--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The small Japanese immortal sat…" description: "\"“The small Japanese immortal sat cross-legged, his two swords resting flat on the ground before him. He folded his hands in his lap, closed his eyes an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae5/michael-scott-1216_facing-death_the-small-japanese-immortal-sat-cross-le_78768.png" --- # The small Japanese immortal sat cross-legged, his two… ![“The small Japanese immortal sat cross-legged, his two swords resting flat on the ground before him. He folded his hands in his lap, closed his eyes and breathing through his nose, forcing the chill night air deep into his chest. He held it for a count of five, then shaped his lips into an O and…” quote by Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae5/michael-scott-1216_facing-death_the-small-japanese-immortal-sat-cross-le_78768.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae5/michael-scott-1216_facing-death_the-small-japanese-immortal-sat-cross-le_78768.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae5/michael-scott-1216_facing-death_the-small-japanese-immortal-sat-cross-le_78768.png) > ““The small Japanese immortal sat cross-legged, his two swords resting flat on the ground before him. He folded his hands in his lap, closed his eyes and breathing through his nose, forcing the chill night air deep into his chest. He held it for a count of five, then shaped his lips into an O and blew it out again, puncturing a tiny hole in the swirling fog before his face. Even though he would never admit it to anyone, Niten loved this moment. He had no affection for what was to come, but this brief time, when all preparations for battle were made and there was nothing left to do but wait, when the world felt still, as if it was holding its breath, was special. This moment, when he was facing death, was when he felt completely, fully alive. He’d still been called Miyamoto Musashi and had been a teenager when he’d first discovered the genuine beauty of the quiet moment before a fight. Every breath suddenly tasted like the finest food, every sound was distinct and divine, and even on the foulest battlefields, his eyes would be drawn to something simple and elegant: a flower, the shape of a branch, the curl of a cloud. A hundred years ago, Aoife had given him a book as a birthday present. He hadn’t had the heart to tell her that she’d missed his birthday by a month, but he had treasured the book, the first edition of The Professor by Charlotte Bronte. It included a line he had never forgotten: In the midst of life we are in death. Years later, he’d heard Ghandi take the same words and shift them around to create something that resonated deeply within him: In the midst of death life persists. ”” [Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage reflects on the paradoxical vitality found in moments of imminent death, where heightened awareness transforms ordinary sensations into profound experiences. **In simple terms:** Finding life in the presence of death. Key Takeaway Quiet anticipation amplifies perception. Themes mortality mindfulness beauty in simplicity warrior ethos transcendence Mood contemplative reverent introspective Type philosophical narrative poetic When to use this quote - pre-battle meditation - solo contemplation - nature observation - creative inspiration Key Concepts breath awareness sensory focus philosophical reflection Practical Applications - mindful breathing techniques - warrior training rituals Questions to Reflect On - How does confronting mortality sharpen your senses? - What simple moments can you cherish amid chaos? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charlotte-bronte/) [Death Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-life/) [Facing death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facing-death/) [Fully Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fully-alive/) [Holding Breath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holding-breath/) [Japanese Immortal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/japanese-immortal-1011221/) [Midst Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/midst-death-1011220/) [Midst Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/midst-life-272094/) [Miyamoto Musashi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miyamoto-musashi-228952/) [Resonated Deeply](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resonated-deeply-1011222/) [Years ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-ago/) ## Related quotes > [I heard the Abbey Lincoln song 'The World is Falling Down,' and it just resonated with me so deeply.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-james/i-heard-the-abbey-lincoln-song-the-world-is-falling-down-and-it-just/) [Jim James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-james/) > [“4 years earlier “This is truth: when you sacrifice your life, you must make fullest use of your weaponry. It is false not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-w-simpson/4-years-earlier-this-is-truth-when-you-sacrifice-your-life-you-must/) [Phillip W. Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-w-simpson/) > [As an Iranian woman and activist, Sotoudeh's plight resonated with me on a deeply personal level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nazanin-boniadi/as-an-iranian-woman-and-activist-sotoudeh-s-plight-resonated-with-me/) [Nazanin Boniadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nazanin-boniadi/) > [There's a very famous Miyamoto Musashi quote. "Once you understand the way broadly, you can see it in all things." The idea is once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-rogan/there-s-a-very-famous-miyamoto-musashi-quote-once-you-understand-the/) [Joe Rogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-rogan/) > [“Miyamoto Musashi won countless fights against feared opponents, even multiple opponents, in which he was swordless. In The Book of Five Rings, he notes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/miyamoto-musashi-won-countless-fights-against-feared-opponents-even/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [“Perhaps none of us were actually made to live a hurried life. Perhaps a desire to live slowly and intentionally resonated deeply in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tsh-oxenreider/perhaps-none-of-us-were-actually-made-to-live-a-hurried-life-perhaps/) [Tsh Oxenreider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tsh-oxenreider/) > [“In the midst of death we are in life”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marsden/in-the-midst-of-death-we-are-in-life/) [John Marsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marsden/) > [In the midst of death life persists, in the midst of untruth, truth persists, in the midst of darkness light persists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/in-the-midst-of-death-life-persists-in-the-midst-of-untruth-truth/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“I am planting a tree in this bomb crater to remind us that in the midst of death, there is life... and hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-graetz/i-am-planting-a-tree-in-this-bomb-crater-to-remind-us-that-in-the/) [Robert Graetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-graetz/) > [If love wasn't the law of life, life would not have persisted in the midst of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/if-love-wasn-t-the-law-of-life-life-would-not-have-persisted-in-the/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“In the midst of death’s relentless power, I yet among the living stand”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mercy-otis-warren/in-the-midst-of-death-s-relentless-power-i-yet-among-the-living-stand/) [Mercy Otis Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mercy-otis-warren/) > [What kind of spiritual triumph it was I can neither write nor speak; it can only be compared with that where life is born…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-bohme/what-kind-of-spiritual-triumph-it-was-i-can-neither-write-nor-speak/) [Jakob Bohme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-bohme/) > [In the midst of death we are in life. Life is the only reality; what men call death is but a shadow...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/in-the-midst-of-death-we-are-in-life-life-is-the-only-reality-what/) [George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/) > [... in the midst of death life persists ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/in-the-midst-of-death-life-persists/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [I am life that wants to live, in the midst of life that wants to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/i-am-life-that-wants-to-live-in-the-midst-of-life-that-wants-to-live/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) ## More by Michael Scott > [Which would you be?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/which-would-you-be/) [Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/) > [“Here it comes," Niten said. The whites of his eyes,his teeth and his tongue had turned blue. "Ready," Prometheus said. Nicholas Flamel touched the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/here-it-comes-niten-said-the-whites-of-his-eyes-his-teeth-and-his/) [Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/) > [I love inside jokes. I hope to be a part of one some day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/i-love-inside-jokes-i-hope-to-be-a-part-of-one-some-day/) [Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/) > [Some writing courses will advise you to write what you know. I've always thought this is very odd advice ... because it means, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/some-writing-courses-will-advise-you-to-write-what-you-know-i-ve/) [Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/) > [“- John is a dangerous fanatic. - And you are not ? - asked Dagon. - I'm just dangerous.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/john-is-a-dangerous-fanatic-and-you-are-not-asked-dagon-i-m-just/) [Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/) > [Our covering ministry is Challenge for Christ ministries, and Travel the Road was solely our mission arm, designed to expose people to what missions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/our-covering-ministry-is-challenge-for-christ-ministries-and-travel/) [Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/) > [The problem with contemporary art is that no one bothers to do the research necessary to give people what they want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/the-problem-with-contemporary-art-is-that-no-one-bothers-to-do-the/) [Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/) > [I have always been interested in mythology and history. The more I read, the more I realized that there have always been people at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/i-have-always-been-interested-in-mythology-and-history-the-more-i/) [Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/) > [“The line between confidence and arrogance is very fine, and the line between arrogance and stupidity even finer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/the-line-between-confidence-and-arrogance-is-very-fine-and-the-line/) [Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/) > [Here, you can walk into a bookstore and pick up a Bible or Christian literature and learn. Over there, they are lucky if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/here-you-can-walk-into-a-bookstore-and-pick-up-a-bible-or-christian/) [Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/) > [TMI? Too Much Information. It”s just easier to say 'TMI'. I used to say 'don't go there', but that's lame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/tmi-too-much-information-it-s-just-easier-to-say-tmi-i-used-to-say/) [Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/) > [“It was some time ago—in the twelfth century, as you humani measure time—a man from the land of the Scots. I do not remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/it-was-some-time-ago-in-the-twelfth-century-as-you-humani-measure/) [Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/) > [“If you tell people everything you take away their opportunity to learn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/if-you-tell-people-everything-you-take-away-their-opportunity-to-learn/) [Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/) > [it is only when no one remembers that you are truly lost. That is the true death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/it-is-only-when-no-one-remembers-that-you-are-truly-lost-that-is-the/) [Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/) > [What is the greatest mistake a parent can make?' she asked. 'To believe that your children will be just like you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/what-is-the-greatest-mistake-a-parent-can-make-she-asked-to-believe/) [Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/) [Explore all 267 Michael Scott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/) ## More Facing death quotes > [You are facing death and danger and competition, but at any moment, you can decide to have a fearless mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/you-are-facing-death-and-danger-and-competition-but-at-any-moment-you/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [“Each time we come to savasana, we practice dying—we surrender the body to the earth and prepare for our destiny in this life. Facing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-main/each-time-we-come-to-savasana-we-practice-dying-we-surrender-the-body/) [Darren Main](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-main/) > [Isn’t it sad that so often it takes facing death to appreciate life and each other fully?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-earl/isn-t-it-sad-that-so-often-it-takes-facing-death-to-appreciate-life/) [Esther Earl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-earl/) > [Why exactly are we so frightened of death that we avoid looking at it altogether? Somewhere, deep down, we know we cannot avoid facing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sogyal-rinpoche/why-exactly-are-we-so-frightened-of-death-that-we-avoid-looking-at-it/) [Sogyal Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sogyal-rinpoche/) > [Facing my own death brought an instant sense of clarity and purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shadyac/facing-my-own-death-brought-an-instant-sense-of-clarity-and-purpose/) [Tom Shadyac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shadyac/) > [“There is such a tremendous need for spiritual guidance for those who are facing death, as a patient or with a loved one. Emotions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megory-anderson/there-is-such-a-tremendous-need-for-spiritual-guidance-for-those-who/) [Megory Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megory-anderson/) > [You're already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/you-re-already-naked-there-is-no-reason-not-to-follow-your-heart/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [“I struggled, while facing my own death, to rebuild my old life—or perhaps find a new one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/i-struggled-while-facing-my-own-death-to-rebuild-my-old-life-or/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [“Valdivia's actions symbolize man's indefatigable thirst to take control of a place where he can exercise total authority. That phrase, attributed to Caesar, proclaiming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernesto-guevara/valdivia-s-actions-symbolize-man-s-indefatigable-thirst-to-take/) [Ernesto Guevara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernesto-guevara/) > [I tried to think about these two issues very freely. With sex, I think I can manage with that. With death, this is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro-almodovar/i-tried-to-think-about-these-two-issues-very-freely-with-sex-i-think/) [Pedro Almodovar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro-almodovar/) > [If a general and his men fear death and are apprehensive over possible defeat, then they will unavoidably suffer defeat and death. But if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshida-shoin/if-a-general-and-his-men-fear-death-and-are-apprehensive-over/) [Yoshida Shoin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoshida-shoin/) > [“Differences disappear when faced with death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-a-thompson/differences-disappear-when-faced-with-death/) [Shannon A. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-a-thompson/) > [“Job Bayley, facing death for piracy in a Charleston courtroom in 1718, was asked by the attorney general of South Carolina why he and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-rediker/job-bayley-facing-death-for-piracy-in-a-charleston-courtroom-in-1718/) [Marcus Rediker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-rediker/) > [For the gift of life, the only true thanks was in living fully, and facing death with honor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/for-the-gift-of-life-the-only-true-thanks-was-in-living-fully-and/) [Janet Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-morris/) > [“Everyone thinks that courage is about facing death without flinching. But almost anyone can do that. Almost anyone can hold their breath and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/everyone-thinks-that-courage-is-about-facing-death-without-flinching/) [Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/) [Browse all 62 Facing death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facing-death/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The small Japanese immortal sat cross-legged, his two swords resting flat on the ground before him. He folded his hands in his lap, closed his eyes and breathing through his nose, forcing the chill night air deep into his chest. He held it for a count of five, then shaped his lips into an O and blew it out again, puncturing a tiny hole in the swirling fog before his face. Even though he would never admit it to anyone, Niten loved this moment. He had no affection for what was to come, but this brief time, when all preparations for battle were made and there was nothing left to do but wait, when the world felt still, as if it was holding its breath, was special. This moment, when he was facing death, was when he felt completely, fully alive. He’d still been called Miyamoto Musashi and had been a teenager when he’d first discovered the genuine beauty of the quiet moment before a fight. Every breath suddenly tasted like the finest food, every sound was distinct and divine, and even on the foulest battlefields, his eyes would be drawn to something simple and elegant: a flower, the shape of a branch, the curl of a cloud. A hundred years ago, Aoife had given him a book as a birthday present. He hadn’t had the heart to tell her that she’d missed his birthday by a month, but he had treasured the book, the first edition of The Professor by Charlotte Bronte. It included a line he had never forgotten: In the midst of life we are in death. 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