In any discipline, there is a gradual process of first learning techniques and then studying the principles behind them. Yet an even higher level of mastery lies in transcending technique and principles and attaining a state where actions are dictated by what the situation requires. Going beyond principles is a key part of Musashi Miyamoto’s classic work on swordsmanship, The Book of Five Rings. This fifth article in a Special Five-Part Series discusses the Emptiness Scroll and demonstrates how it can be used in business. Earlier articles in this series are found here, here, here, and here.

The Emptiness Scroll

The last scroll of the Book of Five Rings discusses the concept of emptiness in connection with swordsmanship. This concept is very abstract, but Musashi provides several clues about its meaning. He says:

• rather than refer to a concept of space, such as “inside” or “entrance,” emptiness refers to the attainment of a level of mastery where principles are no longer needed
• emptiness refers to a state where, through the continuous polishing of the heart and mind, one is completely free of doubts regarding the correct path to becoming a warrior
• emptiness is not a reflection of personal perspectives or preferences.

Eastern vs. Western Conceptions of Emptiness

The concept of emptiness is difficult to discuss, particularly in the West. In the West, emptiness tends to have a negative connotation and to be associated with feelings such as apathy. Yet, in the East, the concept of emptiness is philosophically not necessarily viewed as negative. This is because of the belief that form is not the entirety of reality but rather a manifestation of a formless state that contains a far greater set of possibilities. In other words, there is a limit in form, but emptiness is limitless.

Emptiness is the final stage of a warrior’s training.

In the context of swordsmanship, Musashi views emptiness as the final state of a warrior’s training. Throughout the Book of Five Rings, he describes how a swordsman learns to distinguish between technique and true martial arts principles. In this scroll, he explains that at the highest level of mastery, the warrior attains a state where principles do not constrain him, and he can freely act in the most appropriate way.

If we think of any complex arrangement, such as a battle, we can immediately see why emptiness is not merely an abstract philosophy but also highly practical guidance. If we have mastered 10 techniques, how can we confront technique 11? If we master 20 principles, how can we confront principle 21? The reality that we may face more situations than we have prepared for creates the need for a way to confront what we are not prepared for.

Consistent with the rest of the book, Musashi states that the way to achieve the state of emptiness is not simply shifting one’s mind but through repeated practice. He states that achieving emptiness is attained through constantly polishing the heart and the mind and that the warrior “is never lazy at any moment of the day.”

Applying Emptiness to Business

While emptiness is an abstract concept that might seem to have very little to do with concrete business challenges and realities, it can be applied in several ways. To begin with, business bears a great deal of similarity to warfare because of the many possible circumstances that can be faced. The combination of changing economic conditions, business situations, and human dynamics makes it impossible to use a technique to prepare for the vast majority of the situations that we will be confronted with. Given that the vast majority of what we will face in business are things that we have never seen before, we have to train to develop a mindset that is capable of reacting to whatever the situation is.

The practical question is how to do this. Musashi provides three practical suggestions that can be applied in business.

The first step is to progress from technique to principle to going beyond principle. For example, we may learn a specific way to pitch a product to a customer. Then, once that is mastered, we learn general principles of sales where we can use different techniques or combinations of techniques based on the situation. Finally, we may learn even larger principles of dealing with people that transcend sales concepts. At each stage, the likelihood of closing a sales pitch, regardless of the product, the client, or the sales conditions, increases.

The second step is exposing oneself to disciplines outside of one’s immediate expertise. For people that practice with the sword, Musashi recommends practicing various martial arts, not only swordsmanship. Musashi put this advice into practice, as he mastered many disciplines that seem quite removed from swordsmanship, such as painting. In business, this means that people who work in sales can learn about technology, and people in risk management can learn about sales. Exposure to each shift in perspective and approach gives a more complete picture of business reality. This expanded picture gives us great ability to propose and execute business solutions.

The third step is to continuously try to become a better person. It may be surprising that for a book focuses on swordsmanship Musashi’s advice is to “constantly polish the heart and mind.” This suggests that we will always be limited by who we are when trying to address any business situation. If we are close-minded, we will see very few options in a relatively straightforward situation. If our minds are open, we will see many options even though the situation seems to permit very little flexibility.

Final Thought on the Book of Five Rings

We have now traveled through each of the scrolls of the Book of Five Rings, discussing Musashi’s vision of the path of swordsmanship. This led from a discussion of his general view of swordsmanship (the Earth Scroll), to detailed martial arts principles (the Water Scroll), principles of battle (the Fire Scroll), an analysis of other schools of swordsmanship (the Wind Scroll) to finally the concept of emptiness.

This led to many observations, including the importance of practice, the challenging of constantly overcoming ourselves, and the need to favor essence over form. Yet, despite the many ideas, concepts, and suggestions in the Book of Five Rings, perhaps the ultimate lesson for people in business is this: Business, like swordfighting, can become not only an end unto itself but a path to become a better person.

It seems fitting to end this series of articles of the Book of Five Rings with Musashi’s final words:

“In emptiness exists good but not evil

Wisdom is existence

Principle is existence

The Way is existence

The mind is emptiness.”

Conclusion

This article discussed the Emptiness Scroll from The Book of Five Rings and illustrated how to apply it in business.

The version of the Book of Five Rings referenced in this article was translated by Matsumoto Michihiro and William Scott Wilson. I have made some changes to the English translation based on my own interpretation of the Japanese text.

The image for this article was taken from here.