"Today is a good day to die..."

[vajramukti]

At my church, we are doing a study that loosely corresponds to the subject of this thread. Don't want to contaminate the waters with my thoughts, yet, but I would be interested in what you guys think of the quote in the subject line, and what it means. It was uttered, in one way or another, by the samurai of Japan and our native American ancestors.

Thoughts?

[Frater G]

I agree with Michael's truth.

Could it also be a type of meditation? A way to focus and look back along the path and also to send fear into an opponent. Perhaps a tactic based on absolute intent? I mean everything is mind...you know? Kamikaze pilots must have had a similar philosophy.

What if a warrior fought with such fervor that he alone survived? When a Samurai utters those words is he expected to die?

I also remember Worf saying that in one of the Star Trek movies.

www.tk421.net/character/worf.html

[vajramukti]

Thanks, guys. My belief is that for today to be a good day to die, yesterday must have been lived fully, with no regrets or loose ends left untied.

We don't face the reality of death daily as did warriors of the past. The samurai would have supper at home every night, and ride off to battle during the day. So would native americans, whether the battle would come in the form of ambush from competing tribes, or from a hunt.

I think many equate it with an acceptance of death that borders on desire. I disagree there. Acceptance, yes. Willingness, yes, for the right cause. But suicide masked as bravado? No.

[George the 3rd]

Genesis 1 (New International Version)

Genesis 1
The Beginning
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

6 And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

9 And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good.

11 Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

20 And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

24 And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And it was so.

31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

If what is about to unfold is in harmony with God/Nature it is by its very essence "good".

[vajramukti]

Very nice, George. I like that perspective. We had touched on it in class, but your description was much deeper and given to pause. I will share that tomorrow.

[morningstar]

If what is about to unfold is in harmony with God/Nature it is by its very essence "good".

Reviving this post...I agree with George's philosophy.

To me it is about acceptance and being at peace with what is.

If one lives their life daily to the fullest - embracing each simple thing with a thankful heart - embracing too the cycle of life - no regrets, for everything happens for a reason and happens to lead you upon your path... if you can do this, then any day is a good day to die. This does not mean longing for death - but instead accepting it should it present itself. It is about faith - faith in the cycle of things and in the eternal circle that we and nature/the Universe are all a part of.

"...lay down your arms
lay down your spear
the Chief's eyes were sad
but showed no sign of fear..."

..."and he turned to his people and said, dry your eyes,
we have been blessed and we are thankful,
raise your voices to the sky -
it is a good day to die."

"When I first heard about this story I was fascinated by what the reaction of the soldiers must have been when the Chief's reply to their threats was, 'It is a good day to die'. The other meaning of this phrase is, 'I am so grateful for each day of life, that any day is a good day to die.' " - Robby Robertson -