Customer Reviews

The Art of War -- Spirituality for Conflict: Annotated & Explained

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I first became aware of Sun Tzu and the Art of War in 1967 while I was in Infantry Officer Candidate School at Ft. Benning, Georgia. We didn't have time for an in depth study of the text but we were made familiar with some of the relevant chapters.

In 1969 I served as an infantry platoon leader in the Mekong Delta with the 9th Infantry Division. One of the lessons I learned as a small unit combat leader was how to use the terrain to your best advantage in a night ambush operation. After a time it becomes second nature. Sun Tzu wrote about this tactic centuries ago. And in war it is just as fresh and new as the sun rise; true in Iraq, true in Afghanistan.

My war experience was forty years ago and now as an old man I recently had the opportunity revisit the text. Thomas Huynh's translations and annotations of the text lead me to a greater understanding of the wisdom contain therein.

My 90 year mother-in-law saw me reading The Art of War and asked to borrow it when I had finished reading. I immediately gave her the book and told her I had finished it and was just rereading a chapter. I asked her to keep the book and not worry about returning it ever. I then ordered another copy for myself.

A couple of weeks later I asked her if she'd read any of the book and she replied that she had read several chapters and then added, "It's called The Art of War but it seems to me that it's more about resolving conflicts than engaging in them." I thought to myself, "She got it." And as a mother of sixteen children she has some experience in conflict resolution I would expect.

As a person who has seen war I can tell you that it is horrible and that it should be the absolute and final resort in conflict resolution. The greatest leader avoids conflict and peace and harmony is the greatest victory personally and universally.

I highly recommend this translation and annotation by Thomas Huynh.

A wisdom text that has been in print for over two millennium hardly needs another review to establish its merit. What's new here is the annotated translation by Thomas Huynh and his colleagues [...]. By carefully studying each and every pictograph from the Chinese original, they've come as close to reconnecting the English reader with Sun Tzu's thoughts as can be achieved in a translation. For example, when choosing a single word in English to correspond with a key concept from the original, the translator gives the alternatives and explains the final choice.

But the work goes beyond simply providing the most accurate translation that language differences allow. The extensive explanations are presented on facing pages in step with the translation, as opposed to being buried in footnotes or endnotes, and provide the cultural and historical context required to understand the text. Without these explanations of the who, what and where that Sun Tzu is referring to, a reader without a deep background in the Chinese literature and history of the period would come away with a partial understanding at best.

While I didn't put together an army to invade a neighboring state after reading this book, I already used one of the key concepts in a critical business negotiation that resolved in my favor. I'd recommend this book both to first time readers of the Art of War and to serious students of looking for additional insight into their favorite wisdom text.

With a shelf full of versions of "The Art of War" why purchase another one? This is a question one could ask of me. I have a dozen versions of "The Art of War," yet I purchased and read "The Art of War - Spirituality for Conflict" and am extremely glad that I did.

This version of "The Art of War" annotated and explained was annotated by Thomas Huynh and it is his translations with the editors at his website Sonshi. There is a foreword by Marc Benioff, chairman and CEO of salesforce and a preface by Thomas Cleary. It was Cleary's preface that helped me decide to purchase this version, since several of my versions were translated by Cleary, and I've enjoyed the numerous translations of his I've read over the years.

Huynh states that he wishes he would have had this translation when he first started studying Sun Tzu's words twenty years ago. After reading it, I agree that any student of Sun Tzu will benefit from "The Art of War - Spirituality for Conflict."

Besides the interesting foreword and preface, there is a good introduction that lays some basic history and information for those new to Sun Tzu and those that have studied various translations already. One impressive fact about this book is that it is the work of twenty years of study with over forty reputable scholars working on it.

I enjoyed how this edition addresses a spiritual approach to conflict through Sun Tzu's teachings. The book still contains the thirteen chapters that were written by Sun Tzu. They are laid out in a format that has the translated text on the right side page, with the commentary to the translated text on the left side page. If a person wanted to, they could read every right hand page and they would be reading the entire translated text of "The Art of War."

However, if you truly study "The Art of War" like I enjoy doing, you will not only read the translated text, you will savor the commentary and annotations as well as ponder the lessons beyond Huynh's guidance.

In the annotations, Huynh provides examples relating to the text from many sources. It is refreshing to see things from the Bible, Buddha, and Lao Tzu not contrasting each other, but illustrating points and guiding toward conflict resolution. The text also includes examples based on General Robert E. Lee, Fourth Geneva Convention, a sermon delivered by Martin Luther king Jr. at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in 1957, George Washington, Robert Gates to the U.S. Congress in 2007, Henry David Thoreau, mathematics professor and investment trader Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Yamamoto Tsunetomo's Hagakure, and many more. These examples and illustrations of lessons and principles help with the study and application of "The Art of War" to other areas than only military strategy.

This is important, because while many readers of this text will benefit in areas other than in the military. While I first studied "The Art of War" while in the U.S. Army, I study it now for different reasons. It is a text that not only can help the military person, but any person who deals with conflict. And we all face conflict!

Sun Tzu's teachings are effective in all conflict, not only war. This new translation, with the annotations and explanations will allow any reader, from those with no previous knowledge of "The Art of War" to those who have studied multiple volumes, to learn and apply Sun Tzu's sage advice. It is very insightful and will not only help with your understanding and application of the ancient text, but will provide you with guidance to prevent and resolve conflicts in your own life.

If you want to study conflict resolution through a book about war. This is the text for you. If you have never read "The Art of War," this is a good book to start your studies. It is clear, easy to read, and contains excellent annotations to apply the lessons to your life. If you are a student of "The Art of War," this is a must add to your collection. You will find it an informative and refreshing look at this classic manual. I am very happy that I decided to purchase yet another volume. Its practical and pragmatic guidance has broadened my understanding of "The Art of War," and more importantly has helped me bring these ancient lessons into my conflict resolution practice. Highly recommended!

Reviewed by Alain Burrese, J.D., author of Hard-Won Wisdom From The School of Hard Knocks.

At the outset, I need to acknowledge that I am not fluent in even one Asian language and thus am wholly unqualified to express an opinion about the several translations of The Art of War. I have copies of Sun Tzu's classic work translated by Thomas Cleary and Samuel B. Griffith (among others), and have read commentaries on The Art of War by B. H. Liddell Hart, Mark McNeilly, and Gerald A. Michaelson who relied on these translations.

Initially I did not understand the reference to "spirituality" in this book's subtitle but as I read Thomas Huynh's Introduction, I realized that during my previous readings of The Art of War, I had misunderstood one of Sun Tzu's most important points: It is for reasons of compassion as well as practicality that every possible effort must be made to avoid combat. According to Huynh, "Sun Tzu's goal in writing The Art of War was not to glamorize warfare but to instruct military leaders in the best way to end an armed conflict as rapidly as possible or - even better - to prevent the outbreak of war in the first place. When Sun Tzu spoke of victory, this is what he meant - the prevention or quick resolution of conflict, not the conquering of your opponent." There is a scene near the conclusion of the film Fort Apache when Cochise tries and fails to negotiate an agreement with a U.S. Army lieutenant colonel. Soon afterward, the officer and most of his men die in combat. As the dust clears, Cochise reappears carrying the regiment's flag and angrily slams its stanchion into the ground with obvious disgust. Yes, the Apaches are the victors this day but their leader feels nothing but sadness and frustration as well as rage because the loss of life could have been avoided.

What sets this edition apart from others of which I am aware is the insightful Foreword by Marc Benioff and Preface by Thomas Cleary in combination with a well-crafted translation by Huynh and the editors of Sonshi.com. They are supplemented by Huynh's annotations juxtaposed with the key passages on which he comments. Readers will also appreciate the provision of brief explanations of core concepts that are inserted throughout the narrative. The title of my review suggests that Huynh and his Sonshi associates have -- with extensive scholarship, rigorous analysis, and lively eloquence -- created a three-dimensional context or frame-of-reference for Sun Tzu's observations and insights. To the extent that it is possible to do so with a literary work, they have brought it to life. That is indeed a brilliant achievement.

For example, consider this introductory comment to Doing Battle: "According to Sun Tzu, a skillful military general [or any military leader] only does battle when there is no other option. Many disagreements can be solved without the situation escalating into actual confrontation or battle, which often exacts a heavy toll on both sides." Huynh's 13 exceptionally informative annotations accompany the narrative in which Sun Tzu explains how best to pursue and achieve the eminently worthy objective of avoiding direct combat.

With regard to "Formation," [it] means more than simply the physical position you take to face your adversary; to Sun Tzu, it is the position of invincibility your enemy cannot surmount. This state of invincibility reduces the number of conflicts you will have to face, because adversaries will quickly see the futility of trying to challenge you." Huynh's 10 exceptionally informative annotations accompany the narrative in which Sun Tzu explains how best to pursue and achieve another eminently worthy objective, avoiding direct combat by convincing an opponent that there is no way he opponent can prevail. On the contrary, the opponent will be annihilated.

I am so impressed by the results of their collaboration that I not only recommend this edition to everyone who has not as yet read The Art of War but also to those who now have other editions because, in this non-scholar's opinion, it would be difficult to gain an understanding and appreciation of the material that would otherwise not be possible without the assistance of Thomas Huynh, Marc Benioff, Thomas Cleary, and their associates.

This is the best translation of the AoW I have read yet. The broad tenets are hand in hand with practical examples and stories fully encompassing the ENTIRE picture. Not a book about destruction or power, this is a text wonderfully presented about leadership and peace that everyone should embrace. I'd recommend it to anyone and the forum at Sonshi.com is the only one I find worth posting at.

I really don't know how the book would rate compared to to other similar books, but it was for my brother in law and he seemed to be very interested in reading it when he opened it. Sort of his kind of thing.

"Sun Tzu said: Warfare is a great matter of the nation; it is the ground of death and of life; it is the way of survival and of destruction, and must be examined." This is a quote from Thomas Huynh's "The Art of War -Spirituality for Conflict". Sun Tzu considered war to be a serious matter that should only be considered as a last resort. The Art of War advocates a virtue based leadership style and offers principles designed to help one find and take the path of least resistance towards morally audited goals.

Thomas Huynh's translation of this amazing classic appeals to both the beginner and seasoned reader. The sentiment behind Sun Tzu's tenants is preserved nicely in this translation. Mr. Huynh's explanations throughout are well articulated towards developing an overall better understanding of the text and how it is still relevant to the many facets of life today.

This is a must have translation in everyone's book collection, especial those students of the ancient Chinese military classics.

The reason for the Art of War derives from the understanding that conflict is an integral part of human life. Some circumstances allow us to avoid conflict, while at other times we are challenged to confront it directly. Sun Tzu teaches that making better decisions quickly, while under competitive pressure, is the means by which we conquer these challenges.

The conventional theory in competition, according to today's standards, is that success goes to the strongest or most aggressive. Sun Tzu's theory differs. Those who possess an in-depth understanding of the present situation, as well as alternatives to normal methods, win the day.

"Win all without fighting" is one of the pillars of the Art of War. Using strong positioning we are able to create problems for our opponent in a way that may cause him to refrain from entering into conflict at all. In the midst of battle, however, our strategy proffers foreknowledge about our adversary's potential plan which allows us to create a more than proportionate response to his attacks. In essence we are painting a picture where the risks far outweigh the gains, making it unreasonable for our opponent to continue in the fray.

Mr. Huynh articulates these principles in an original, cogent and lucid manner. The likes of which anyone at any age can easily understand. "The Art of War, Spirituality for Conflict" is written so the tenets of this wisdom classic can be naturally implemented into one's everyday life. It is truly an outstanding interpretaion of the Art of War.

For those endeavoring to enrich your life with concepts deriving a true peace of mind, this book serves as a conduit to that end.

A wonderful version of Sun Tzu's "The Art of War", this is a book that can be opened to any page for helpful insights into dealing with conflict. Highly recommended.

A remarkable interpretation of "The Art of War." I don't know whether Master Sun would agree with it, or even recognize it, but it is well worth a rather long look.