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: One of the most valuable texts for a golfer
Review: Golf and Archery as practiced by the Zen masters are among the few sports in which the participant releases a shot without looking at the target. If you really want to "be the ball", you must read Eugen Herrigel's masterpiece. It's small, but with this and Michael Murphy's "Golf in the Kingdom", you'll be ready for cosmic consciousness.
Rating: 
Summary: No use for the practicing archer.
Review: I found this book to be a wonderful story of one man's spiritual quest. However in repect to archery and it's techniques, the book was totally useless.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic Treatise
Review: I grew up with my father very active in Zen archery, and have been practicing meditation myself for about one year now. (Readers familiar with the Zen arts understand that this is a pitiful drop in the bucket; in his account, Herrigel spends that long learning to hold the bow.) Zen Buddhism is, by definition, a problematic subject to describe in words or in print. Herrigel seemed cognizant of the irreconcilability of the language of philosophy with the reality of Zen, but he did his best nonetheless. It also suffers from its status as one of the first Western works in its field. Some of the language is dated and anachronistic: e.g., "The Great Doctrine". These small criticisms aside, I would overwhelmingly recommend this book anyone with the slightest interest, not only in religion or philosophy, but in athletics or the arts. However, those coming from a background in Western religion or philosophy, no matter how sophisticated, may not know what to do with this book. In fact, such knowledge may impede the reader (p. 48):
"He [Herrigel's sensei]...tried to work through a Japanese introduction to philosophy in order to find out how he could help me from a side I already knew. But in the end he had laid the book down with a cross face, remarking that he could now understand that a person who interested himself in such things would naturally find the art of archery uncommonly difficult to learn."
"Zen and the Art of Archery" is not intended as a comprehensive overview of the Zen tradition. It is probably not the place to start for those that are completely unfamiliar with Zen, kyudo, Buddhism or Japanese culture. (I'm at a loss to recommend any one definitive work, but the works of D.T. Suzuki and Huston Smith come to mind.) What it is, is a fantastically written account of one man's historic experience as one of the first Westerners to study the Japanese art of archery. In proper Zen style, it is succinct; I read it in one hour-long sitting. It is packed with all manner of brilliant insights. My copy is virtually illegible from dog-earing, underlining, and note-taking. If you have some contextual knowledge of the aforementioned subjects, read this book immediately. If you don't, I might suggest that you hold off; it might strike you as so much "mystical mumbo-jumbo", as it did to my father (who subsequently dedicated his book--One Arrow, One Life--to Herrigel).
Rating:
Summary: great book that helped me play and teach piano better
Review: I have played the piano for thirty-five years and taught it for over twenty. I have written a book on teaching piano that is in the Lincoln Center Library for Performing Arts. The ideas and examples in this book, along with my mentor, helped me achieve breakthroughs in music when many other methods failed. In a way, I owe much of my teaching success to this book.The book's beauty lies in a westerner's desperate attempts to make logical sense of concepts that are irrational and experiential. For example, the master told the author to let go of the string but also to not let go... Let the spirit "It" pull the string from the hand. Gradually releasing it, the string should leave the hand as though passing through butter.
I can attest to this idea's power. In piano, achieving pleasant tone is a contradictory skill. On the one hand, you have to play with enough force to project tone, on the other hand, you have to attack the key gently to create a rounded sound. The solution I found is called the "controlled drop," where you must let the arm drop but catch it. Like letting go of a bowstring, letting go of my arm to make pleasant sound at the piano is a joint effort between conscious and unconscious will. Illustrating the sometimes difficult ideas are great anecdotes and quotes in the book. Like when the author challenged the master to shoot blindfolded, thinking it would be a rhetorical request. Instead, the master did just that, hitting the bullseye and splitting the first arrow with a second. And like when the master said, when you make a good shot, do not celebrate, bow and thank the spirit It. You are not responsible. Perhaps the quotes and stories in this book anger some students of kyudo because they are kind of movie cliches by now, but at the time, it was new. And more important than the sensational stories are the concepts and conundrums present in an entertaining, short memoir. I have read it many times and will go back again. Perhaps it is not exactly what Zen masters are teaching nowadays, but it has the solid feel of strong, cogent ideas. And the reader works struggles to understand the ideas along with author in what seems like real time.
Rating:
Summary: great book that helped me play and teach piano better
Review: I have played the piano for thirty-five years and taught it for over twenty. I have written a book on teaching piano that is in the Lincoln Center Library for Performing Arts. The ideas and examples in this book, along with my mentor, helped me achieve breakthroughs in music when many other methods failed. In a way, I owe much of my teaching success to this book. The book's beauty lies in a westerner's desperate attempts to make logical sense of concepts that are irrational and experiential. For example, the master told the author to let go of the string but also to not let go... Let the spirit "It" pull the string from the hand. Gradually releasing it, the string should leave the hand as though passing through butter.
I can attest to this idea's power. In piano, achieving pleasant tone is a contradictory skill. On the one hand, you have to play with enough force to project tone, on the other hand, you have to attack the key gently to create a rounded sound. The solution I found is called the "controlled drop," where you must let the arm drop but catch it. Like letting go of a bowstring, letting go of my arm to make pleasant sound at the piano is a joint effort between conscious and unconscious will. Illustrating the sometimes difficult ideas are great anecdotes and quotes in the book. Like when the author challenged the master to shoot blindfolded, thinking it would be a rhetorical request. Instead, the master did just that, hitting the bullseye and splitting the first arrow with a second. And like when the master said, when you make a good shot, do not celebrate, bow and thank the spirit It. You are not responsible. Perhaps the quotes and stories in this book anger some students of kyudo because they are kind of movie cliches by now, but at the time, it was new. And more important than the sensational stories are the concepts and conundrums present in an entertaining, short memoir. I have read it many times and will go back again. Perhaps it is not exactly what Zen masters are teaching nowadays, but it has the solid feel of strong, cogent ideas. And the reader works struggles to understand the ideas along with author in what seems like real time.
Rating:
Summary: Read it in a few sittings, think about it for years.
Review: I read this book when my conducting teacher recommended it. I suggest it to all my saxophone students. One of my all-time favorite books!
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.
Rating:
Summary: The slings and arrows of shallow pedants
Review: I'm shocked at the mean spirited, narrow minded attacks on this book from the few self righteous intellectual bigots who have posted reviews here.
This inspiring account of Eugen Herrigel's encounter with Zen through the art of Zen archery is such a rare example of beauty and wisdom expressed in a truly humble, poetic manner. I've read lots of Zen literature and while there may be some inconsistencies with orthodox views on Zen philosophy and practice, beauty and truth are beauty and truth no matter what package they come wrapped in.
If you insist on only accepting enlightenment when it conforms to your preconceptions or your intellectual prejudices then you've already circumvented the process before it's begun.
The fact that this book has had such an immense impact on so many lives, including my own, for so many years speaks volumes about the profound truths that it encompasses in it's modest dimensions.
Thank you professor Herrigel wherever you are in the ethers for this extraordinary gift.
Rating: 
Summary: A Westerner's experience with Eastern Zen Buddhism...
Review: I've heard a lot about the book Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel, so I decided it was about time to read it. An interesting look at how a Westerner learned about Zen using the Japanese art of archery.
Herrigel went to Japan in order to teach philosophy, and while there took the opportunity to become immersed in Zen Buddhism. He is able to get a master of archery to teach him after searching for a mechanism to learn Zen principles. As a Westerner, he has a number of problems creating the right mental mindset that would allow him to understand Zen and release himself. But through years of perseverance and continued study, he finally learns the principles and experiences the Zen of becoming one with the bow and target.
It's an interesting look at how Zen principles can be applied to any activity. If you've never been exposed to any Zen philosophy before, you will probably struggle with much of the seemingly nonsensical statements you'll encounter. But if you have a basic understanding going into the book, you should be able to get the value that the author intended.
|
