Reviews and Comments

It's nearly 80 years since this book was first published in Germany. It's probably nearly 40 years that this copy has been languishing on a bookshelf in one place or another. Now I'm aiming to read all my books once at least, it's finally time for Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel.

There is some criticism of the book on Wikipedia (en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_in_the_Art_of_Archery), but I decided to ho ahead and read it with an open mind.

The book is a story of one man's encounter with archery in Japan, his struggle with the philosophy and discipline and his eventual understanding. I think the book starts to hit its stride in chapters V and VI as at this point he is gaining some experience.

I very much enjoyed his descriptions of his early experience of meditation.

"The demand that the door of the senses be closed is not met by turning energetically away from the sensible world, but rather by a readiness to yield without resistance. In order that this actionless activity may be accomplished instinctively, the soul needs an inner hold, and it wins it by concentrating on breathing. This is performed consciously and with a conscientiousness that borders on the pedantic."

Eugen Herrigel, Chapter V, Zen in the Art of Archery, Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1979, ISBN 0-7100-7483-2, p52

"As though sprung from nowhere, moods, feelings, desires, worries and even thoughts incontinently rise up, in a meaningless jumble, and the more far-fetched and preposterous they are, and the less they have to do with that on which one has fixed one’s consciousness, the more tenaciously they hang on. It is as though they wanted to avenge themselves on consciousness for having, through concentration, touched upon realms it would otherwise never reach. The only successful way of rendering this disturbance inoperative is to keep on breathing qietly and unconcernedly, to enter into friendly relations with whatever appears on the scene, to acustom oneself to it, to look at it equably and at last grow weary of looking.

Eugen Herrigel, Chapter V, Zen in the Art of Archery, Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1979, ISBN 0-7100-7483-2, p53/54

He explains how ritual and meditation is important in all the Japanese arts. He gives an example of flower arranging, which his wife was studying.

"A flower master begins the lesson by cautiously untying the bast which holds together the flowers and sprays of blossom, and laying it to one side carefully rolled up. Then he inspects the sprays one by one, picks out the best after repeated examination, cautiously bends them into the form which exactly corresponds with the role they are to play, and finally places them together in an exquisite vase. The completed picture looks just as if the Master had guessed what Nature had glimpsed in dark dreams."

Eugen Herrigel, Chapter VI, Zen in the Art of Archery, Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1979, ISBN 0-7100-7483-2, p61

It is very much as if these arts are not skills in the way we would normally recognise them. Rather than being someone learning a skill, firstly a sense of no-self needs to be recognised before practice so that the self does not get in the way of what is natural.

Even after understanding this there was still a tendency to look for a shortcut or to 'fake' what was being asked of him. However his archery master was not fooled.

The author considered the possibility of giving up entirely, but decided to apply patience and perseverance. He was eventually rewarded.

"Only after a considerable time did more right shots occasionally come off, which the Master signalized by a deep bow. How it happened that they loosed themselves without my doing anything, how it came about that my tightly closed right hand suddenly flew back wide open, I could not explain and I cannot explain to-day."

Eugen Herrigel, Chapter VII, Zen in the Art of Archery, Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1979, ISBN 0-7100-7483-2, p74/75

The author progressed to shooting at targets. Again here there was much to learn. The author shows great perseverance. He doesn't understand, has many questions, but continues to follow instructions.

"You must act as if the goal were infinitely far off. For master archers it is a fact of common experience that a good archer can shoot further with a medium-strong bow than an unspiritual archer can with the strongest. It does not depend on the bow, but on the presence of mind, on the vitality and awareness with which you shoot."

Eugen Herrigel, Chapter VIII, Zen in the Art of Archery, Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1979, ISBN 0-7100-7483-2, p77

And even when successful he was cautioned to remain in equanimity.

"‘You know already that you should not grieve over bad shots; learn now not to rejoice over the good ones. You must free yourself from the buffetings of pleasure and pain, and learn to rise above them in easy equanimity, to rejoice as though not you but another had shot well. This, too, you must practise unceasingly—you cannot conceive how important it is.’"

Eugen Herrigel, Chapter VIII, Zen in the Art of Archery, Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1979, ISBN 0-7100-7483-2, p85

The author's perseverance brings understanding and success.

"‘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'"

Eugen Herrigel, Chapter IX, Zen in the Art of Archery, Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1979, ISBN 0-7100-7483-2, p90

The book is quite short but very much carries the profound experience of learning an inner discipline rather than an external skill. For this reason, I would recommend it.

(Review in Welsh and English)

Dyma lyfr gwych i ddysgwyr. Mae'n rhannu mewn adrannau yn ôl lefel y profiad Cymraeg - Mynediad, Sylfaen a Canolradd. Roeddwn i allu darllen yr adran gyntaf heb broblem. Roedd y tro cyntaf - erioed - fy od i wedi darllen Cymraeg yn ogystal ag y gallaf i ddarllen Saesneg - heb eiriadur a hyd yn oed heb gyfieithu yn fy meddwl, Ffantastig. Roedd yr adrannau nesaf yn dipyn bach mwy anodd, ond nid rhy anodd i stopio fi yn mwynhau'r straeon.

Rydw i'n edmygu sgil yr awdur mewn ysgrifennu straeon a cherddi ac yn eu trefnu mewn lefelau.

Roedd y straeon yn swynol, teimladwy a dramatig, a mwyaf pleserus - ac yn galonogol i ddarllen mwy o Gymraeg

This is a great book for learners. It divides into sections according to the level of Welsh experience - Access, Foundation and Intermediate. I was able to read the first section without a problem. It was the first time - ever - that I read Welsh as well as I can read English - without a dictionary and even without a translation in my mind, Fantastic. The next sections were a little more difficult, but not too difficult to stop me enjoying the stories.

I admire the author's skill in writing stories and poems and arranging them in levels.

The stories were charming, moving and dramatic, and most enjoyable - and encouraging to read more Welsh

I am very fond of quotations when they encapsulate something true or inspiring.

'Proverbs crystallise the most common of human judgements and experiences. As a result, the same proverb can occur in many different languages, since the essentials of human needs remain the same across the globe. But each different society gives its proverbs a tincture of their own. This is very true of Celtic society, with its emphasis on honour, hospitality, courage, and its taste for the poetic.' ― Rose W. A., ‘Introduction’, Appletree Press , 1996, ISBN:978-0-86281-624-7, p.3

This little book contains proverbs in Welsh with English translation. It is also charmingly illustrated.

Some proverbs are understandable from their translation :

Deuparth gwaith ei ddechrau. A job started is two parts done. ― Rose W. A., A Little Book of Welsh Proverbs, Appletree Press , 1996, ISBN:978-0-86281-624-7, p.47

Others could possibly do with more explanation, e.g.

Godrir buwch o'i phen. A cow is milked from its head. ― Rose W. A., A Little Book of Welsh Proverbs, Appletree Press , 1996, ISBN:978-0-86281-624-7, p.51

Sometimes the English translation doesn't seem enough to convey the meaning.

All in all, though, a very nice small volume.

This book is a story about a story, and both the story and the story about the story are adventures. The story is about Tulshuk Lingpa’s expedition in the early 1960’s, when he travelled with his disciples to open a beyul - a Hidden Land, a fabled ‘Shangi-la’. It is also the story of Thomas K. Shor who in the early 2000’s researched the expedition of Tulshuk Lingpa, speaking with people who had travelled with him all those years ago.

Both stories are adventures.

The story of Tulshuk Lingpa tells of his life and his vision, and how he became surrounded by people who shared that vision - or wanted to. It tells of the trials and controversies surrounding Tulshuk Lingpa and also the outcome of the expedition.

Thomas Shor’s story begins with his research into the life of Tulshuk Lingpa and how gradually he realises that despite the fantastical nature of the stories that people told him, they all remained consistent with each other. It gives an insight into a reality that differs from our everyday perspective.

Rhybweth erchyll yng Nghymru / Something horrible in Wales

There are nine entertainingly creepy stories in this book, made more fascinating by the Welsh setting, particularly with references to south Wales, where I live.

I enjoyed the stories and particularly some of the descriptions of scenes which helped to give life to the tales.

“When he turned round, the world had changed. / The sky had darkened and, worse, reddened to the point where it was almost as if he were looking up from the surface of an alien planet. Clouds that resembled amoebae crawled across the heavens, enveloping stars and leaving trails of black dust behind them. ” p25, ‘What others hear’, by John Llewellyn Probert

The book is very entertaining and I would recommend it.

There seem to be some mistakes in the Welsh (unless I'm mistaken). In the title ‘Cthulhu Cymraeg’ , ‘Cymraeg’ means ‘The Welsh Language’, if the title is supposed to mean 'of Wales', then it should be ‘Cthulhu Cymreig’. There is also another typo, ‘Mamgi’ instead of ‘Mamgu’ (Grandmother). However the authors may know more than me.

Art should be uplifting and improve the world for everyone. To be an artist one must be willing to move beyond one's neuroses. The only way to do this is to meditate. Without meditating our minds are a mesh of self-referencing thought. With meditation we discover the clear space of mind-without-thought and the possibility of taking action that is not neurotically patterned.

Art is everywhere in our lives. It's not simply what gets bought and hung on a wall, or placed in a part. It's the entirety of our lives - the way we eat, dress, fold our clothes, everything. We can live our lives as art and appreciate our world as art.

This attitude benefits us, and benefits everyone else too.

This is an inspiring book for any artist who wishes to understand meditation and any meditator who might find that they are an artist.

“Art involves relating with oneself and one’s phenomenal world gracefully. In this case, the word gracefully has the sense of nonaggression, gentleness, and upliftedness; that is, a basic attitude of cheerfulness. It is important in becoming artists to make sure that we do not pollute this world; moreover, as artists we can actually beautify the world. Inspired in this way by our contact with dharma art, there is less room for neurosis. That is the actual project of dharma art, which is both necessary and important.” — Dharma art by Chögyam Trungpa (Page 104)

Time cascades through words allusions illusions elude and elide unknown unspoken histories stories fragmented interrupted old ways that were are no more do we know of Latin to the depth and breadth of the poet who seeks to create a world from a work of words which once carried meanings left behind in the narrow passage of time cascades through words. Impressions inspired to linger of a reality that did not stay itself from the onrush of change inevitably affects all things that the poet implied may have died leaving a subtle taste of what were impressions inspired to linger. The present makes of the past what is known in the moment with everything implied and applied to current culture we know not what was really meant by the poet only what the present makes of the past. It should be performed orated or rated by critics footnotes played by footmen dressed for the occasional explanation of erudite references that a modern audience misses the performance of poetry so it should be performed.

Deep pink on black, the book cover featured a strange figure both in and out of this world. Hands outstretched, an expression of fear or wonder. 'Come in, come in, things are different here'

I found myself drawn to the book as if by a mysterious force. On opening the cover I was immediately drawn /into/ a myriad other worlds, a short step, or lightyears, from what I knew. There was a infinite dark corridor. Doors led off, left and right, above and below. Behind each door was a story. There was a feeling of age around the stories. A century or a millennium might have passed since they came into being.

Each story was a reality unto itself and I found myself inside places that behaved differently from our own space, and from each other. I watched with quiet astonishment. Otherworlds where our dead might reside, they could be ghosts in our world or maybe we are ghosts in theirs? There was a place where space itself was also be solid, and why not? People returned from other dimensions with their own dimensions irrevocably transformed. Time and space collapse. Everything is here now, and also not. Mirrors don't reflect, but make gateways to other spaces. A library contains all possible books. It's all there, if you can find it. A hypercube house folds in on itself, upstairs is downstairs, and also not. People slip into other dimensions and hope to find somewhere to call home.

I wandered the corridors for a million years sometimes holding onto a wall to keep my balance, when the wall was a wall, and not a floor, a mirror, or space itself. Eventuality I found myself outside seemingly back where I'd started. The book was closed and on the table, with all its dimensions held safely between its covers.

But the world was subtly changed. Dimensions could no longer be trusted. At any moment I might see space in solidity and solidity in space. The mirror in the hall could show another place entirely. And didn't the bedrooms used to be upstairs?

Rob Nairn, Living, Dreaming, Dying, Shambhala, 2004

This is a book well worth reading by anyone at any stage of life. As well as preparing the reader for death (their own, or someone else's), the book also gives a great deal of advice that improves the way we live.

Being able to dream and use the dream state in terms of Buddhist practice is seen as a helpful preparation for death. Death is seen as similar to falling asleep, except that we go somewhat further and 'wake up' in another life.

How we live this life is seen as having a great influence over how we dream and how we die. So everything that we do comes back to how we live this life - how we live this moment.

Rob Nairn's tone is one of helpful encouragement. He knows the kinds of lives people have and the difficulties they experience and shows how we can make our lives part of our Buddhist practice and in doing so improve how we live, how we dream and how we die.

Well worth reading.

“The most important thing to understand is the connection between living and dying. The mind that dies is the mind we know now. When we realize this, we feel empowered to face death in a positive way, as we would any other event in life for which we have prepared. There are many ways of preparing, and they are all central to spiritual practice in life as well as in death. We can get ready now for the last great adventure of this lifetime!” ― Rob Nairn