Love--Jin

Love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, mind, soul.  Love your neighbor as you love yourself.

Jin: Universal love, benevolence toward mankind, compassion. 

The Greeks use the word agape to describe “selfless love.” The sages of the east frequently describe subduing self, so it would seem that the concept of agape is what is intended here.  

Through intense training the samurai becomes quick and strong.  He is not as other men, for he has trained his body and his character to be different from other men.  He is “set apart.”  The Bible describes this as “being holy”—being “set apart.” 

Samurai, it is said, means “to serve.”  This is akin to the Greek diaknos from which we get the word deacon which describes “one who serves.”  While the concept and the purposes of the Samurai and of deacons are quite different, both are “set apart” from other men.

The Samurai develops a power that must be used for the good of all.  He has compassion.  He helps his fellow man at every opportunity.  If an opportunity does not arise, he goes out of his way to find one. This is akin to the medieval nights who held that a chivalrous knight is pious (holy, set apart…).

The Bible tells us to Love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, mind, soul.  Love your neighbor as you love yourself.  Love—agape love—is the first duty of man: First to his God, second to his neighbor.

Respect--Rei

Treat others as you would have others treat you.

Rei:  Proper action, Polite courtesy,
Politeness: Respect for the feelings of others. 
Respect: Giving high or special awareness toa particular thing or situation.  The key component here is that respectis an awareness, a consciousness of others.

“Love your neighbor as your self” is the “second greatest commandment”, rei is the foundation for loving your neighbor.

Politeness—respect for others, for their beliefs, for their concerns—is part of loving your neighbor as yourself. Without this outward show of respect we end up focusing upon self and reacting to our own desires. We become self-centered. We are then not set apart from other men, or even animals. We become of little use in leading others on the Way.

With the observance of rei one builds upon the foundation of respect whereupon one can serve to meet the needs of others, and serve to observe the “second greatest commandment.

Samurai have no reason to be cruel.  They do not need to prove their strength.  A Samurai is courteous, even to his enemies. A samurai is not only respected for his strength in battle, but also by his effectiveness in dealing with other men.  The true strength of a samurai becomes apparent during adverse times.  When it becomes easy to become self-centered the valor of the Samurai is to continue to practice rei.

The European knights phrased it as “a chivalrous knight practices courtesy.”  Look at the myriad of ideas tied with this concept of courtesy, politeness, and respect: civility, amenity, affability, kindness, breeding, gallantry, refinement, manners, polish, diplomatic, cultivated, elegant, polite…

The golden rule is: treat others as you would have others treat you.  The platinum rule is: treat others as they like to be treated.  Rei is one part of treating others as they like, or as they expect, to be treated. Those who forego the concept of rei are indeed far away from being “set apart” from other men.

Courage of Faith--Yu

Jesus told his disciples: Have faith in God!

Yu: Bravery, courage, the spirit of daring, Heroic courage

Courage, bravery, boldness, fearlessness comes from faith.  Faith in one’s capabilities, faith in the circumstances, the outcome, or the purpose.  Faith is confidence in something.  Faith is commitment to something.  Faith in something gives one the boldness to act. Religious faith can be the stimulus for heroic courage, as can faith in the justice of one’s cause, the perceived needs of someone or something else, and many more stimuli. 

Courage to act, however, must be tempered with the fortitude of judgement.  The average man is afraid to act upon his beliefs. Rise up above the masses of people who are afraid to act.  Hiding like a turtle in a shell is not living at all.  A samurai must have heroic courage.  It is absolutely risky.  It is dangerous.  It is living life completely, fully, wonderfully. 

Heroic courage is not blind.  It is intelligent and strong.   The European knights stated that a chivalrous knight has valor.  Valor includes the concepts of bravery, courage, boldness, chivalry, spirit, firmness. Yu is the courage and the spirit that comes in a confident belief in some person, some thing, or some purpose. 

Without faith, the spirit to act will be weak.

Honesty--Makoto

Let your yes mean yes and your no mean no…

Makoto:  Complete Sincerity, Sincerity, truthfulness

Veracity: “My word should be sufficient guarantee for the truthfulness of an assertion.” When a Samurai has said he will perform an action it is as good as done.  Nothing will stop him from completing what he has said he will do. He does not have to “give his word.”  He does not have to “promise.”  Speaking and doing are the same action. The Bible notes that one should let his yes mean yes and his no mean no.  It is referencing those who often “swear to…”  or “swear by …” something or other.  If one has to continuously “swear by” something or someone that he is being truthful, it of necessity means that there are often times where one is not truthful. 

Look at the concepts bound up with the word honesty: integrity, virtue, uprightness, morality, honor, veracity, openness, frankness, candor…  Each has at its center the truth.  Let your yes mean yes and your no mean no.  Do what you say you will do.  Live in truth (actuality/reality) not in the fairyland of make-believe.

Justice--Gi

In Hebrew, "Dan" means "justice" or "judgment."

Gi: Honesty and Justice; Rectitude, or correct judgement the ability to make the just decision.

Just as honesty is a key to truthfulness so is justice a key in acting in truthfulness. Be acutely honest throughout your dealings with all people.  Believe in Justice, not from other people, but from yourself.  Justice—doing the right thing with impartiality—is important when one serves another.  The ability to honestly do the right thing is vital in a trusted servant, employee, samurai.

To the true samurai there are no shades of gray in the question of honesty and justice.  There is only right and wrong. Exercise the power of deciding upon a certain course of conduct in accordance with reason, without wavering. Bear in mind, however, that a man may not serve two masters.  Either he will meet the needs of one and neglect the other, or he will neglect them both.  A man must decide who his “one master” is and honestly live to serve that master with doing the right thing.

Honor--Meiyo

Honor your father and your mother and you will live a long time…

Meiyo: Honor

Honor has many concepts associated with it.  Some of these include: fame, glory, distinction, esteem, praise, respect, homage, reverence, integrity, honesty, uprightness, principle, character, to revere.

The only possession of a warrior is honor.  Dishonor is like a scar on a tree which time, instead of healing, only helps to enhance.  A true samurai has only one judge of honor, and this is himself. (See Justice above.) Decisions you make and how these decisions are carried out are a reflection of whom you truly are.  You cannot hide from yourself.  The Europeans phrased this as a chivalrous knight is chaste (pure, virtuous, restrained…)

Duty, Loyalty, Devotion--Chu gi   (gi mu)

Fear the Lord and keep his commandments for this is the whole duty of man.

Chu gi  (gimu): Devotion, Duty, Loyalty

For the Samurai, having done some “thing” or said some “thing”, he is responsible for it, and all the consequences that follow.  A samurai is immensely loyal to those in his care.  To those he is responsible for, he remains fiercely true.

The European medieval chivalrous knight is loyal. The knight's loyalty was due to the spiritual master, The Lord, God; to the temporal master, the lord; and to the mistress of the heart, his sworn love.

The samurai’s loyalty and duty were to the emperor (His LORD); his diamyo (his temporal lord); bushido and so forth.

One's duty then is to:

First: God
Second: Others
Third: Faith
Fourth: Reality
Fifth: Service
Sixth: Decisive action
Seventh: Devotion (see the "first" above)

To summarize the actions associated with these "magnificent seven":

•    Love—agape love—is the first duty of man: First to his God, second to his neighbor.

•    Rei is one part of treating others as they like, or as they expect, to be treated. Those who forego the concept of rei are indeed far away from being “set apart” from other men.

•    Without faith, the spirit to act will be weak.

•    Live in truth (actuality/reality) not in the fairyland of make-believe.

•    A man must decide who his “one master” is and honestly live to serve that master with doing the right thing.

•    Decisions you make and how these decisions are carried out are a reflection of whom you truly are.  You cannot hide from yourself.

•    The knight's loyalty was due to the spiritual master, The Lord, God; to the temporal master, the lord; and to the mistress of the heart, his sworn love. The samurai’s loyalty and duty were to the emperor (His LORD); his diamyo (his temporal lord); bushido, and so forth.