Customer Reviews

Living the Martial Way: A Manual for the Way a Modern Warrior Should Think

5 star:		(89)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

'Living the Martial Way' is a valuable book that should be read by serious martial artists.

The author explores a wide range of issues including the mental/'spiritual' aspects, history, philosophy, strategy/tactics, and many others. This work is particularly valuable to those who do not have the good fortune to have an instructor who is a traditionalist. Those martial artists who have such a teacher have undoubtedly gotten a dose of most of the best of this volume. Those without such a mentor will doubly benefit from Morgan's instruction.

Here is the breakdown of this book as I see it:

The Good

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1. Lots of interesting history.

2. Excellent material on the ethical principles, loyalty, honor, etc.

3. Philosophical roots of the martial arts.

4. The benefits of training, particularly as it applies to seeking ecellence in other areas of one's life.

5. A good section on strategy and tactics.

6. Excellent commentary on internal vs. external motivations.

7. A good response to religious based objections to martial arts training.

The Not So Good

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1. Too much discussion of 'face' including some rationalization for inappropriate responses to a loss of face.

2. Some discussion of revenge and suicide that should have been treated strictly as historical instead of some weak justification of these as applied to the modern world.

3. The author is rather elitist in his view of warriors being superior to pretty much everyone else on the planet. Although this part included some good observations, it was overdone.

Overall, I would recommend this book for any martial artist. Additionally, I think that a lot of the information would be interesting and valuable even to non 'warriors'.

This book is a masterpiece. It is a great guide for the martial artist and fills in many gaps in his or her training. For example, Morgan has a chapter on Honor. He is right when he states that we in the martial arts "world" hear the word "honor" often, but, never have its definition articulated to us. He gives a groundwork of tenets (obligation, justice, and courage)and builds a thesis as to why these tenets are important to martial artist of all belt ranks. Even though I think his tenets are incomplete, but neverless insightful; it is a great start, and he is the first to forcefully lay down such a well reasoned view.

The book is full of training ideas and incorperating the martial arts into one's "everyday" life. I often refer to this book when I have not lived up to one of the tenets and strive to be a better martial artist and after reading this book, a better man.

This is a must read book and a book to be owned by anyone who considers themselves a warrior. I require its reading by all of my Black Belts and recommend it to all my students. This book explains in detail the essential elements of a true martial artist/warrior. It is not about the skill of fightinhg, yet more importantly about the moral and ethical obligation to self.

This book should be required reading in all police and military academies. I think, it is one of the five major books regarding the martial arts. The Martial Way is one in which the practitioner can excell in life and the constant pursuit of excellence in all of life.

The mind, body and spirit must be trained as one and function as one in all pursuits. This book will assist one greatly in acheiving the mental balance of the Martial Way.

The title says it all. Written with authority, this book navigates the modern warrior through the minefield that he will have to walk as a result of being a martial person in a world full of those who are not. The writings help to keep one out of the traps that many of us fall into as a result of not having the mentorship that we truly need. Using his knowledge of primarily eastern warrior traditions such as bushido (Japanese chivalry), Morgan covers all of the issues that warriors grapple with and then gives the answers that true masters have been teaching for over 1000 years. His research is thourough, his writting style formal yet easy to understand. He goes into the social history surrounding the ancient texts refered to (such as "The Book Of Five Rings", "The Art Of War", etc) and in doing so helps the western reader adjust his outlook so that the classic texts are more easily understood and applied. Beyond that, Morgan thoughroughly covers such topics as:

The Warrior Mindset
The Foundations Of Honor (Obligation, justice,
courage, face)
Loyalty
Restraint
Revenge (when is it justified, how to conduct it with
honor)
Fitness
Nutrition and diet
Aerobic capacity and flexability
Religion and Mysticism
etc.

While few modern warriors will agree with EVERYTHING he says, this is by and large the information you have been in need of.
All in all a complete book from start to finish. Highly recomended.

I would highly recommend--regardless of the system of martial arts you study-- Living the Martial Way by Forrest E. Morgan. This book will change your whole outlook on how you study martial arts and will teach you how to develop attitudes based on ancient Asian martial arts. It is a manual for the way a modern warrior should think.

This is the most influential book I have ever read. I sincerely recommend it as a "must read" for any student of martial arts or anyone interested in a noble way of living.

Recently I read and reviewed a book called "The Karate Dojo" by Peter Urban. Written in the mid-1960s, it's a snapshot of a bygone martial arts era. Mr. Urban portrayed an ideal dojo training situation that would enable one to become a "weaponless weapon." "Living the Martial Way" has a similar focus on achieving the status of a "modern warrior." However, it goes a lot farther by offering detailed practical and philosophical steps to that end. Combined, these steps constitute the "Martial Way." It's not for the faint of heart.

The book is broken down into three aspects of the Martial Way: The Way of Training, The Way of Honor, and The Way of Living. In Part One, the author discusses how a warrior trains. Practicing once or twice a week for a couple of hours won't cut it. Instead, the warrior should rigorously train in their chosen martial art every day, and augment their core style with additional study in other disciplines. Part Two delves into the warrior's internal path by focusing on developing the foundational character quality of Honor. Finally, Part Three deals with a mixture of the practical and spiritual aspects of the Martial Way, including physical fitness, mysticism, and personal bearing.

Mr. Morgan provides a comprehensive path towards warriorship. For the most part, his guidance is clear and practical. However, there are a couple of debatable areas. For example, some of the circa 1990 diet and exercise information Mr. Morgan promulgates is a bit stale in 2007. Even so, the author's general admonition to eat right and exercise are timeless, so consult some newer resources to implement his recommendations. Also, I was a bit taken aback by his almost religious zeal towards becoming a warrior. To be sure, excellence requires much work, pain, and sacrifice. But many desire a more balanced life, and I'm not sure one could fully pursue the Martial Way and have a family life. Indeed, you'd probably have to be a celibate monk to truly achieve warriorship (for all I know that may be a requirement, since Mr. Morgan isn't forthcoming on his family life).

Overall, I was challenged by "Living the Martial Way" to take my budo practice (and my faith as a Christian) to a higher level and integrate it deeper into my life. However, I'm not as dismissive of the twice weekly practitioner as Mr. Morgan is. Because for years that was my training regimen at the kyu (colored belt) level. Mr. Morgan might dismiss me as a mere "martial artist" (see page 25). But I've realized many personal benefits from that level of practice. Even so, now that I'm a ShoDan assistant instructor I agree with him that a deeper level of commitment is needed. I must be a good role model for my students, and that requires more intensity on my part. That's why I added boxing to my "doctrinal core" of karate over a year ago, and also the reason I'm reading many books about the martial arts.

I recommend "Living The Martial Way" as a necessary text for the martial artist. It will affirm the dedication of the serious practitioner, and perhaps challenge the not-so-serious one towards a more profound level of commitment. In addition, you may wish to augment this book with "Clearing Away Clouds" by Stephen Fabian, "The Making of a Butterfly" by Phillip Starr, "The Martial Way and Its Virtues" by F. J. Chu, "The Martial Spirit" by Herman Kauz, and just about anything by Dave Lowry.

I was surprised at all the reviewers that didn't get it- that this was really a modern version of Hakagure, or how to face life and death. Since we no longer have to face quite the same situations that warriors did before the advent of gunpowder, does that mean we no longer need a guide to living based on these values? Do we toss out all the positive things and focus on being 'modern'? Mr. Morgan doesn't think so, and neither do I. This has nothing to do with war, or fighting, but with your spirit. Today, I think that is more important than all the technology and other advances. Basically, the book should make you want to search for the substance of your life, not the style we seem to mistake for reality these days. I found it very enlightening, and not preachy- just thought provoking. It lead me to search for personal answers and to be serious about my life- after all, I won't get another if this one is wasted! If this is being elitist, or a warmonger, or whatever, then go to the new age candle burning section and summon up all positive vibes. You still don't get it.

Morgan articulates the physical, mental, and moral aspects of the warrior way better than any book I've seen so far. He covers every aspect of the warrior's training, both physical and mental, showing how the true warrior lifestyle differs from others. Another thing I liked is how he clearly distinguishes between martial arts, mysticism, and religion. Americans are often confused on this point, as Morgan points out that true martial arts are not religions, and not even mystical, they are methods of waging war. Mysticism also has nothing to do with religion per se--it only means the belief that the truth is within each of us and can be discovered if one looks hard enough, a principle which many eastern and western thinkers and religions believe.

My only complaint is I agree with the other reviewers here that Morgan is a little heavy-handed emphasizing the superiority of the trained warrior to the average person. That may be true in some ways, but he could have soft-pedalled that a bit. Other than that this is a great book that explains the most important concepts in the martial arts and how to truly live the warrior way.

I only have the highest praise for Mr. Morgan's book. As a person who has studied the martial arts (embodied in TaeKwon-do, Danzan Ryu Jujitsu and Eskrima) I have been looking for a common thread that defines what it means to live the Way of the martial arts. This book encapsulates that Way (Tao, or Do, as they say). The book is written in an approachable fashion; each chapter is outlined, the thesis is developed, and the key points are summarized. The numerous anecdotes and personal observations that the author provides prevents it from coming across as a dry textbook. The content is ecumenical; the common threads of many martial traditions are examined, including the asian arts of aikido, karate, kenjutsu, Lun Gar Pai kung-fu and TaeKwon-do, as well as western military codes of honor. Of particular interest is the authors analysis of religious vs philosophical interpretations of the asian traditions. He points out that there is no conflict between even the most devoutly held western religious viewpoints and the practice of martial arts. In summary, I recommend this book highly, whether you're casually interested in what all that mumbo jumbo your aikido-practicing friend goes on about, or whether you're a high-ranked blackbelt in Uechi-Ryu Karate.

I read this many years ago and then again just recently. As observed by other readers, there is allot of time spent on fabricated topics that the book would be better off without. (the "saving face" topic is circular and goes nowhere.)

In addition, I agree that the author does romanticize "warriorship" and places "warriors" above other members of society; a sentiment best suited to WW2 Japan or maybe Kronos, the Klingon home-world.

The one positive thing that I have recalled many times is the authors revelation that martial-artists (in America) are not accustomed to getting hit; although, in the past decade there has been a trend to remedy this problem. Perhaps this book contributed to that trend.

My general disappointment with the book stems from the fact that the author attempts to discuss martial-arts styles that he knows nothing about, and is dismissive of anything that he has not deemed worthy of his mastery; particularly the internal Chinese disciplines. This made me question his authority on topics which I am not familiar but which he claims to be an expert. It would have been better to omit a brief mention of a style rather than to demonstrate ignorance of it; or dismiss it altogether.

His knowledge of Martial Arts history is also not very good but that could be attributed to the limited availability of such arcane information at the time of this writing. Today, the average enthusiast has access to more information than this American author probably had at his disposal.

The authors understanding of "warrior philosophy" is also somewhat lacking and based more on fiction and war propaganda than a true understanding of the cultures from which these traditions derive. He falsely compares ancient Samurai philosophy with the sentiments of the faltering Japanese army during the final, desperate, days of world war 2.

I don't think that many culturally Asian Martial-artists would find this book representative of Asian martial-arts; speaking as a culturally Asian martial artist.

While I would love to tout a book written just "for us", I can only give it two stars because in the many years I have owned it I have never felt compelled to lend it to a friend or recommend it to a fellow martial-artist. That may be the best test of a good martial-arts book.

A revised edition, perhaps with contributions of other experts, would be welcome.