Zen Buddhism

Zen in the Art of Archery Vintage Spiritual Classics

5 stars (Intriguing and perplexing in equal measure.) - I very much enjoyed reading this book. It is a biographical account of one mans experience as he moves from a position of ignorance towards an understanding of Zen. The bewildering spritual "How to" which seems to have a lot more to do with what you don't do than what you do. The confounding realisation that all effort is false, whereas no effort can lead to superhuman feats of accuracy. It's a magical true story about how a mans confusion and understanding become fused into something of an incomprehensible truth: You don't understand it, but it works. What I enjoyed most about the text is that it gives insipration to Zen learners, something to aim for, so to speak. What I didn't like is that it doesn't really offer insight into how one combines an attitude of no presumed effort with the experience of splitting an arrow-shaft lengthwise from the far side of an unlit warehouse. In other words, the book sufficiently illustrates the effects of success with Zen practice but having read the book the cause still remains a mystery: A relaxed attitude alone will do nothing to improve your golfing average, so how does it work? 5 stars (The effortless flow of our own holy being in harmony with what we are doing ) - I read this book many years. It was J.D. Salinger who brought me to it. And the central idea that he taught from it was the art of 'aiming without aiming'. Or rather how wrong and forced effort which is wholly concentrated on ' result' and 'result' alone (i.e. hitting the bullseye) leads to missing the mark. The great idea of this work is the idea of a kind of practice which leads to effortless effort, to a 'hitting the mark' without aiming , to somehow allowing one's own inner powers to be in harmony with the task one is doing. To let the whole of one's being flow into the activity and with it as one. With this in mind I years ago wrote a small forgotten work 'Zen and the Art of Swimming' . I also practica...
Vintage :: Religion & Eastern :: Zen Buddhism :: Philosophy :: Martial Arts & Self-Defense :: Eastern - Zen :: Eastern - General :: Archery And Target Shooting :: Archery :: :: Zen in the Art of Archery (Vintage Spiritual Classics)

Zen Golf- Mastering the Mental Game

4 stars (It's All About Clarity, Confidence and Tempo) - A very quick read with lots of great tips. Especially good to clear the mind of unproductive thinking on the course and to play with clarity, confidence and purpose. The idea of Center of Gravity can save strokes right away. You'll understand the book even better when go to the range and experience how a good shot feels and then start hitting them one after another, and another... 5 stars (Zen Golf: Mastering the Mental Game) - Joseph Parent truly succeeds in integrating what he has learned from his Zen teachers and teachings with one's round of golf. His book is a must for all golfers, beginners and experts alike, duffers and long hitters. Points that Parent makes including breathing, putting beyond the cup, and not hitting "anyways shots" will truly improve one's round of golf. It will also impact a reader's attitude toward hitting the ball... from approach to follow-through, from driving to putting. Zen Golf is a great book and the unabridged book on CD is a must for travelers. The book has my highest recommendation. 4 stars (Just what I needed) - I recommend this book for the player that has plateaued and is frustrated on the course more than they are elated. I am having more fun on the course (and playing better) with the concepts learned in Zen Golf. When you complete the book, you may say to yourself- nice light read. It is only until you notice your changed behavior on the course that you have a new appreciation for the game and your ability. ...
Doubleday :: Sports Psychology :: Sports & Recreation & Golf :: Zen Buddhism :: Sports & Recreation :: Sports :: Religious aspects :: Psychological aspects :: Golf - Instruction :: Zen Golf- Mastering the Mental Game

The Shaolin Grandmasters- Text- History- Philosophy- and Gung Fu of Shaolin Ch-an

5 stars (Clarification) - I am a contributor to The Shaolin Grandmasters' Test, and would like to make some comments about the book. I will do my best to represent other contributors, both living and deceased. Complaints that we fail to shower compliments upon the People's Republic of China (in general) and the resurrected Shaolin Temple in Honan Province (specifically) are not without substance. Many reviewers who are affiliated with the new Shaolin Temple may be offended by our book because we have tried to be truthful. Our perhaps it is simply the blunt presentation. The PRC today employs tens of thousands of human and computerized monitors to censor the information accessible by the Chinese people. Internet sites with the word "freedom" typically do not make it onto the computers of Chinese citizens. The PRC continues to imprison Tibetan Buddhists who so much as say something positive about the Dalai Lama. The Shaolin Temple is the nucleus of a massive tourist industry, and has given rise to kung fu schools nearby for 10,000+ Chinese boys - keeping many young men "occupied" in a nation where the ratio of men:women is horribly skewed. Shaolin kung fu schools in Europe have been sued for using the "Shaolin" name - by an entity intimately connected with the Shaolin Temple. Stating these sorts of facts earn us the distinction of "having no room in our heart[s] for mainland China". Our book is far from perfect. Many of our now-deceased priests were old enough to feel some personal bitterness over the incompetence of the Ch'ing dynasty, and many of our senior members had negative personal experiences with "Red China". In some places in the book, this bitterness shows. Deciding to leave some of these sentiments in the book was not a simple decision, but perhaps it was a wrong one. Buddhism does indeed reside in the heart. Anyone can choose this path. The Buddha even made provision for self-ordination, for those spiritual seekers who could not find a Sangha. I do not ...
Tuttle Publishing :: Zen Buddhism :: Sports & Recreation :: Sports :: Shao lin si (Dengfeng Xian :: Ch :: Martial Arts & Self-Defense :: Martial Arts :: China :: Buddhism - Zen :: s :: The Shaolin Grandmasters- Text- History- Philosophy- and Gung Fu of Shaolin Ch-an