In our days, he who possesses a true katana,

A sword made in full accordance

With the secret technology of blacksmithing,

Preserves it carefully in a casket

And does not dare to use it -- it is considered

As the perfection of highly valuable swords.

But the human spirit goes forth

In all directions, flowing on without limit,

Reaching to heaven above

And wreathing round the earth beneath.

It transforms and nourishes all things

And cannot be represented by any form.

Its name is the Divinity in man.

It's only the path of pure simplicity

Which guards and preserves the Spirit.

When this path is preserved and not lost,

It becomes one with the worldwide Divine;

And in this ethereal amalgamation, it acts

In harmony with heavenly ordered operations.

There is the vulgar saying, which states

That the masses of people consider gain

To be the most important thing for them;

Pure scholars and thinkers strive for fame;

Those who are able to perform great deeds

Value their ambition, while the sages prize Purity.

That's why simplicity is the denomination

Of that in which there is no admixture;

Purity of that in which the spirit is not impaired.

It is he who is able to embody simplicity

And purity whom we call the true man

Well-brought-up in full accordance

With the oldest technology of blacksmithing.