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I have consciously attempted to underscore that link by creating a structure for this book that echoes that of Miyamoto Musashi's Go Rin no Sho (Book of Five Rings). Musashi's work is widely interpreted in the West today as a book about swordsmanship that is more than just a book about swordsmanship. It has, many feel, applications for strategic thinking and action in numerous disciplines. Musashi himself clearly felt that the insights he gleaned from the events of a violent life had implications for a wide variety of people.

From our perspective today we can argue about the real merits of Musashi's life—one concerned with a seemingly compulsive search for conflict and conquest that left him alone at the end of his life, holed up in a cave, penning notes for unknown generations. We can acknowledge, however, that we can benefit from his experience, even as we question his wisdom. In this sense, I have seen merit in organizing this book into five headings that echo Musashi's chapters—Ground, Water, Fire, Wind, Void.