EXISTING TO LIVE – A Poetic Reflection on Budo, is an inner journey in which the martial art reveals itself as a path of awareness. Between form and emptiness, gesture and silence, Vasco Vieira Pinto transforms the principles of Budo into living poetry, a meditation on the balance between body, mind, and spirit. Each poem becomes a mirror of the dojo and of life itself: it teaches that true strength does not lie in outward victory, but in inner serenity; that the deepest combat is the one we wage within; and that respect, courage, and compassion are the warrior’s true weapons. Inspired by Bushido, Zen philosophy, and the pursuit of self-mastery, this book invites the reader to look upon the world with presence and humility. More than a collection of verses, it is a bridge between technique and soul, between movement and being. A poetic and philosophical reflection on the essence of Budo: the path of existing fully in order, at last, to truly live.