Herding the Ox: The Martial Arts As Moral Metaphor (Paperback)

by John J. Donohue (Author) "Alone in the wilderness, lost in the jungle, the boy is searching, searching!..." (more)
Key Phrases: martial ways, martial arts forms, training hall, Seeing the Traces, The Ox Forgotten, Yagyu Munenori (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Donohue illustrates his philosophical points by using extensive examples from kendo, judo and karate. Though use of more sport oriented are forms sometimes seems to weaken his points, the majority of Donohue's readers are more likely to be familiar with these forms than with more esoteric forms such as iaido or kyudo. In this way, herding the Ox acts as a much-needed counter to large amount of techinque- and action-oriented books and media that make up the majority of information available on the martial arts. Donohue concludes this short book with some personal observations on how Zen study has affected his development as a martial artist. This section should especially interest beginners since Donohue has had considerable experience over many years in the martial arts. -- Journal of Asian Martial Arts

Product Description
Herding the Ox uses the Ten Oxherding Pictures of Zen as a springboard to discuss the spiritual and ethical dimensions of martial arts training. By combining historical vignettes about some of Japan's greatest warriors with thought provoking analysis, it illuminates the relationship between Zen concepts and real-life experience in the martial arts. Written by a martial artist who is also a professional educator, Herding the Ox takes the reader on an entertaining and enlightening journey into the search for a deeper meaning in the martial arts.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 141 pages
• Publisher: Turtle Press; 1st edition (June 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880336189
• ISBN-13: 978-1880336182
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #777,621 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars for for me ethics paper, January 9, 2007

By	Patrick Beriault (Orléans, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Used this book in a big ethics paper on martial arts in North American capitalism. Got some nice quotes to use and it also helped me gain further historical information about the arts.