Zen in the Art of Archery

Rating:
Summary: A worthy book, but misrepresents both Zen Buddhism & Kyudo.
Review: Before I begin, I would like to mention that I have been a student of Zen Buddhism for some years and have also been a kyudo practitioner for some time. Thus, I think I can speak a little from both sides. I shall first state that this book is truly an inspirational account of Mr.Herrigel's own personal, spiritual journey and should be recognized as a good read. It is also a good starting point for a Western beginner of Zen Buddhism as it gives him/her a glimpse from a Westerner's perspective. Having said that, Zen in the Art of Archery has some fundamental problems and errors that misrepresents both Zen Buddhism and kyudo.It might surprise some readers to learn that it has been severely criticized by modern teachers and practitioners of kyudo. To start with, as stated in the book, Herrigel has only one intention of learning kyudo-to become a Zen mystic. Thus his heart is not in kyudo at all. Just as one should do zazen for the sake of zazen one should also do kyudo for the sake of kyudo. Herrigel came to study kyudo with his cup half-full. Next, one must also know that Awa, Herrigel's teacher himself has never been a Zen practitioner and has never done a formal Zen training at all, which is all-important for someone who wishes to understand Zen. Awa, while a fantastic archer, has also been regarded as highly unorthodox in his teaching and views and one should thus not equate his teachings to be the norm of kyudo and Zen. Another glaring problem is that Mr. Herrigel himself does not understand Japanese and relies on an interpreter, Mr. Komachiya. Mr. Komachiya has himself wrote that he has taken liberty in explaining some of Awa's words to Herrigel. One of the most important part of the book, the Target in the Dark, highlights this problem. The careful reader will realize that in the entire episode, Herrigel is trying to understand Awa without an interpreter at all. One can easily speculate the misinterpretations that might have taken place. Another famous incident is where Awa supposedly says, "It Shoots". Scholars of both Japanese and German have speculated that what Awa meant was that "It just happened." Meaning that he was lucky. For those looking for a more detailed criticism, one should read Yamada Shoji's excellent essay, The Myth of Zen in the Art of Archery. My contention in this review is not to debase Zen's relationship with Kyudo. Indeed Kyudo is heavily influenced by Zen and one can absorb traces of Zen in the practice of Kyudo. But one should also try to read this book with an open eye and should not treat this book as a reliable, definitive account of both Zen and Kyudo.

Rating:
Summary: 20th century jewel
Review: For my money, this short classic is the best explanation to the western reader of what Zen is about. Herrigel, a German, and his wife lived in Japan for five years and learned Zen through the practices of Archery and Flower Arranging, respectively. This fascinating account of Zen teaching at work (with a difficult learner) illumines the depths of the matter as well as any printed words can; plus, it's an entertaining true story. I especially like the part where the Master determines to try to see the westerner's point of view in order to help his pupil learn, so he gets a book of German philosophers, but gives up in disgust, noting that it's no wonder the man who concerns himself with such things can't shoot an arrow straight!

Rating:
Summary: from AN ACTING STUDENT's point of view...
Review: I thought the story as a whole could have been better. I recognize what Herrigel was attempting to do: not bring Zen to the reader, but rather let the reader discover it for himself - much like he had to allow himself to "be breathed" rather than breathing, and allow "It" to shoot the arrow rather than shooting it himself. But the way that he went about it served to confuse me rather than enlighten me. By the end of his story, I was still expecting to come to a complete comprehension of, well, Zen in the art of archery. Perhaps I was not open-minded enough, and therefore the understanding could not fully get through to me. But if that is so, I don't blame myself in the least. I think that Herrigel went into his lessons with a very set, pre-formed idea of what Zen and therefore kyudo was all about. Therefore I don't think that a book written by him is the best way to learn about the subjects. If I want to truly learn about Zen, kyudo, Buddhism, and other Japanese and Eastern concepts, I will go about it the way I always have - with skepticism regarding other people's accounts. I want to go to Japan and learn for myself, rather than place my learning experience in the hands of an author I'm not sure I completely trust.

I am inclined to think that the Master was right, and that anyone introduced to the Western concepts of philosophy will have a great deal of trouble adjusting to the Eastern concepts of Zen.