Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

purehappiness · 2009-07-29 18:02:58

I just finished reading this and find it very interesting. www.daikonforge.com/downloads/TheUnfetteredMind.pdf

Priapus Le Zen M☮nk · 2009-07-29 19:24:27

purehappiness wrote:
I just finished reading this and find it very interesting. www.daikonforge.com/downloads/TheUnfetteredMind.pdf

For sure a book that anyone involved with Japanese matial arts or stuff like tea ceremony or Shakuhachi should read.

Along the same lines I would recommend the Tengu Geijutsu ron/ The demons sermon on martial arts also the Yojokun and the life giving sword which was written by yagy Munenori after he had receive the letters from Takuan.

Also one of the best books to give you the full spirit of what being Zen is about if we can say so would be the sword of no sword detailing the life of Yamaoka Tesshu during the Meiji restoration. It is way better and realisitic than all that Ikkyu crap since it relates to stuff that happened and that Japanese people can really relate to culturally much more than poetic eccentricity.

Last edited by Gishin (2009-07-29 19:25:57)

ABRAXAS · 2009-07-29 20:50:36

SWORD OF NO SWORD is a fantastic book, by John Stevens (Aikido guy) who also translated a nice little anthology of Ikkyu that includes SKELETONS with the illustrations.

purehappiness · 2009-07-30 05:58:44

Thanks. I have a few more books to check out.

ABRAXAS · 2009-07-30 11:38:15

If you are into Asian classics of strategy, there are good collections and translations by Ralph Sawyer (Art of War, Sun Pin, Seven Military Classics of Ancient China), and Thomas Cleary (Classics of Strategy and Council, 3 vols.) that provide a lifetime worth of study material.

Sawyer has also written a few interesting synthesis/overview type books such as THE TAO OF SPYCRAFT. Sawyer definately approaches it from the Military/History angle rather than the "spiritual warrior" or businessman angle, which I personally think is more authentic and as far as I know his scholarly cred. is impeccable. Cleary is a language whiz kid. I'm sure his translations are good but he is frequently packaging his work for the "spiritual", business, and martial arts market, but that does not detract from the substance. I only mention it because there is a lot of really inferior work packaged for that sector, bad translations, etc. to be mindful of.

purehappiness · 2009-07-30 14:03:34

I am not neccesarily into the martial atrs side of things. I was reading zen and the way of the sword by winston king and saw reference to the unfettered mind and found it on the web. Right now I have been reading a lot on ZEN and that is what I am still a bit interested in at the moment. Although, the martial arts side of things can be interesting too.I think the unfettered mind has a lot of interesting aspects just dealing with the ZEN buddhist side of things and some analogies were interesting.

heyjude · 2009-07-30 15:46:27

I ordered a used copy of Sword of No Sword from Amazon and am looking forward to a good read. Thanks for recommending it.

Jude

Yooper · 2009-07-30 17:59:23

"The Sword & the Mind" by Hiroaki Sato includes two of the works included in "The Unfettered Mind" and "The Life-Giving Sword" mentioned by Gishin. I enjoyed both of those. I'm sure there are other translations as well.

Let me also recommend Trevor Leggett's "Zen and the Ways."

Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

#1 2009-07-29 18:02:58

A good read

#2 2009-07-29 19:24:27

Re: A good read

purehappiness wrote:

#3 2009-07-29 20:50:36

Re: A good read

#4 2009-07-30 05:58:44

Re: A good read

#5 2009-07-30 11:38:15

Re: A good read

#6 2009-07-30 14:03:34

Re: A good read

#7 2009-07-30 15:46:27

Re: A good read

#8 2009-07-30 17:59:23

Re: A good read

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