i just recently bought the hagakure too. i've been taking single passages that resonate with my life right now, and meditating on them for a few days, like the movie 'ghost dog.' see that movie if you haven't yet, it's largely about the samurai code, you'll like it.
this one passage that i've been applying for a few days just became crystal clear after a talk from my uncle. paraphrased, it says how 'contemplating the void often leads to perverse thoughts'.
it made sense to me when i read it, but when i had a conversation yesterday with my uncle, he drove the point straight into my heart... he was speaking of his life experiences, and he shared something that he learned. he said basically, 'the pleasure of satisfaction you receive from getting a thing done, no matter how difficult, is greater than the indulgence of putting it off.'
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