The way of the samurai

So I have decided to take a new approach to my relationship with God. I guess I have taken it for granted for a long time, like forever. Recently I have been reading the Hagakure which is said to have been the most influential samurai guide book ever written. A samurai, once he became a retainer, willfully possessed so much loyalty that upon the death of his master he would take his sword and disembowel himself, a practice called tsuifuku. I am amazed by this level of commitment. I guess most of my christian walk I have looked on my relationship more as a thing of convenience, and I won't, I can't anymore. I want to look on life with this kind of immediacy

"The Way of the Samurai is found in death. When it comes to either/or, there is only the quick choice of death. It is not particularly difficult. Be determined and advance. To say that dying without reaching one's aim is to die a dog's death is the frivolous way of sophisticates. When pressed with the choice of life or death, it is not necessary to gain one's aim. We all want to live. And in large part we make our logic according to what we like. But not having attained our aim and continuing to live is cowardice. This is a thin dangerous line. To die without gaining one's aim is a dog's death and fanaticism. But there is no shame in this. This is the substance of the Way of the Samurai. If by setting one's heart right every morning and evening, one is able to live as though his body were already dead, he gains freedom in the Way. His whole life will be without blame, and he will succeed in his calling."-Yamamoto Tsunetomo from the Hagakure

Please don't get me wrong, I don't want my relationship to be something that is strict rules, but it does need a healthy injection of discipline. I want to live like I am not going to wake up tomorrow. I respect what the samurai were about, they made a point to never do anything that could reflect poorly on their master. I also like the quote:

"The priest Tannen used to say in his daily teachings that:
A monk cannot fulfill the Buddhist Way if he does not manifest compassion without and persistently store up courage within. And if a warrior does not manifest courage on the outside and hold enough compassion within his heart to burst his chest, he cannot become a retainer..."

I find it fantastic that you can be a warrior that is full of compassion at the same time, because today people aren't taught that. I hate passivism, but I also don't particularly think that literal violence is the answer either, if that makes sense.

Some might criticize me for modeling my pursuit of God after a warrior mindset, but my Bible says "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force." Mathew 11:12

I'm no bible scholar, and I don't speak Greek, but I think that the term "violent" this verse is talking about a passionate, reckless, headlong assault into the kingdom of heaven much the way the samurai were taught that the only way to take on a battle situation was to rush into it with complete disregard for their own safety, to focus only on their enemy and to so ferociously attack it until they were either dead or victorious. That is the urgency and mindset that I am injecting into my pursuit of God.