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The Zen Way to Martial Arts: A Japanese Master Reveals the Secrets of the Samurai

by Taisen Deshimaru

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Zen Principles Across Martial Disciplines

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Paperback New English

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AlbakiReads Editorial

Zen Principles Across Martial Disciplines

Taisen Deshimaru presents martial arts through a Zen framework, drawing on the traditions associated with kendo, aikido, iai-do, jodo, and archery. The book is organized as a sequence of lessons, question-and-answer exchanges, and koans—brief riddles or anecdotes used to illuminate broader principles. Its compact structure places martial practice alongside reflection on Zen concepts, while the material is framed for Western readers as well as practitioners. Deshimaru’s background in a samurai family and his later Zen teaching in Europe form the context for this meeting of Japanese martial traditions and Buddhist thought.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Martial arts students interested in Zen perspectives
  • General readers exploring Zen through Japanese traditions
  • Readers who appreciate lessons, Q&As, and koans

Themes

Zen BuddhismMartial arts philosophySamurai traditionJapanese spiritual practiceKoans

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

At last: a book on the martial arts from a true Zen master. Taisen Deshimaru was born in Japan of an old samurai family, and he recieved from the Great Master Kodo Sawaki the Transmission of Mind to Mind when Sawaki died. In 1967, Deshimaru-Roshi went to France and taught as a missionary general of the Sato Zen School until his death in 1982. In Europe he learned how to make Oriental concepts understandable to the Western mind. One of the results of that experience was this book: a series of lessons, question-and-answer sessions, and koans (riddles or anecdotes that point out general principles) that provide practical wisdom for all students of the martial arts--kendo, aikido, iai-do, jodo, or archery--as well as for the general reader interested in Zen.
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