Path Notes of an American Ninja Master Paperback – October 6, 1993

A really well written and interesting book. The authors writing style is excellent, really holds your attention. It held mine until about two thirds of the way through the book when I realized he wasn't talking about the path of the ninja anymore and the stuff he was talking about was really things he was making a lot of assumptions about and the book for me kinda fell apart there. But its definitely a book I highly recommend and loved reading what I did read of it. A lot of interesting material there, I'd recommend it.

I am sorry to report that Glenn Morris, Soke, transitioned into the Void on the 1st of April 2006. It is so like Soke to leave us fools behind wondering "Is this a joke or what?!?" This book, Glenn Soke's first on Martial Arts is one of the five or so I would take to a desert island with me for the rest of my life.

But I must warn you, strange things happen around this book, as they did around Glenn. Path Notes found me one day in early April 95 in NYC as I was browsing the small English language section of a large Japanese bookstore while waiting for a friend. It tumbled off an overhead shelf and hit me on the head. I try to be on the lookout for messages from the Universe and I must tell you, rarely are they quite so obvious---of course I bought the book! At around 9pm that night after all the day's Art of Dying Conference functions were over, I collapsed into bed thinking to myself, "I'm too tired to read, and I have to get up early, but let me read just one page..." at 3:45am, book in one hand and holding my eyelids open with the other, I finished it to the great relief of my roommate who had been frequently awakened by my uncontrollable guffawing! (It's a wonder she let me live!)

Rarely have I been so overjoyed by a book! As soon as I got home from the conference, I wrote my first letter to any author. Soke called me upon receiving my fawning praise and we became instant friends. He was already my Teacher from the first moment the book hit my head!

A word to the women-folk, this book is dripping with testosterone. Not the obnoxious "Me Tarzan, you Jane!" kind, but rather the irrepressible "Hold my beer, watch THIS!" kind, and the empowering "Come on in, the water's fine" kind moderated by a bit of "Do try this at home, but be prepared to duck!"

Now here's the real warning and heed this carefully: This book, delightfully humorous, entertaining, slightly unbelievable and deeply insightful as it is, is really a Grimoire... a map and a testimony to the far reaches of human spiritual potentiality, but in reasonably accessible modern English. Therefore it's dangerous if you do not pay attention and allow for the possibility that it might be recounting a Truth. And Soke is no longer with us here in the Relative Universe to fix it--to fix YOU--if you screw up, so do pay attention if you try anything at home.

All that said, this book is for anyone who has the slightest interest in martial arts, meditation, Japanese culture both modern and ancient, kundalini, body work, transpersonal psychology, Jungian archetypes, mythology both Western and Eastern, alternative medicine especially those arts involving Qi (Chi/Ki) or anything remotely connected to any of those subjects. By the way, the annotated bibliography alone is worth the price of the book if you have any interest in the aforementioned subjects. I also recommend all of Soke's books, but Path Notes is by far the best in my personal opinion. I am so grateful that Glenn left this behind when he left our dimension for what surely must be some incredible ongoing adventures. I miss him now and always.

Dr. Morris provides a laic and slightly eccentric look into the spiritual side of the martial arts. If you are starting to look into the benefits of meditation or to try to gain a better understanding of your inner Self, this an excellent beginner's guide. Dr. Morris gives an excellent account of his and his student's personal experiences in harnessing the power or one's inner energy. He also equips the reader with a number of easy to follow techniques and mantras to get the most out of one's meditation. This book was given to me by a colleague as I, myself had decided to venture into my subconscious and has provided me with a number of tools to better understand my Self.

First of all, what does make one a master?

Upon inquiry into the internal side of martial arts one may see, in the precious words of Jackie Chan "kick ass/get girls" thing is not the apex. Developing genuine long-lasting values does count, Otherwise one will never be satisfied.

In this book Mr. Morris sincerely and openly shares his experiences and insights on the path of ninjutsu. It is indeed good to know, that this man has had great friends, variable experiences, and a one of a kind teacher who shared his mutual respect and love for the art.

Taken that into account, I think that 5 stars is an appropriate rating for such a book. Thanks Mr. Morris.

My intro to Glenn Morris, I was highly impressed with this book as well! At the low prices for the used ones, you can't afford not to get this one and Shadow Strategies.

I am a martial artist with over 30 years experience (none in ninjutsu, Bujinkan or otherwise). When I first read this book I gave it two stars - that was a few years ago. I thought, "who is the guy with the huge ego writing this disjointed nonsense?" But I've recently been led to re-read the book and have given it five stars. Why?

Well, first is that the collection of information here is not to be found in any other one source. I too think that the ultimate goal for martial arts is spiritual development (since we're all going to die someday). The author writes with startling candor about topics that many masters just never speak about.

Certainly he is opinionated, has deep respect for Hatsumi-san, and has drunk the proverbial Bujinkan Kool-aid. Reading past that, the information is very good.

This is not an instruction manual for those looking to pick up some ninja techniques, but is to be real like looking for tracks in the wilderness. There are landmarks to be found here, warnings of dangers, and encouragement to find the rest of the picture.

Who knows why I couldn't read it before - perhaps I just wasn't ready. I've gotten a lot from a second reading as my path has intersected that of the late Dr. Morris.

Awesome information, this book has become my basis for energy development, meditation and martial arts.
Dr. Morris is a great writer and information is well researched and studied.

Very interesting book about a very interesting person. Good information about how to do the esoteric.