Book Review - Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel
Category Book Reviews
I've heard a lot about the book Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel, so I decided it was about time to read it. An interesting look at how a Westerner learned about Zen using the Japanese art of archery.
Herrigel went to Japan in order to teach philosophy, and while there took the opportunity to become immersed in Zen Buddhism. He is able to get a master of archery to teach him after searching for a mechanism to learn Zen principles. As a Westerner, he has a number of problems creating the right mental mindset that would allow him to understand Zen and release himself. But through years of perseverance and continued study, he finally learns the principles and experiences the Zen of becoming one with the bow and target.
It's an interesting look at how Zen principles can be applied to any activity. If you've never been exposed to any Zen philosophy before, you will probably struggle with much of the seemingly nonsensical statements you'll encounter. But if you have a basic understanding going into the book, you should be able to get the value that the author intended.
I've heard a lot about the book Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel, so I decided it was about time to read it. An interesting look at how a Westerner learned about Zen using the Japanese art of archery.
Herrigel went to Japan in order to teach philosophy, and while there took the opportunity to become immersed in Zen Buddhism. He is able to get a master of archery to teach him after searching for a mechanism to learn Zen principles. As a Westerner, he has a number of problems creating the right mental mindset that would allow him to understand Zen and release himself. But through years of perseverance and continued study, he finally learns the principles and experiences the Zen of becoming one with the bow and target.
It's an interesting look at how Zen principles can be applied to any activity. If you've never been exposed to any Zen philosophy before, you will probably struggle with much of the seemingly nonsensical statements you'll encounter. But if you have a basic understanding going into the book, you should be able to get the value that the author intended.
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Comments
Posted by Mark Young At 18:11:35 On 11/01/2007 | - Website - |
Haven't you experienced that while coding too? You contemplate over a piece of application while coding it, you stretch your mind in every aspect of the code and become one with it...
This are the most robust pieces I write.
Posted by Stephan H. Wissel At 18:42:59 On 28/11/2004 | - Website - |