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Rating: 
Summary: Zen and Martial Arts: An Autobiography
Review: This book is essentially the autobiography of Jeffrey Brooks, an advanced zen student and black belt in Okinawan karate who runs a dojo in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is a little hard to figure out what the book is about as it is divided into short chapters with such titles as "ten years of sweat," "the hells" and "maximum killing power." The chapters do not seem to follow any particular sequence and are a combination of autobiographical experience and lecture.Mr. Brooks is a very learned zen student and is also an accomplished karate teacher. The problem with the book, however, is that if a reader is not particularly familiar with zen Buddhism or karate, its references and descriptions can seem obscure. This obscurity is heightened by Mr. Brooks tendency to use big words that are not familiar to the average person, or at least me. The title is a give away to the inherent problem: "a practitioner's guide to the alchemy of action." What is the "alchemy of action?" 354 pages do not really answer this question. On balance, however, this book is highly recommended to someone who wants to read another Buddhist "practice story" which is presented in conjunction with its relationship to the martial arts. Mr. Brooks' explanation of the "karate-do", meaning the way of karate is superb. His explanation of the benefit and purpose of zen training is, as stated before, more obscure.
Rating:
Summary: Zen and Martial Arts: An Autobiography
Review: This book is essentially the autobiography of Jeffrey Brooks, an advanced zen student and black belt in Okinawan karate who runs a dojo in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is a little hard to figure out what the book is about as it is divided into short chapters with such titles as "ten years of sweat," "the hells" and "maximum killing power." The chapters do not seem to follow any particular sequence and are a combination of autobiographical experience and lecture. Mr. Brooks is a very learned zen student and is also an accomplished karate teacher. The problem with the book, however, is that if a reader is not particularly familiar with zen Buddhism or karate, its references and descriptions can seem obscure. This obscurity is heightened by Mr. Brooks tendency to use big words that are not familiar to the average person, or at least me. The title is a give away to the inherent problem: "a practitioner's guide to the alchemy of action." What is the "alchemy of action?" 354 pages do not really answer this question. On balance, however, this book is highly recommended to someone who wants to read another Buddhist "practice story" which is presented in conjunction with its relationship to the martial arts. Mr. Brooks' explanation of the "karate-do", meaning the way of karate is superb. His explanation of the benefit and purpose of zen training is, as stated before, more obscure.
Rating: 
Summary: this book is great
Review: this book is excellent for just good, fun, and interesting reading, but from a martial arts perspective. when i got this book, i thought it would be mostly about martial arts, not only was i surprised by what i read i was blown away. this story captivates enchanting tales of jeffrey's life while exploring different aspects of martial arts practice and different aspects of life. this book is probably one of my favorite books of all time.
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