You have to understand that Musashi is a swordsman. Understand these precepts in that context first, then generalize.

For example, the precept against preferences makes perfect sense for a swordsman. If you prefer a particular attack, then this becomes a weakness. You will tend to see openings for that kind of attack instead of seeing a better opening for a different attack. You also become more predictable.

In the west, a non-swordsman would instead say, "If all you have is a hammer, then everything starts looking like a nail."

Applying the above to computer programming: Sometimes people will implement something in their favorite language despite another being vastly superior for the particular purpose.

The correct analysis and generalization of the other precepts are left as an exercise.

No, actually, that goes double for me showing up for an interview as a feudal swordsman. Replace the sound of screeching tires with galloping hooves.

So lack of preference is a strictly tactical precept then. Well, who cares? If someone's supposed to sacrifice their body for your cause, is it because you use the best tactics? Hell no. It can't be passion, nor excitement for change, nor desire for something greater -- he's already disclaimed those.

The presumed motivation is strictly honor, which takes us back to "do what is expected of you," which even then was hardly a new message in Japan. These precepts at best struggle to transcend their cultural trappings.

I would not say that Musashi disclaims a "desire for something greater." His later life seems to be all about that, as do these precepts.

I think these "precepts at best struggle to transcend their cultural trappings" in our case because the cultural trappings are particularly difficult. After all, most of us do not have real experience as warriors.

    * Accept everything just the way it is

I don't think that's the best translation. How about, "You must deal with what is."

    * Be detached from desire your whole life long.

How about, "Don't be ruled by your desires."

    * You may abandon your own body but you must preserve your honor.

This one is difficult to translate from a warrior context to a non-warrior one. But it can still be usefully translated to the coder's context. Zed Shaw's talk posted to HN recently makes the same point:

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=420650

A translation to our context might be "Be true to yourself, no matter how surreal the workplace gets." The same idea is also embodied in the "Just Leave Pattern."

http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?JustLeave

A drama program undergraduate classmate of mine once noted that Shakespeare's Hamlet was far from "universal." After all, many places in Africa, marrying your widowed sister-in-law is the right and proper thing to do! To get to the universal, you often have to dig. It strikes me that this is as it should be.

:)

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=424519