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Eugen Herrigel

Zen in the Art of Archery Paperback – January 26, 1999

by Eugen Herrigel (Author), R. F. C. Hull (Translator), Daisetz T. Suzuki (Introduction)

4.5 1,894 ratings

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A classic work on Eastern philosophy, and a charming, deeply illuminating story of one man’s experience with Zen.

Eugen Herrigel, a German professor of Philosophy in Tokyo, took up the study of archery as a step toward an understanding of Zen Buddhism. This book is the account of the six years he spent as a student of one of Japan’s great kyudo (archery) masters, and of how he gradually overcame his initial inhibitions and began to feel his way toward new truths and ways of seeing.

Print length

81 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Vintage Books
Publication date

January 26, 1999
Dimensions

5.2 x 0.31 x 7.99 inches
ISBN-10

9780375705090
ISBN-13

978-0375705090
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“In this wonderful . . . and illuminating account . . . the Western reader will find a more familiar manner of dealing with what very often must seem to be a strange and somewhat unapproachable Eastern experience.” —from the introduction by Daisetz T. Suzuki

About the Author

EUGEN HERRIGEL was a German professor who taught philosophy at the University of Tokyo between the wars. In endeavoring to become a Zen mystic, he penetrated deeply and personally into the theory and practice of Zen Buddhism and subjected himself to the rigorous discipline of training with a Zen Master for six years. Zen in the Art of Archery is the account of this experience and his The Method of Zen is also available from Vintage Books. Professor Herrigel died in 1955.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0375705090
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage Books; Reprint edition (January 26, 1999)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 81 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780375705090
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0375705090
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.36 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.2 x 0.31 x 7.99 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #29,244 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2 in Archery (Books)
- #929 in Personal Transformation Self-Help
- #2,314 in Reference (Books)

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4.5 1,894 ratings

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4.5 out of 5

1,894 global ratings

5 star		66%
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"nsmom"

Just great

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 14, 2023

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The book came in great condition and earlier than expected. No markings and hardly any wear. Very happy with the service and highly recommend the seller.

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Suhao Duan

A confusing read, not sure if I learned anything

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 16, 2023

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The language in this book is hard to understand. It is full of mystics and riddles. I know every word, but when they were put together by the author, it doesn’t make sense.
I don’t know if this was caused by translation since the original book was written in German. Or, the writer wrote it in this way on purpose to make people scratch their head.

2 people found this helpful

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Jeff Lacy

I retain some of this

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 9, 2023

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Spiritual teaching and understanding that requires long, patient, rigorous learning. Now the Zen of trumpet playing. Repeating exercises, expanding range, performing the ritual to play correctly, mastering the craft, the art. Playing with a quiet mind, worrying no longer on the how, but letting go the intellect and playing from the heart, the soul, the mysterious muscle memory, performing without worry, without the critical voice interfering, finding the center in oneself.

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K. Sozay

revelatory for the musician

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 13, 2013

Verified Purchase

I know this book has been on the recommended reading lists of most musicians for a long time, but I finally undertook to read it this year. It happened to be at a time when I was about to start a run of a Rossini opera, which is a very particular musical style requiring the players to play on the front of the beat with extremely precise articulation and unity (musicians are called upon to be able to control their timing by as little as one millisecond), and hold their focus for the duration of nearly three hours. This can sometimes lead to a lot of physical tension, exhaustion, and mistakes, or result in a less enthusiastic performance from the group as the task seems insurmountable. Learning from this book the technique of setting up your shot and it "happens" at the right time, I was able to shift my focus forward to setting up each note and "letting it happen" at the right time on the front of the beat. For thousands and thousands of short notes that each had to be (in theory, at least) precisely placed over the numerous performances, I found the sum of all my training and 35 year performing career comes down to putting it all on THIS eighth note, setting it up to do its part in telling the story. When I dedicated myself to it, I found I could hear a lot more of what my colleagues were playing, and be much more reliable to them, and I felt relaxed and free from worry. Large-scale performances are a pretty cool exercise in group dynamics, and there is a delightful synergy in dozens of people coming together to tell a story. Different than, but remarkably like, practitioners of kyudo coming in from all different careers and walks in life, and reaching new heights of personal achievement through an ancient form of archery.

15 people found this helpful

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Engineer

The original

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 29, 2022

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This is probably the original discourse on zen and still the best. Amazon wants me to post more words but I am speechless.

6 people found this helpful

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A Universal Tale

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 16, 2005

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My martial arts instructor has many books that he allows his students to take out. Some of them he recommends, others he recommends quite strongly. ZEN IN THE ART OF ARCHERY, however, is the only book which he actually handed out to every member of the advanced class. Clearly there is something he wants us to know.

The book revolves around Herrigel's attempt to understand Zen through the practice of kyudo (Japanese archery). Although I am no expert in either Zen or kyudo, I think he does a pretty good job. The concepts that Herrigel communicates to the reader are extremely esoteric and I found them easy to grasp through this slim volume. However, reading the book solely as a story about one person's search for Zen is to read the book far too narrowly.

The concepts that Herrigel addresses are universal concepts. They are not strictly religious (Zen), martial (kyudo) or even Asian (Japanese). Any substantial activity, be it learning kyudo, becoming a chess grandmaster or practicing to become a classical pianist, requires one to reach beyond psychological and internal barriers. This is what should be taken from this book.

During Herrigel's study, he focused not on the target, but on himself as the archer. The struggle was both an internal one, including physical aspects such as breathing properly and relaxing, as well as a refocusing of his mind, such as NOT focusing on the ultimate destination of the arrows he was shooting. The transcendence was within Herrigel himself.

This lesson is applicable to numerous situations across cultures and across activities. ZEN IN THE ART OF ARCHERY provides a good example of this phenomenon but not the only possible example. Read more broadly, this book provides anyone undertaking a long and arduous activity a simple framework for reaching beyond those plateaus that we all frustratingly find ourselves on from time to time. I recommend it on that basis.

28 people found this helpful

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Nick

Book Has A Few Defects

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 10, 2023

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The spine of the book is misaligned. So, it's still readable, but you can barely see the title when it's sitting on the bookshelf. Book also had some water damage on the bottom and a line going across the front cover. I'm still going to read it, but I'm not too happy with the condition, seeing as it was supposed to be brand new.

One person found this helpful

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JGar

Is this even a true story?

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 25, 2021

Verified Purchase

A short, concise autobiography about German professor and would-be mystic Eugen Herrigel who travels to Japan and takes up Japanese Archery in a quest to understand Zen. The good thing about this book is that it is short and sweet and communicates Zen simply. But I'm very skeptical as to whether some of the events in this book took place as written. Herrigal seemed to have no trouble casually moving to Japan for five years; or understanding extremely vague and complex Buddhist ideas through conversation with his Master (who must have spoken remarkably good German?); and in one passage the Master's abilities seem superhuman. Did all of this really happen? If so, perhaps 80-ish pages is too short, actually.

The legacy of this book is tainted by the fact that Herrigel was a staunch supporter of the Nazi Party. How can a mind that has been liberated by Zen also subscribe to the Nazi ideology? The two seem incompatible--in fact, any concrete ideology seems incompatible with Zen. Is this really just a book on muscle memory and repetition after all?

30 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

S P Mead

achieving a state of Zen to master archery

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 25, 2016

Verified Purchase

This is a short yet interesting book, that offers guidance concerning archery from the perspective of Zen Buddhism. The underlying premise of this book is that the central principles of Buddhism can assist with the practice of archery. What are these principles? Well, offering a simplified overview, one might say that through the rejection of material things so clarity of focus may be attained. Applied to archery, this involves meditation and self-control - striving to be fully aware of one's surroundings and one's goals - which, in this case, involves the drawing of the bow string, the aiming of the arrow, and the hitting of the target. By way of achieving a state of 'zen' (total focus) so archery may be mastered.

This is, more than anything else, a philosophical introduction into the ideas of practicing Zen ... and archery is the example offered, so as to demonstrate such practice. If you're after a thorough guide to archery, look elsewhere (e.g. Archery: The Art of Repetition ). But if you're looking for a short guide to aspects of Buddhism, this is a good book.

16 people found this helpful

H.

More Zen than archery

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 17, 2021

Verified Purchase

Fascinating insight Into how spiritualism and self are essential in any martial art. A European detailing his study of archery with a Japanese master. There is logic in amongst the Buddhist enigmatism

2 people found this helpful

Malcolm

Good read but too wordy

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 30, 2014

Verified Purchase

After an interlude, I decided to return to target sports and am looking to return to something like my previous standards. At a coaching course recently, it was suggested that current thinking was being influenced by Japanese archery in various ways and three books were recommended. I bought all three and am working through them as and when I can; all three are easy to read and the principles are straightforward enough most of the time so the books have been worth the money. This one though, feels rather too wordy - the key points I wanted could be condensed into a very short book indeed. Unless you're into target sports though, I can't imagine why you would want to read books like this unless there are some esoteric reasons I've missed.

3 people found this helpful

Kindle Customer

A lesson for all

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 17, 2018

Verified Purchase

Anyone who wishes to improve a skill, craft or way of living will benefit from this short book. Archery is a metaphor. The outlined method of teaching Archery is applicable to all things. Knowing the technical aspects is not enough. Feeling the process and becoming as one to the complete procedure is essential.

3 people found this helpful

Bee

Nothing to do with zen or archery

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 26, 2014

Verified Purchase

or well, only about these topics superficially.

It's a story about training, learning, the process, the growth.

Which happens to occur via learning archery. Which is an art learned according to some Buddhist ideas.

4 stars because although it is a nice 'little book' (as it says in Suzuki Teitaro's foreword) it is a very personal account, so-so well written … and for a person that just is not that into autobiographies it left sort of goal-less-ness or "so what?" feeling.

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