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Soul of the Samurai: Modern Translations of Three Classic Works of Zen & Bushido
Contributor(s): Cleary, Thomas (Author)
ISBN: 0804836906     ISBN-13: 9780804836906
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
OUR PRICE:   $13.46  
Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats
Published: October 2005
* Not available - Not in print at this time *Annotation: From the author of "Code of the Samurai" comes this exploration of the key influence of Zen on the samurai's combat style, from its emphasis on detachment to the teaching to clear the mind and "be in the moment."
Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- Sports & Recreation | Martial Arts & Self-defense
- Philosophy | Zen
- History | Military - Strategy
Dewey: 796.860
LCCN: 2005014569
Series: Tuttle Martial Arts
Physical Information: 0.7" H x 5.2" W x 7.6" (0.55 lbs) 160 pages
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:
Soul of the Samurai contains modern translations of three classic works of Zen & Bushido.

In Soul of the Samurai, bestselling author and respected translator Thomas Cleary reveals the true essence of the Bushido code or Zen warrior teachings according to 17th-century Japanese samurai master Yagyu Munenori and his Zen teacher Takuan Soho.

The three works of Zen & Bushido translated in Soul of the Samurai are:

  • The Book of the Sword by Yagyu Munenori
  • The Inscrutable Subtlety of Immovable Wisdom by Takuan Soho
  • The Peerless Sword by Takuan Soho
Yagyu was a renowned swordsman and chief of the Shogun's secret police, while Takuan was the Zen spiritual mentor to the Emperor. This samurai philosophy book contains the first English translations of their seminal writings on Bushido. Cleary not only provides clear and readable translations but comprehensive notes introducing the social, political, and organizational principles that defined samurai culture--their loyalty to family, their sense of service and duty, and their political strategies for dealing with allies and enemies.

These writings introduce the reader to the authentic world of Zen culture and the secrets behind the samurai's success--being in the moment and freeing the mind from all distractions, allowing you to react instantaneously and instinctively without thinking. In these classic works, we learn that Zen mental control and meditational training were as important to the Samurai as swordsmanship and fighting skills.