So succinct are the author's insights that these writings have outlasted the dissolution of the samurai class to come down to the present and be read for guidance and inspiration by the captains of business and industry, as well as those devoted to the practice of the martial arts in their modern form.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"All of the essays aim at helping the individual know himself and in helping him to embrace the art of life." -The Japan Times
"Takuan's writing is light on sword-handling and heavy on the spiritual side." -Asahi Evening News
Language Notes
Text: English, Japanese (translation)
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
96 of 97 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
For those seeking The Way, this book is great,
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This review is from: The Unfettered Mind: Writings of the Zen Master to the Sword Master (The Way of the Warrior Series) (Paperback)
If you are a martial artist or Zen student seeking new ways of understanding the "enlightenment" of mastering an art, then this book can offer different angles from which to think about your practice. It can help you acknowledge the frustrations you feel as you reach that plateau where the harder you try the worse you perform, and it can give you the encouragement to get beyond that. If, on the other hand, you're not into Zen texts, this book will bore you into a coma. I found most enlightening Takuan's remarks on the stages of learning a skill, each with its own challenges; from the beginner struggling to teach his muscles the postures and movements, through the sophomore trying to "unstick" his mind from such details and focus on strategy, to the master who gives his actions no more thought than an adult gives standing up and walking across the room. These apply not only to martial arts, but to any activity that requires both physical skill and tactical thinking, from swordfighting to tennis, judo to golf. The book is in three sections, which are actually translations of three letters written by Takuan to Yagyu Munenori. If you read this book, you should also read The Sword and the Mind, by Yagyu Munenori; they could almost be considered companion texts. Both have their interesting sections and their obtuse, no-longer-apparently relevant sections; and both at their most helpful address how to approach your practice and therefore your life.
44 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT,
By dino99@prodigy.net (New York City) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Unfettered Mind: Writings of the Zen Master to the Sword Master (The Way of the Warrior Series) (Paperback)
I have been involved with the martial arts for over 25 years. Student, instructor, swordsman. I consider this book a reference tool and a source of inspiritation. My copy is worn and tattered, what more can I say.I am sure that Musashi valued his friendship with the author. The insights into human nature and self improvement are timeless.
33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An unexplicated work of profound simplicity,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Unfettered Mind: Writings of the Zen Master to the Sword Master (The Way of the Warrior Series) (Paperback)
Takuan's voice in this work provides resonance for scholars and martial artists alike. For avid readers of the Zen tradition, this book offers both contrast and compliment to Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki. Most intersting I thought was his disticntion between the "mind of principle" and the "mind of technique". It stimulates meditation on our own day-to-day quality of thought and action.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
The term ignorance means the absence of enlightenment. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
immovable wisdom, own martial art, mysterious ability, lost mind, thousand arms Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Latent Cause, External Cause, Manifest Effect, Right Mind, Latent Effect, Pai Che, Sword Taia, Buddhist Law, Five Skandhas, Mount Fuji, Original Face, Ten Essential Qualities, True Self, Namu Amida Butsu, Shao K'ang-chieh, Ten Thousand Things New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
The term ignorance means the absence of enlightenment. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
immovable wisdom, own martial art, mysterious ability, lost mind, thousand arms Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Latent Cause, External Cause, Manifest Effect, Right Mind, Latent Effect, Pai Che, Sword Taia, Buddhist Law, Five Skandhas, Mount Fuji, Original Face, Ten Essential Qualities, True Self, Namu Amida Butsu, Shao K'ang-chieh, Ten Thousand Things New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 5
books:
32
books
cite this book:
See all 32 books citing this book
- Japan: A Short Cultural History by G.B. Sansom in Back Matter
- A History of Japan (Three Volumes) (Tut books) by George Bailey Sansom in Back Matter
- Zen and Japanese Culture by Daisetz T. Suzuki in Back Matter
- Asian Fighting Arts by Donn Draeger in Back Matter
- Japan: A History In Art by Bradley Smith in Back Matter
- The Buddha and His Teachings by Samuel Bercholz on 4 pages
- The Book of Five Rings (Bushido--The Way of the Warrior) by Miyamoto Musashi in Front Matter, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Zen and the Way of the Sword: Arming the Samurai Psyche by Winston L. King in Front Matter, page 161, and Back Matter
- The Life-Giving Sword: The Secret Teachings From the House of the Shogun (The Way of the Warrior Series) by Yagyu Munenori in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Roaring Stream: A New Zen Reader (Ecco Companions) by Nelson Foster on page 364, and page 373
See all 32 books citing this book
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