Rating:  Summary: Whats with the first two reviews? Review: Dr. Morris has written a very interesting collection of essays and exercises similar to his first two books and to top that off has included essays by students on their experiences. The inclusion of students is extremeley rare as they offer a proof that this wierdness is teachable and what is even more interesting he includes quotes from people who tried his meditation exercises out and got results but did not train with him. Very different.
Rating:  Summary: A great addition to any martial arts collection. Review: Glenn Morris delivers a highly readable and entertaining treatment of the esoteric side of the martial arts. Whether discussing Qi, or the writings of obscure meditative sects, the book comes across as well researched, and well written. The high points are the author's ability to tie together concepts with references from a variety of disciplines, (both in and out of the martial arts), and the catalogue of martial arts stereotypes. This is a great blend of scholarship and practical experience. I highly recommend that martial artists, and scholars of internal traditions such as Qigong or Yoga, read this book.
Rating:  Summary: A Work for True Warriors Review: I could only rate this book 5-stars, because that is the max that the form allows. If you haven't read this Author's other works then you are missing out. If you have, then expect more great stuff from the Doc'. So what are you waiting for, Buy this book and/or suffer the consequences. ;-) Well... You know
Rating:  Summary: Starts out good but ends in too much ego Review: I only wish the book was longer!! I provided me with a few hours of great reading material. I was especially pleased to see that it contained more meditation techniques and the letters written to Dr Morris were also very interesting to read. I can't wait untill he writes another book! If you haven't read Path Notes and Shadow Strategies wait no longer!
Rating:  Summary: Another Fantastic Book By Dr Morris Review: I only wish the book was longer!! I provided me with a few hours of great reading material. I was especially pleased to see that it contained more meditation techniques and the letters written to Dr Morris were also very interesting to read. I can't wait untill he writes another book! If you haven't read Path Notes and Shadow Strategies wait no longer!
Rating:  Summary: Psychic Friends Network for Martial Arts Nerds Review: Off to a reasonably solid and interesting start, the book devolves into a series '3rd party testimonials' worthy of the glitziest Hair Club infomercials. None of the testimonials are critical and nearly all of them are fawning and hardly believable as anything more than interesting internal experiences that have been blown out of all proportion by the desire and 'duty' to have 'experiences' as colorful as Mr. Morris'. After all, such experiences only come to 'the special few who are spiritually ready' (NOT a direct quote, but to my view, implied in the text). Talk about complementing the consumer! Unless you are willing to accept that the world is populated by a multitude of sentient spirits worthy of a Spielberg spectacular, you may want to try another title. He comes off to me as a table-tipper with a degree in psychology, which I find to be a sad and potentially dangerous thing. Morris has a good sense of humor, though, which is what keeps me buying his books, but in the end he and his students seem to take themselves and their sleep-deprivation-inspired eye-lid movies distressingly seriously. What he calls 'enlightenment' I consider to be an immature side-show. I think that he, like all spiritual hucksters, however sincere their intentions, ends up cashing in on our dreams/nightmares that we might be missing out on something amazing or of dreadful importance. We all like to think of ourselves as pretty highly evolved, don't we? And we all want to be one up on the rest. That's why we go after books like this and study martial arts in the first place! Call me Spiritually Deprived, but I don't think you're missing a dang thing. Hang on to your Ego. Nothing personal, tho'. I still hope to meet the man and share a beer sometime ;) Here's hoping for a book by Morris containing ABSOLUTELY NO references to Enlightenment, Spirit Guides or the Paranormal. Could he still find something insightful, or at least humorous to say? I think so, and I'd like to hear it.
Rating:  Summary: An insightful guide to the esoterica of martial arts. Review: Rollicking, irreverent, but serious about traps of narcissism which ensnare practitioners, Glenn Morris introduces us to "martial arts madness," a set of syndromes that lie in wait for aspiring practitioners. While spinning a few outrageous yarns of his own, he brings common sense to the "wild tales" martial artists often weave around their chi experiences. For this thrid volume of the "field notes of an American Ninja," Morris includes material from fellow teachers: Louisiana healers Ken Morgan and Becca Robertson on chi gung exercises; Robin Martin on meditation visualizations; John Porter on developing psi abilities. We also peek at Dr. Morris's e-mail about others' tales of grace in perilous moments. Morris combines the wisdom of a tribal elder with the salty humor of a retired sea captain. Pride, Morris reminds us, is invariably the stumbling block that keeps a skiled fighter from developing subtle energy awareness. Whether you're twelve or sixty-five, just beginning serious study or a long time habitué of dojos around the world, the parth of budo with Morris Sensei is not to be missed.
Rating:  Summary: I don't get the title Review: The book has a pretty sizeable chapter on all sorts of "madness" (in the british sense) that might be associated with those who practice the martial arts (eg. My Martial Art is the SUPREME martial art in the world! syndrome). I am not really interested in the martial arts, but in the esoteric teachings - secrets are always begging for attention. This book has a couple of good meditations by one of Glenn's former students, and a lot of anecdotes from his and his students. I loved the previous two books, and I think this one is definitely worth the time (mostly for the bibliography), but maybe not as good.
Rating:  Summary: I don't get the title Review: The book has a pretty sizeable chapter on all sorts of "madness" (in the british sense) that might be associated with those who practice the martial arts (eg. My Martial Art is the SUPREME martial art in the world! syndrome). I am not really interested in the martial arts, but in the esoteric teachings - secrets are always begging for attention. This book has a couple of good meditations by one of Glenn's former students, and a lot of anecdotes from his and his students. I loved the previous two books, and I think this one is definitely worth the time (mostly for the bibliography), but maybe not as good.
Rating:  Summary: Starts out good but ends in too much ego Review: This volume is nowhere near as good as Morris' other works. It starts out interesting enough but ends with nothing but letters of praise for how wonderful Dr. Morris' students think he is. Morris can do much better than this.
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