Zen in the Art of Archery: Training the Mind and Body to Become One

Product Information

It is also one of the more distinctively Japanese cultural expressions, a mark of a society closed off for hundreds of years. The image of formal kyudoka, with their long asymmetric bows in a bare hall, is one of the most iconic martial arts traditions. The title "Zen in the Art of Archery" most likely inspired the titles of many other works, either directly or indirectly. Foremost among these is Robert Pirsig's 1974 book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. More than 200 works have been created with similar titles, including Ray Bradbury's 1990 book Zen in the Art of Writing, as well as Zen and the Art of Poker, Zen and the Art of Knitting, Crazy Legs Conti: Zen and the Art of Competitive Eating, and so on.

Zen in the Art of Archery: Eugen Herrigel, R. F. C. Hull

In the end, the pupil no longer knows which of the two – mind or hand – was responsible for the work. This book is the result of the author’s six year quest to learn archery in the hands of Japanese Zen masters. It is an honest account of one man’s journey to complete abandonment of ‘the self’ and the Western principles that we use to define ourselves. Professor Herrigel imparts knowledge from his experiences and guides the reader through physical and spiritual lessons in a clear and insightful way. Zen in the Art of Archery also relates to the " inner child" idea in humanistic psychology. Later literature either discusses balancing the "inner game" and the "outer game" or counseling approaches to accessing, communicating and collaborating with the inner child beyond sports. [ citation needed]Success in kyudo is found down two paths: tournaments, which emphasise scores, and grade examinations, which test technique and proper form. No cae en lo fácil de ofrecer soluciones fáciles ni frases vacías, sino que, a través de la descripción detallada de cada movimiento y de cada sensación durante el acto de disparar una flecha, el autor nos muestra cómo el Zen puede estar presente en cada momento de nuestra vida. the preparations for working put him simultaneously in the right frame of mind for creating... that collectedness and presence of mind...the right frame of mind for the artist is only reached when the preparing and the creating, the technical and the artistic, the material and the spiritual, the project and the object, flow together without a break.” You have described only too well," replied the Master, "where the difficulty lies...The right shot at the right moment does not come because you do not let go of yourself. You...brace yourself for failure. So long as that is so, you have no choice but to call forth something yourself that ought to happen independently of you, and so long as you call it forth your hand will not open in the right way--like the hand of a child.” Zen takes Buddhism a step beyond the simple dictums of Theravada. The feeling I had while reading this was similar to the one I had when I read Jiddu Krishnamurti. The underlying idea is the same but expressed in different ways.

Zen in the Art of Archery | Semantic Scholar [PDF] The Myth of Zen in the Art of Archery | Semantic Scholar

being able to wait without purpose in the state of highest tension...without continually asking yourself: Shall I be able to manage it? Wait patiently, as see what comes - and how it comes!” I must only warn you of one thing. You have become a different person in the course of these years. For this is what the art of archery means: a profound and far-reaching contest of the archer with himself. Perhaps you have hardly noticed it yet, but you will feel it very strongly when you meet your friends and acquaintances again in your own country: things will no longer harmonize as before. You will see with other eyes and measure with other measures. It has happened to me too, and it happens to all who are touched by the spirit of this art.” Today, many archers practise kyudo as a sport, with accuracy being paramount. However, the goal of most kyudokas is seisha seichu: “Correct shooting is correct hitting”. Lao-tzu could say with profound truth that right living is like water, which “of all things the most yielding can overwhelm that which is of all things the most hard.” Unless we enter into mystic experiences by direct participation, we remain outside, turn and twist as we may.Like the beginner, the swordmaster is fearless, but, unlike him, he grows daily less and less accessible to fear." He who masters both life and death is free from fear of any kind to the extent that he is no longer capable of experiencing what fear feels like. The idea is that when archers shoot correctly, with “truth,” good spirit and attitude, beautiful shooting will naturally follow. (This idea, removed from a spiritual context, is present in modern competition archery traditions, too.) Pirsig, Robert (April 25, 2006). Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values (Reprinted.). HarperTorch. ISBN 978-0060589462.

Quotes From Zen in the Art of Archery | Independent Society Quotes From Zen in the Art of Archery | Independent Society

The version best known outside of Japan is seitei or “sport” kyudo: the basic form pulling elements from all the schools, and more grade-oriented and geared to competition. According to the Nippon Kyūdō Federation, the supreme goal of kyudo is achieving a state of shin-zen-bi, which roughly translates as “truth-goodness-beauty”. The hand that stretches the bow must open like a child's hand opens. What sometimes hinders the precision of the shot is the archer's over-active will. He thinks: "What I fail to do will not be done", and that's not quite how things work. Man should always act, but he must also let other forces of the universe act in their own due time.” Una pequeña joya literaria que va más allá de la apariencia inicial de autoayuda y nos sumerge en la superficie de la filosofía del Zen de una manera práctica y fascinante. The thing I really appreciated about this short book was how demystifying it was about Zen and how real it was about mastery. Herrigel spends years on archery, hitting plateau after plateau, putting a monumental amount of work into it. You can feel his frustration every time he hits a wall, how much effort that he puts into breaking past these walls, his satisfaction upon finally getting it, his confusion over what his master is asking of him, and the underlying struggle of wrapping his head around detachment. This format holds a huge advantage over something like Inner Game precisely because we can try feel what he feels, struggle when he struggles, and ultimately realize that we just can't do it unless we ourselves train. Nobody can stay the course without conscientious guidance from a skilled teacher and without the help of a Master.letting go of yourself, leaving yourself and everything yours behind you so decisively that nothing more is left of you but the purposeless tension.