When Eugen Herrigel, a German professor of philosophy, went to Tokyo in the 1940s, he studied ikebana (the Japanese art of flower arranging), apprenticed to a master of archery, and spent six years studying Zen Buddhism through those activities. Zen in the Art of Archery is his distillation of that experience, an attempt to make the purpose of Zen practice understandable to those outside of its native culture. Despite the wide dissemination of Zen ideas in the ensuing years, Herrigel’s book remains an illuminating, graceful, and inspiriting introduction, through Western eyes, to the meditative insight of Eastern philosophy.
Loved this. So true that it gives one such a practical understanding of the essence of Zen. I had a Japanese basketball coach in college (40+ years ago), and I don't think we ever quite understood her coaching philosophy!
0
Add Reply
Post Reply
Agree (9)
Life's too short (3)
Want to read
Share
Post Comment
We use cookies on this website
We use cookies to recognize you when you return to this website so you do not have to log in again. By continuing to use this site, you are giving us your consent to do this. You can read more about our practices and your choices here.