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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
Product Description
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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The term ignorance means the absence of enlightenment. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
The term ignorance means the absence of enlightenment. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have read allot of these types of books, I find them very hard going at times. What I get out of them is a view into a different world, sometimes they barely seem human but in-between they give a philosophical output that borders the superhuman.
I feel allot gets lost in translation and there is a vast cultural gap that is way out of time. If you put in the effort you will find lots to muse over and compare. The theory of "no mind" is the central aspect of this way of thinking that shows a very natural height that can be recognized and more actively sought after. Something about the writing makes the essence timeless.
I feel allot gets lost in translation and there is a vast cultural gap that is way out of time. If you put in the effort you will find lots to muse over and compare. The theory of "no mind" is the central aspect of this way of thinking that shows a very natural height that can be recognized and more actively sought after. Something about the writing makes the essence timeless.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The translater - William Scott Wilson - is an American scholar widely recognised as the foremost expert on Japanese samurai literature, the Bushido Code and the Edo Period of imperial Japan. His translations are reliable, retain original meaning and are easily accessible to the general reader. This book is about the application of Zen Buddhist meditation to the activity of the use of the Japanese sword. The writings contained within this book date to 16th and 17th century Japan, and are spiritually motivated on all the many levels of nuance. The original Japanese work was written by Rinzai Zen monk Takuan Soho (1573-1645).
The paperback (1987) edition contains 101 numbered pages and consists of a Foreword, an Introduction, a Notes section and a Bibliography. This book is comprised of three essays written by Takuan Soho:
Foreword.
Introduction.
The Mysterious Record of Immovable Wisdom - (Letter to master Yagyu Munenori).
The Clear Sound of Jewels - (Advice on knowing 'right' from 'selfishness').
Annals of the Sword Taia - (Letter to either Munenori or Ono Tadaaki).
Notes.
Bibliography.
Wilson provides the English translation for the Japanese text known as Nihon no Zen Goroku Zenshu, Vol 13, which gathered its information from the Takuan Osho Zenshu. These two letters and one instructional text offer advice about sword technique, mind development, self-transcendence, duty, psychology of combat and spiritual growth, the avoidance of selfishness, the cultivation of wisdom, correct dying for a warrior, and compassion. The sword is inbued with divine power within Japanese traditional culture. Takuan was a very well thought of Zen monk in Japan, who became an abbot of a temple in Kyoto at just 35 years old! This is astonishingly young for a Zen monk, and is indicative of the good reputation Takuan is thought to have had. It is known that he gave advice to the great master swordsman Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645), and to the abdicated emperor Go-Mizunoo (1596-1680). Takuan, as a Zen monk, gave advice to all who needed it, includng the warrior class. He always brought their attention back to their mind-essence through his instruction. Although the 'hook' in these essays is martial endeavour, the objective is always a mind of no delusion. When such a mind is achieved, there is no need for violence, and martial arts become spiritualised as a result. A spiritual classic.
The paperback (1987) edition contains 101 numbered pages and consists of a Foreword, an Introduction, a Notes section and a Bibliography. This book is comprised of three essays written by Takuan Soho:
Foreword.
Introduction.
The Mysterious Record of Immovable Wisdom - (Letter to master Yagyu Munenori).
The Clear Sound of Jewels - (Advice on knowing 'right' from 'selfishness').
Annals of the Sword Taia - (Letter to either Munenori or Ono Tadaaki).
Notes.
Bibliography.
Wilson provides the English translation for the Japanese text known as Nihon no Zen Goroku Zenshu, Vol 13, which gathered its information from the Takuan Osho Zenshu. These two letters and one instructional text offer advice about sword technique, mind development, self-transcendence, duty, psychology of combat and spiritual growth, the avoidance of selfishness, the cultivation of wisdom, correct dying for a warrior, and compassion. The sword is inbued with divine power within Japanese traditional culture. Takuan was a very well thought of Zen monk in Japan, who became an abbot of a temple in Kyoto at just 35 years old! This is astonishingly young for a Zen monk, and is indicative of the good reputation Takuan is thought to have had. It is known that he gave advice to the great master swordsman Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645), and to the abdicated emperor Go-Mizunoo (1596-1680). Takuan, as a Zen monk, gave advice to all who needed it, includng the warrior class. He always brought their attention back to their mind-essence through his instruction. Although the 'hook' in these essays is martial endeavour, the objective is always a mind of no delusion. When such a mind is achieved, there is no need for violence, and martial arts become spiritualised as a result. A spiritual classic.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book contains a collection of three letters/essays from Takuan Soho to masters of the sword arts. They contain some incredible gems. This book should not just be read; but reflected upon.As another reviwer said, "The ideas of the interval between striking flint and steel to the production of the spark, or the visual and mental image of the glint of light on the blade of a sword become captivating and even revelatory." I could not have said it any better myself. This is a must read book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A magnificent collection from an old master
In this book, do not expect to find either enlightenment or the answer to your questions, because this is not a guide to life or spiritualism. Read more
Published on 24 Nov 2002 by Antonis Michailidis
A bit spiritual
I couldn't get into this book. I preferred the philosophy of Hagakure and the practicality of the Book of 5 Rings. Read more
Published on 20 Jan 2002 by Chris (mcmurdofromtheair@hotmail.com)
Illuminating, an essential companion for all men of faith
Takuan Soho's insight into the mechanics of the mind and its effects on performance, is much more than a manual for the martial artist. Read more
Published on 30 Aug 2001
A PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT
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. Read more
Published on 11 July 1998
Interesting, but not illuminating.
Takuan Soho has a book made of 3 parts, the first is a letter he wrote to a sword master about not "stopping the mind" and "the right mind" which basically... Read more
Published on 6 April 1998
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