How the samurai cultivated Zen, relating its teaching of a free and spontaneous mind to the experience of a warrior in individual combat, and finding philosophical strength in Zen as they prepared themselves for death.

A compelling history of the contradictory, often militaristic, role of Zen Buddhism, this book meticulously documents the close and previously unknown support of a supposedly peaceful religion for Japanese militarism throughout World War II. Drawing on the writings and speeches of leading Zen masters and scholars, Brian Victoria shows that Zen served as a powerful foundation for the fanatical and suicidal spirit displayed by the imperial Japanese military. At the same time, the author recounts the dramatic and tragic stories of the handful of Buddhist organizations and individuals that dared to oppose Japan's march to war. He follows this history up through recent apologies by several Zen sects for their support of the war and the way support for militarism was transformed into 'corporate Zen' in postwar Japan. The second edition includes a substantive new chapter on the roots of Zen militarism and an epilogue that explores the potentially volatile mix of religion and war. With the increasing interest in Buddhism in the West, this book is as timely as it is certain to be controversial.

This book is about conquering fear. Roshi Kitabu (writing as Vernon Kitabu Turner) knows from personal experience how to overcome fear. As a child, he cowered before neighbourhood bullies until finally he was driven to find his courage because he had to defend his brother. From that point he resolved to help anyone in need, and began to study martial arts. As a result of an extraordinary act of synchronicity, he met a Japanese Zen master, and shortly afterwards experienced an epiphany (satori), by which he understood that it is the soul that controls the body: 'in a blaze of light, I immediately understood the secret of self-defense from the inside out.' With virtually no training in the martial arts, he became a master - and after a sensational 'trial by combat' he was made a 'black belt'. Roshi Kitabu shares his secret - and explains that this power exists in everyone. He shows the steps that must be taken to cultivate the Warrior Mind - involving a direct flow from the Soul (your inherent spiritual power) into action. 'Before you can begin to control a possible assailant, you must take control of your thoughts. A warrior must believe in his ability to win.' This has become a truism for all serious practitioners of martial arts - but its message applies equally to all the obstacles that one encounters in life: truly the soul houses the sword. Through diligent practice, we can sharpen ourselves to a razor's edge and learn to cut though any obstacle as it arises.

After being shipwrecked in Japan, adopted, and taught the Way of the Warrior at samurai school, Jack is ready to embark on the next chapter of his training: the Way of the Sword. His lessons involve fighting blindfolded, using a b-o staff, and finding messages in origami—all while withstanding the constant pressure of being a foreigner. The stakes are raised even higher when the school holds a contest. The winners will learn the great samurai Masamoto-sama's secret martial arts technique.

Miyamoto Musashi's Go Rin no Sho or the book of five rings, is considered a classic treatise on military strategy, much like Sun Tzu's The Art of War and Chanakya's Arthashastra. The five "books" refer to the idea that there are different elements of battle, just as there are different physical elements in life, as described by Buddhism, Shinto, and other Eastern religions. Through the book Musashi defends his thesis: a man who conquers himself is ready to take it on on the world, should need arise.

In this book, Shaw draws upon his knowledge of Asian culture and years of study in the martial arts to show us how we, too, can achieve higher understanding through the tenets of Zen Buddhism. Iado - the meditative way of the sword becomes a path to enlightenment. The first step is to learn to control the physical body; once physical senses are honed, the thinking mind can be silenced and can join with the body to become a unified force.

Takuan Sōho’s (1573–1645) two works on Zen and swordsmanship are among the most straightforward and lively presentations of Zen ever written and have enjoyed great popularity in both premodern and modern Japan. Although dealing ostensibly with the art of the sword, Record of Immovable Wisdom and On the Sword Taie are basic guides to Zen—“user’s manuals” for Zen mind that show one how to manifest it not only in sword play but from moment to moment in everyday life. Along with translations of Record of Immovable Wisdom and On the Sword Taie (the former, composed in all likelihood for the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu and his fencing master, Yagyū Munenori), this book includes an introduction to Takuan’s distinctive approach to Zen, drawing on excerpts from the master’s other writings. It also offers an accessible overview of the actual role of the sword in Takuan’s day, a period that witnessed both a bloody age of civil warfare and Japan’s final unification under the Tokugawa shoguns. Takuan was arguably the most famous Zen priest of his time, and as a pivotal figure, bridging the Zen of the late medieval and early modern periods, his story (presented in the book’s biographical section) offers a rare picture of Japanese Zen in transition. For modern readers, whether practitioners of Zen or the martial arts, Takuan’s emphasis on freedom of mind as the crux of his teaching resonates as powerfully as it did with the samurai and swordsmen of Tokugawa Japan. Scholars will welcome this new, annotated translation of Takuan’s sword-related works as well as the host of detail it provides, illuminating an obscure period in Zen’s history in Japan.