The "Dokkōdō", is a short work written by Miyamoto Musashi (宮本 武蔵 ) a week before he died in 1645, "Dokkodo" was largely composed on the occasion of Musashi giving away his possessions in preparation for death, and was dedicated to his favorite disciple, Terao Magonojō (to whom the earlier "Go rin no sho" ["The Book of Five Rings"] had also been dedicated), The Book of Five Rings (五輪書 , "Go Rin no Sho" ) is a text on kenjutsu and the martial arts in general, written by the swordsman Miyamoto Musashi circa which year?
Dokkōdō The "Dokkōdō" (Japanese: 獨行道 ) ("The Path of Aloneness", "The Way to Go Forth Alone", or "The Way of Walking Alone"), is a short work written by Miyamoto Musashi (宮本 武蔵 ) a week before he died in 1645. It consists of either 19 or 21 precepts; precepts 4 and 20 are omitted from the former version. "Dokkodo" was largely composed on the occasion of Musashi giving away his possessions in preparation for death, and was dedicated to his favorite disciple, Terao Magonojō (to whom the earlier "Go rin no sho" ["The Book of Five Rings"] had also been dedicated), who took them to heart. "Dokkōdō" expresses a stringent, honest, and ascetic view of life.
Koun Ejō Koun Ejō (孤雲懐奘 ) (1198-1280) was the second patriarch of the Japanese Sōtō school of Zen Buddhism who lived during the Kamakura period. He was initially a disciple of the short-lived Darumashū sect of Japanese Zen founded by Nōnin, but later studied and received dharma transmission under the Sōtō schools founder Dōgen. Today Ejō is considered Dōgen's spiritual successor by all existing branches of the Sōtō school. He is remembered today primarily as the author of the "Shōbōgenzō Zuimonki", a collection of informal talks by Dōgen which Ejō recorded throughout his discipleship. He is also featured prominently in the "Denkōroku", the first major piece of scripture produced in the Sōtō school after Dōgen, with his transmission story serving as the final koan. After Dōgen's death, Ejō struggled to maintain leadership of the new Eihei-ji monastery, due in part to his lack of training in China that prevented him from completing the temple as a Chinese-style meditation hall, as well as unfamiliarity with Chinese-style monastic practices. He gave dharma transmission to Jakuen, Gikai, Gien and Giin, all of whom were originally students of Dōgen, but his failure to designate a clear heir himself led to a power struggle known as the "sandai sōron" that temporarily split the community.