Hara: The Vital Center of Man [Paperback]

Karlfried Graf D?rckheim (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1594770247 | ISBN-13: 978-1594770241 | Publication Date: October 27, 2004

The classic text on balance, inner calm, and the cultivation of tranquillity using the age-old techniques of Zen masters

• Reveals the psychosomatic underpinnings of Zen, Taoism, and other Eastern traditions

• Provides an alternative to the “chest out-belly in” postural attitude of the West

• Includes translations of the wisdom teachings of three Japanese masters

• Shows how the theory and practice of Hara helps us find our essential self

When we speak of an individual’s state, we are actually referring to something that transcends the duality of body and soul, something that reflects the entirety of a person’s being. Because each of us is a unity of body and soul, there is no psychic structure or inner tension that is not reflected outwardly in the form and order of the body. When we find the physical center of the body we also find the psychological center of the soul. According to Zen masters, by correcting posture and breathing to balance this center, one can cultivate inner tranquillity and balance: the state called Hara.

In Hara, Karlfried Graf Dürckheim shows the Western world how to overcome the physical and spiritual decay of modern life by adopting the age-old techniques of Japanese Zen masters. By leaving behind the “chest out–belly in” posture and attitude of the West and adopting the belly-centered posture and attitude of Hara, individuals can live a calm, grounded, and more balanced life. Included in this classic text are vital life force practices and translations of the wisdom teachings of three Japanese Zen masters. This book also explores how the practice of Hara emphasizes empirical learning and the cultivation of self-knowledge through the perfection of arts such as painting and archery.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Hara is essential reading for all who inquire into the spiritual principles and practices that are fundamental to all wisdom traditions and natural healing professions.”
(Don Stapleton, author of Self-Awakening Yoga )

"...the formalism is well worth accommodating in order to gain its gems of wisdom."
(Spirit of Change, May/June 2005 )

From the Back Cover

EASTERN PHILOSOPHY

“Hara is essential reading for all who inquire into the spiritual principles and practices that are fundamental to all wisdom traditions and natural healing professions.”
Don Stapleton, author of Self-Awakening Yoga

When we speak of an individual’s state, we are actually referring to something that transcends the duality of body and soul, something that reflects the entirety of a person’s being. Because each of us is a unity of body and soul, there is no psychic structure or inner tension that is not reflected outwardly in the form and order of the body. When we find the physical center of the body we also find the psychological center of the soul. According to Zen masters, by correcting posture and breathing to balance this center, one can cultivate inner tranquillity and balance: the state called Hara.

Karlfried Graf Dürckheim shows the Western world how to overcome the physical and spiritual decay of modern life by adopting the age-old techniques of Japanese Zen masters. By leaving behind the “chest out-belly in” posture and attitude of the West and adopting the belly-centered posture and attitude of Hara, individuals can live a calm, grounded, and more balanced life. Included in this classic text are vital life force practices and translations of the wisdom teachings of three Japanese Zen masters. This book also explores how the practice of Hara emphasizes empirical learning and the cultivation of self-knowledge through the perfection of arts such as painting and archery.

Karlfried Graf Dürckheim (1896-1988) spent eight years in Japan before World War II and was a professor at the University of Kiel until Hitler’s rise to power in 1933. In Japan he discovered Zen Buddhism in its various expressions and subsequently became a Western authority on the subject.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Inner Traditions (October 27, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594770247
• ISBN-13: 978-1594770241
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #283,592 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clearly explains the basis of Eastern "Ways", July 2, 2005

By 

J. Lovas (NS, Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hara: The Vital Center of Man (Paperback)

This is a fundamentally important book for anyone seriously interested in any of the Eastern "Ways": sitting meditation, martial arts (external or internal), yoga, tea ceremony, flower arrangement, calligraphy etc. The clarity of the author's explanations is surprisingly crisp and practical.

This book was written in 1956, originally in German, so the grammar is a bit old-fashioned, and "man" is used exclusively for "person", but on the up-side, a refreshing air of unbridled enthusiasm prevails throughout.

I VERY highly recommend this gem of a book to serious spiritual seekers, martial artists, fine artists, all healers esp body workers, and those wishing to have deeper insight into Eastern philosophy.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely life changing book for all, October 1, 2010

By 

R. Lowry (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hara: The Vital Center of Man (Paperback)

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to make themself healthier, calm their mind, relax their body, gain more energy and have more power. I would pay hundreds for a workshop to learn what this book put together for me. Buy this book!!!

I've been studying martial arts and Eastern Philosophy on various levels for 28 years. I now mostly study the internal arts of Qigong and Taiji, but anything that fleshes out my understanding of these arts I will read, anything from Alexander Technique and Feldenkrais method to studying Zen Buddhism and Taoism, standing meditation, or attending zazen meditation at the Zen Center, etc.

But this book just blew me away. It not only has all the selling points of why keeping our awareness in our center is vital, but most importantly it SHOWS us how to do that. Keeping our awareness there sounds simple enough, but we get yanked up and out of it all too easily. This book gives very practical, almost step by step instructions on how to solve the puzzle of softening the upper belly enough to breath there while maintaining a slight tension in the lower belly so we can support the pelvis and spine to build a firm foundation for upright standing and sitting. It tells us how to tuck the chin, relax the shoulders and bring a slight tension to the hara (the area below the navel and the low back across from it). We strengthen the hara on the LONG exhale, while the inhale can be just short and easy. This book really drives home HOW to strengthen the hara with the exhale. My review is purposely vague so as not to give away the best parts for free, so don't let my oversimplification ruin it. This is heads and shoulders better than 99% of what is out there.

The Appendix is worth its weight in gold, and the best part of the book, in my opinion. There are three Japanese masters each with a coresponding Appendix. In Appendix I, Master Okado has a long list of various quotes which is a great overview and checklist. In Appendix II, Sato Tsuji has an amazing Appendix on teaching the human body, I have read it a dozen times, no exaggeration it is that informative. Appendix III broadens out on the philosophical implications, my least favorite Appendix (because I got this book for somatic education reasons) but still solid work that I am sure I will expand on later.

Buy this book!!!

P.S. Another book that is in this ballpark is Aligned, Relaxed, Resilient: The Physical Foundations of Mindfulness

It goes into a lot more detail about whole body awareness, and I have to say that this book is also one of the few select most influential books for me along with the one I am reviewing. Absolutely life changing, practical, yet stunningly inspirational. Both books help anyone with any practice or with just living life and being present.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Classic Endures, January 12, 2009

By 

Ger Agrey-thatcher - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hara: The Vital Center of Man (Paperback)

This is the very core of the Master's work, and essential to any spiritual practice im daily life. Written in the mid-fifties, its light is ever bright, and is a major contibution the the literature that includes Herrigel's Archery and The Book of Five Rings.