Taming the Mind: Wisdom from Sun Tzu
Sun Tzu, the legendary war strategist of China, is best known for his timeless work, The Art of War. A story often told about him illustrates his leadership skills but also provides profound insight into how we can train our minds to manage emotions effectively.
The Test of Enforcing Discipline
When Ho-Lu, the King of Wu, was impressed by Sun Tzu’s work, the King sought proof of his ability to lead an army by asking Sun Tzu to extend his teaching on war to the women in the palace. Sun Tzu accepted the challenge, and the King gave him 180 women in the palace to train according to Sun Tzu’s philosophies. Sun Tzu divided the women into two groups, each led by one of the King’s favourite concubines.
Sun Tzu began by explaining the basic commands to the women—when he said, “Front!” they were to stand straight and look ahead; when he said, “Turn left!” they should turn and face to their left; and when he said, “Turnabout!” they were to turn around and face backwards, and so on.
He started the training with the sound of drum rolls in the background. When he ordered the women to turn left, they didn’t do as instructed and giggled in the first session. At this, Sun Tzu made a striking declaration: If the commands are not clear and not fully understood by the soldiers, it is the general’s fault.
He then drum-rolled again and commanded the women to turn right, to which they again burst into laughter and failed to follow the instruction. He reiterated that if the orders are unclear and not fully understood by the soldiers, then it’s the general’s fault. But if the orders are clear and the soldiers disobey, then it’s the officers’ fault who led their respective teams.
He then carried out a harsh decision—he ordered the two concubine leaders to be beheaded. The King was alarmed at the prospect of losing his favourite concubines and tried to intervene by sending a messenger to avoid carrying out this order. But Sun Tzu refused, asserting that once a general is in command and given full authority, he must make decisions without external influence.
With new leaders appointed, the women followed orders with great discipline, and the transformation was complete. The King, now convinced of Sun Tzu’s ability, made him the general of his army.
The Battle Within Ourselves: Training Our Emotions
This story offers more than a lesson in military discipline; it is a powerful metaphor for handling emotions, particularly negative thoughts that can lead to destructive decisions. Our thoughts, formed in our brain, can lead to emotions; acting on these emotions is our choice.
There could be consequences if we don’t train our minds to recognize our thoughts and decide on the most appropriate response. Our minds need to be clear to take the most suitable actions, and making proper decisions requires mindfulness practice.
Recognising the Chaos: Just as the concubines initially laughed and resisted discipline, our minds often react instinctively to various emotions—fear, anger, doubt, or negativity. Left unchecked, these reactions can hinder our progress, much like an undisciplined army in Battle.
Clear Leadership Over Thoughts: Sun Tzu emphasised that unclear commands create disorder. Similarly, we may struggle to manage our emotions if we lack clarity in recognising and addressing them. Acknowledging what we feel, without suppression, allows us to understand the root cause of our reactions. The poem Guest House by Jalaluddin Rumi reminds us that all emotions are a regular part of life and serve a purpose. Exploring and understanding the rationale for emotions could help us make appropriate decisions. The idea is to respond responsibly, rather than reacting.
Eliminating Harmful Influences: Just as Sun Tzu removed the disobedient leaders, we must identify and let go of thoughts that serve no purpose. Addressing adverse thoughts does not mean denying our emotions but managing them constructively. Negative thoughts will arise, but we can choose whether to let them control us or to replace them with disciplined, positive thinking. This is similar to deleting apps on our computer or mobile that no longer serve us.
Installing New Leadership: After addressing negative thoughts, the next step is to instil thoughts that serve us positively. Sun Tzu replaced the concubine leaders with those who followed orders. Similarly, we can reframe our mindset, transforming fear into courage, doubt into confidence, and anger into kindness. In the modern world, it’s like installing new beneficial apps.
The Power of Reframing: Sun Tzu trained the concubines into disciplined soldiers through structured practice. We, too, can train our minds by consistently reshaping negative thoughts into constructive ones and adopting a growth mindset. Instead of “I can’t do this,” we could learn to say, “This is difficult, but I can overcome this.” Over time, disciplined thinking becomes second nature.
Conclusion
Our emotions, like an undisciplined army, require training. From my perspective, Sun Tzu’s story is a metaphor that reminds us that while emotions are inevitable, we must take charge of them with clarity, discipline, and intention. Acknowledging negativity is necessary, but dwelling on it is a choice. By actively replacing unhelpful thoughts with empowering ones, we can lead our minds toward resilience and positivity.
This narrative is my version of the story applied to emotions. I acknowledge that others will have their perspectives on the story.
References
The Art of War by Sun Tzu, 2024.