marcel Proust (le narrateur, La Prisonnière)

"'Oh! pardon, monsieur de Charlus, j'espère que je ne vous ai pas fait mal', s'écria-t-elle comme si elle s'agenouillait devant son maître. Celui-ci ne daigna répondre autrement que par un large rire ironique et concéda seulement un 'bonsoir', qui, comme s'il s'apercevait seulement de la présence de la marquise une fois qu'elle l'avait salué la première, était une insulte de plus."

Marcel Proust (le narrateur, Sodome et Gomorrhe)

"Tout près de nous, M. de Cambremer qui était déjà assis, esquissa, en voyant M. de Charlus debout, le mouvement de se lever et de lui donner sa chaise. Cette offre ne correspondait peut-être dans la pensée du marquis qu'à une intention de vague politesse. M. de Charlus préféra y  attacher la signification d'un devoir que le simple gentilhomme savait qu'il avait à rendre à un prince, et ne crut pas pouvoir mieux établir son droit à cette préséance qu'en la déclinant. Aussi s'écriat-il: 'Mais comment donc! Je vous prie! Par exemple!' Le ton astucieusement véhément de cette protestation avait déjà quelque chose de fort 'Guermantes', qui s'accusa davantage dans le geste impératif, inutile e familier avec lequel M. de Charlus pesa de ses deux mains et comme pour le forcer à se rasseoir, sur les épaules de M. de Cambremer, qui ne s'était pas levé..."

Marcel Proust (le narrateur, Sodome et Gomorrhe)

"Cette bonté s'accompagnait d'une feinte timidité, de l'espèce de mouvement de retrait intermittent de la voix, du regard, de la pensée qu'on ramène à soi comme une jupe indiscrète, pour ne pas prendre trop de place, pour rester bien droite, même dans la souplesse, comme le veut la bonne éducation. Bonne éducation qu'il ne faut pas prendre trop au pied de la lettre d'ailleurs, plusieurs de ces dames versant très vite dans le dévergondage des moeurs sans perdre jamais la correction presque enfantine des manières."

Marcel Proust (le narrateur, Le Côté de Germantes)

"... le manque d'éducation des gens du peuple qui ne cherchent pas à dissimuler l'impression, voire l'effroi douloureux causé en eux par la vue d'un changement physique qu'il serait plus délicat de ne pas paraître remarquer, et la rudesse insensible de la paysanne qui arrache les ailes des libellules avant qu'elle ait l'occasion de tordre le cou aux poulets et manque de la pudeur qui lui ferait cacher l'intérêt qu'elle éprouve à voir la chair qui souffre."

Marcel Proust (le narrateur, Le Côté de Germantes)

"Mme de Guermantes m'offrait, domestiquée et soumise par l'amabilité, par le respect envers les valeurs spirituelles, l'énergie et le charme d'une cruelle petite fille de l'aristocratie des environs de Combray, qui, dès son enfance, montait à cheval, cassait les reins aux chats, arrachait l'oeil aux lapins et, aussi bien qu'elle était restée une fleur de vertu, aurait pu, tant elle avait les mêmes élégances, pas mal d'années auparavant, être la plus brillante maîtresse du prince de Sagan."

Marcel Proust (le narrateur, Le Côté de Germantes)

"Seine höhere Obhut zeigte sich in dem Maasse stark, dass ich in keinem Falle auch nur geahnt habe, was in mir wächst, — dass alle meine Fähigkeiten plötzlich, reif, in ihrer letzten Vollkommenheit eines Tags hervorsprangen. Es fehlt in meiner Erinnerung, dass ich mich je bemüht hätte, — es ist kein Zug von Ringen in meinem Leben nachweisbar, ich bin der Gegensatz einer heroischen Natur. Etwas „wollen“, nach Etwas „streben“, einen „Zweck“, einen „Wunsch“ im Auge haben — das kenne ich Alles nicht aus Erfahrung. Noch in diesem Augenblick sehe ich auf meine Zukunft — eine weite Zukunft! — wie auf ein glattes Meer hinaus: kein Verlangen kräuselt sich auf ihm. Ich will nicht im Geringsten, dass Etwas anders wird als es ist; ich selber will nicht anders werden."

Nietzsche (Ecce Homo)

"Yes, but Hegel thought it was very valuable to relate to nature and take part in matter in society and all that..."

David Bohm (interview)

"Es ist Nichts, was ist, abzurechnen, es ist Nichts entbehrlich — die von den Christen und andren Nihilisten abgelehnten Seiten des Daseins sind sogar von unendlich höherer Ordnung in der Rangordnung der Werthe als das, was der decadence-Instinkt gutheißen, gut heißen durfte."

Nietzsche (Ecce Homo)

"Der Buddhismus ist hundertmal realistischer als das Christentum, er hat die Erbschaft des objektiven und kühlen Probleme-Stellens im Leibe... Er hat die Selbst-Betrügerei der Moral-Begrieffe bereits hinter sich — er steht jenseits von Gut und Böse."

Nietzsche (Der Antichrist)

"Therefore the good person is the teacher of the bad; 

The bad person is the raw material for the  good.

If you do not value your teacher or if you do not love your raw material,

Then even if you are wise yet you will go greatly astray."

Daodejing/27 (Edmund Ryden's translation)

"The good ones I value; the not good ones I also value,

Therefore I win goodness; 

The trustworthy ones I trust; the untrustworthy ones I also trust,

Therefore I win trust."

Daodejing/49 (Edmund Ryden's translation)

"Ma fille, je ne connais qu'un moyen de rabaisser notre orgueil, c'est de nous élever plus haut que lui."
La religieuse qui lui apprenait le français (Olga/Les Samouraïs)

"... le Christ véritable était une espèce de Bouddha..."
Gilles Deleuze, Nietzche et la philosophie

"... go — go poor devil, get thee gone: why should I hurt thee? This world is surely wide enough to hold both thee and me"

Tristram Shandy

"Nothing is perfect—after all, it's the opposite of nothing."
Andy Warhol

"... un incorporel autant qu'un impassible, pour parler comme Blanchot..." 

Gilles Deleuze, Le Pli

"... ce que j'adore est Dieu. Pourtant, je ne crois pas en Dieu." 

Pierre Angelici 

"... son corps atteignait l'idéal d'égoïsme qui est l'idéal de tout corps: il était le plus dur au moment de devenir le plus faible..."

Maurice Blanchot, Thomas l'Obscur 

"... ce qui intéresse Nietzsche est l'irréductibilité de la différence de quantité à l'égalité... il y a une subjectivité de l'univers qui, précisément, n'est plus anthropomorphique mais cosmique."

Gilles Deleuze, Nietzsche et la philosophie 

"Toute hiérarchie, toute éminence est nié, pour autant que la substance est également désignée par tous les attributs conformément à leur essence, également exprimée par tous les modes conformément à leur degré de puissance."

Gilles Deleuze, Différence et répétition

"Si je puis avoir en moi et autour de moi tant de souvenirs dont je ne me souviens pas, cet oubli (du moins oubli de fait puisque je n'ai pas la faculté de rien voir) peut porter sur une vie que j'ai vécue dans le corps d'un autre homme, même sur une autre planète. Un même oubli efface tout. Mais alors que signifie cette immortalité da l'âme dont le philosophe norvégien affirmait la réalité? L'être que je serai après la mort n'a pas plus de raisons de se souvenir de l'homme que je suis depuis ma naissance que ce dernier ne se souvient de ce que j'ai été avant elle."

Marcel Proust (le narrateur, Sodome et Gomorrhe)

"Si vou voulez vous pousser vous-même en avant pour parvenir, dit le Laozi, cela sera à la fois épuisant et risqué; vous susciterez inévitablement des rivalités, il faudra affronter les autres et s'acharner. Tandis que, si vous vous mettez vous-même modestement en arrière, il pourra en résulter (tout seul) que vous serez poussé en avant, le retrait dans lequel vous choisissez de vous placer conduisant de lui-même à s'inverser... ce qui se réalise effectivement ne peut être que de l'ordre de l'effet, et c'est toujours par un processus (transformant la situation), et non en fonction d'un but conduisant (directement) à l'action, qu'on parvient à l'effect, à titre de résultat..."

"... c'est seulement si on ne cherche pas la virtu nommément comme telle (je veux être vertueux), mais qu'elle découle sponte sua, qu'elle coule de source, comme on dit, que la vertu (ou la capacité) surabonde et ne peut s'épuiser... qui, au contraire, ne cesse de vouloir atteindre la vertu, en se la fixant comme but et s'y 'attachant, qui cherche à tout coup à être vertueux, en agissant chaque fois express — sans donc perdre de vue la vertu, sans jamais se départir de son projet —, ne se trouvera jamais suffisamment riche de vertu ou de capacité... qui prétend en faire l'économie, et ne cesse de viser l'effet, est toujours à court d'effectivité. Car cette visée pénalise l'effet — le paralyse."

François Jullien (Traité de l'efficacité)

"Two hours UNDER the bed is even better. Don't even think about what you're going to wear during this rest period. For now, you must clear your mind of everything."

James St. James 

"I think you will now see what I mean by Rest. Rest is the loosing of the chains which bind us to the whirligig of the world, it is the passing into the centre of the Cyclone..."

Edward Carpenter

"Ronin is used as a metaphor based on a Japanese word for lordless samurai. As early as the 8th Century, ronin was translated literally as 'wave people' and used in Japan to describe those who had left their allotted, caste-predetermined stations in life: samurai who left the service of their feudal lords to become masterless."
Timothy Leary

"Because institutional science has become so conservative, so limited by the conventional paradigms, some of the most fundamental problems are either ignored, treated as taboo, or put at the bottom of the scientific agenda... relatively simple investigations of homing behaviour could transform our understanding of animal nature, and at the same time lead to the discovery of forces, fields, or influences at present unknown to physics... They are well within the capacity of many people who are not professional scientists. Indeed those best qualified to do this research would be pigeons fanciers."

Rupert Sheldrake

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Traditions to sift:

"Sit upright in correct bodily posture, inclining neither to the left nor the right, leaning neither forward nor backward. Be sure your ears are on a plane with your shoulders and your nose in line with your navel. Place your tongue against the front roof of your mouth, with teeth and lips both shut. Your eyes should always remain open. You should breath gently through your nose... Once the heart of zazen is grasped, you are like the dragon when he reaches the water, like the tiger when he enters the mountain..." (Dogen, Fukanzazengi). 

"... my thoughts immediately turned to preaching the Dharma for the salvation of my fellow beings..." (Dogen, Bendowa).

"... the ki transcending Buddha..." (Dogen, Bendowa).

"... such things are not mingled in the perceptions of the person sitting in zazen because, occurring in the stillness of samadhi beyond human agency or artifice, they are, directly and immediately, realization... " (Dogen, Bendowa). 

"... the spirits of the realms of light and darkness come to him and take refuge; enlightened Arhats also seek him out to beg his teaching..." (Dogen, Bendowa).

"... body and mind are one and the same, the essence and the form are not two... all things are immutable, without any differentiation between body and mind... all things are mutable, without any differentiation between essence and form... birth-and-death is in and of itself nirvana. Buddhism never speaks of nirvana apart from birth-and-death" (Dogen, Bendowa).

"... even those who break the precepts are not deprived of the benefits that come from zazen... when it comes to grasping the Buddha Dharma, no distinction must be drawn between man and woman, high and low..." (Dogen, Bendowa).

"... those who think mundane affairs hinder the practice of the Buddha Dharma know only that there is no Buddha Dharma in their daily life..." (Dogen, Bendowa).

"So it does not necessarily follow that in order to propagate the Way of the Buddha-patriarchs, you must choose a favorable place and wait for ideal circumstances..." (Dogen, Bendowa).

"Even when you are perplexed or troubled, those perplexed or troubled thoughts are not apart from the bright pearl. As there are no deeds or thoughts produced by something that is not the bright pearl, both coming and going in the Black Mountain's Cave of Demons are themselves nothing but the one bright pearl..." (Dogen, Ikka Myoju). 

"Rats are time. So are tigers" (Dogen, Uji).

"Seeing the Buddha-nature is seeing a donkey's jowls or a horse's mouth" (Dogen, Bussho).

"To realize life and death are a combination of conditions manifesting themselves before your eyes is to be able to utilize a Way that is totally unhindered" (Dogen, Bussho).

"... the words in their silence are the same as the razor edge on a laugh" (Dogen, Bussho).

"There is an extremely easy way to become Buddha. If you refrain from all evil, do not cling to birth-and-death; work in deep compassion for all sentient beings, respecting those over you and showing compassion for those below you, without any detesting or desiring, worrying or lamentation — that is Buddhahood. Do not search beyond it" (Dogen, Shoji).

All translations by Norman WADDELL and Masao ABE (men with as good and as upright a heart as ever God created), The Heart of Dogen's Shobogenzo (SUNY Press, 2002).

**************************************************************

Accounts to reconcile: 

"Although pressumptuous of me as a hermit, one who has taken the holy orders, not once have I desired to attain Buddhahood in death; instead, I only want to be reincarnated seven times as a Nabeshima clansman, with the determination resolutely etched in my gut to uphold the tranquillity of the Saga domain" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, "Idle Talk in the Dead of Night," Hagakure).

"A man's life is very short, so it is best to do what he enjoys most" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, II, 86).

Life and death:

- "Only when you constantly live as though already a corpse will you be able to find freedom in the martial Way,and fulfill your duties without fault throughout your life" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, I, 2).

- "Soejima Hachi'uemon was 42, and Nabeshima Kanbei 40 when they came of age" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, I, 112). 

- "When challenged by adversity, charge onwards with courage and jubilation" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, I, 115). 

- "It is said that you can do one last thing even when your head has been cut off" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, I, 120). 

- "... resolutions can be made within seven breaths..." (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, I, 121). 

- "Nobody over the age of 60 is devoid of senility. Believing you are not senile is a good indication that you actually are" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, I, 167). 

- "The reason why people today lack spirit is because there is peace throughout the realm" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, II, 29). 

- "The end is important for all things" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, II, 39). 

- "If you become like a ghost or rancorous spirit to accomplish a feat of bravery, you won't die just because your head has been lopped off" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, II, 53). 

- "Living as if already dead is how to embody the path of sincerity" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, X, 56).

Elegance and class: 

- "Etiquette without elegance is substandard" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, I, 32).

- "Class is a quality that transcends conventional standards for good form" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, I, 91).

- "Manners maketh the man" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, II, 43).

- "It is always handy to carry some powdered rouge to fix your complexion..." (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, II, 67).

- "There is dignity in graciousness" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, II, 90).

Art: 

- "Read books from your gut" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, I, 173).

- "Ittei said, 'When practicing calligraphy, make the paper, brush, and ink as one.' But they are so inclined to separate..." (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, I, 176).

- "When you think you have discovered the secret, this is already a mistake. Know that your study will last for as long as you are breathing" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, II, 52).

- "... excellence in an art is cause for ruin as a samurai..." (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, II, 102).

Heaven and earth, dreams: 

- "It is wondrous how heaven, earth, and man are united" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, I, 58).

- "Something special manifests in one's heart when completely sincere in one's undertakings" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, I, 58).

- "Make wishes for times ahead and they will come true" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, I, 102).

- "Written oaths to the deities (jinmon) contain mysterious powers" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, I, 135).

- "Dreams are prophetic reflections of one's nature" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, II, 6).

- "Although deities shun impurity, I still prayed to them every day, entreating them for providence in battle should I have to fight soaked in blood, striding over rows of corpses" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, II, 6).

- "As my will power strengthens, the content of my dreams is gradually transforming" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, II, 87).

- "... acts of sincerity are honored by the gods..." (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, II, 130).

- "The priest needs to be incredibly brave to trample down the evil spirits trying to return, and to hoist the dead from the chasms of netherworld" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, VI, 21).

Love (shudo): 

- "There is nobody to teach young men about the perils of shudo. I will tell you the basic knowledge required. 'A wife does not serve two husbands'" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, I, 180).

- "... one hungers for the young master like the evening meal..." (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, I, 182).

- "The original intention of love is to take it with you to the grave" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, II, 2).

- "Is love not torturous?" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, II, 34).

- "The more unsympathetically a man is treated, the stronger his love becomes" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, II, 62).

Determination and time: 

- "It is lamentable that men who are governed only by reason often become fixated on trifling matters, and end up squandering their lives" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, I, 195).

- "All that matters is having single-minded purpose (ichinen), in the here and now... Your life will become simple and clear if you are unwavering in purpose, knowing that 'now' is the time to act" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, II, 17).

- "Men who hold a nostalgic view of the past are misguided in their outlook because they are blind to the reality of the present. Conversely, those who revel in the present, but loathe the customs and traditions of yesteryear, can't differentiate between core principles and insignificant details" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, II, 18).

- "... form is emptiness... emptiness is form" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, II, 32).

- "He who thinks of the present and the critical moment as separate will never react in a timely fashion... now is always the time to act" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, II, 12).

Social/conventional wisdom: 

- "In offering one's opinion, one must first ascertain whether or not the recipient is in the right frame of mind to receive counsel" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, I, 14).

- "Fish avoid streams with clear water" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, I, 24).

- "I support him because he has already erred in the past. In my mind, a man who has no blemish on his record is more of a concern" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, I, 50).

- "If you are unaware that the world is teeming with ineptitude from the beginning, you will develop a bitter countenance, and in turn others will eschew you" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, I, 56).

- "You should be considerate to a suffering man, and pay the poor chap a visit, or send gifts to cheer him up. Never spurn a person who has shown you favor in the past" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, I, 94).

- "If a servant did something wrong, former Yamamoto Jin'uemon would keep him in his employ for the rest of the year without saying a word, and then release him at the end of the year without a fuss" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, I, 96).

- "You will never be trusted with a face that looks too discerning" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, I, 107).

- "Unfortunately, officials seem hellbent on investigating mischief in the lower classes and reporting trivial incidents to the lord, which is more damaging to the domain" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, I, 109).

- "There is no need to reveal all that is on your mind" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, I, 118).

- "Regardless of how inspiring your comments may be, they will be ineffectual if the other person is not following you" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, I, 149).

- "... it is unseemly to resort to lies and wispy flattery motivated by self-interest" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, I, 163).

- "Anything done for personal gain is trivial and small-minded... Lord Naoshige said 'There is a reason beyond logic,' which is also analogous to compassion" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, I, 178).

- "... never become conceited when enjoying a period of good fortune. You will be in great jeopardy without displaying twice as much caution as usual" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, I, 200).

- "It is loathsome to act only to curry your master's favor" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, II, 8).

- "If your lord is unyielding or intelligent leader, it is an act of 'great loyalty' to be a thorn in his side" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, II, 12).

- "The priest Kaion Osho remarked that it is difficult to genuinely discern your own virtues and faults" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, II, 89).

- "... there is nothing more disagreeable than canniness or wit..." (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, II, 98).

- "... valorous exploits can only be achieved by becoming a 'madman'" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, II, 118).

- "... people will belittle a man who never reveals his power of will" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, II, 121).

- "It is most unfortunate to create needless discord" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, II, 124).

- "... you must be amiable with everyone..." (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, II, 130).

- "In this case, even though the lord declared that he need not relinquish his post... he should have disobeyed him..." (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, II, 136).

- "A man who seeks only fame and power is not a true retainer. Then again, he who doesn't is not a true retainer either. This contradiction warrants serious contemplation" (Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure, II, 141).

All translations by Alexander BENNETT, Hagakure: The Secret Wisdom of the Samurai (TUTTLE Publishing, 2014).

See also:
- Sonatine (Takeshi Kitano, 1993), Masahiro Shinoda & the tyranny of evil men;  

- Shingon: Myoe and Kukai; 

- Turning the light around;
- Dark Consciousness;

- Écriture/Violence; 

- Umberto Eco about Nietzsche (& Deconstruction);

- Needham & Van Gulik: China;

- Boswell, Dover & others on male homosexuality;
- Orlando 06/12... This is not a miracle;
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From The Book of Thoth (Aleister Crowley):

- 8/Adjustement [Libra, Venus/Saturno, adjustment ("the daughter, redeemed by her marriage with the Son, is thereby set up on the throne of the mother"), "the feminine complement of the Fool," "the secret course of judgment whereby all current experience is absorbed, transmuted, and ultimately passed on, by virtue of the operation of the Sword, to further manifestation," "at the corner of the card, are indicated balanced spheres of light and darkness, and constantly equilibrated rays from these spheres form a curtain, the interplay of all those forces which she sums up and adjudicates," "equilibrium stands apart from any individual prejudices... Nature is scrupulously just, it is impossible to drop a pin without exciting a corresponding reaction in every star," "she is the ultimate illusion which is manifestation; she is the dance, many-coloured, many-wiled, of Life itself, constantly whirling, the phantom show" (***wasn't Nietzsche a Libran? Yes! He was born 15 October; in what matters A/Z himself, the regents of solar sign and ascendent are in Libra, and almost everything is in the VII house), karma (Eastern philosophy), "Saturn represents above all the element of time... all action and reaction take place in time" (phenomena are compensated by time)];