Zen in the Art of Archery, Eugen Herrigel
Zen in the Art of Archery, Eugen Herrigel
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Zen in the Art of Archery

Author: Eugen Herrigel

Narrator: Ralph Blum

Abridged: 1 hr 21 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/01/2005


Synopsis

This intriguing, influential work of literature—an outstanding way to experience Zen—is now available on cd
It is almost impossible to understand Zen by studying it as you would other intellectual pursuits. The best way to understand Zen is, simply, to Zen. This is what author Eugen Herrigel allows us to do by sharing his own fascinating journey toward a comprehension of this illuminating philosophy. In Japan, an art such as archery is not practiced solely for utilitarian purposes such as learning to hit targets. Archery is also meant to train the mind and bring it into contact with the ultimate reality. If one really wishes to be master of an art, technical knowledge of it is not enough. One has to transcend technique so that the art becomes an "artless art" growing out of the Unconsciousness. In this way, as the author simply, clearly demonstrates, archery becomes a path to greater understanding and enlightenment.

About Eugen Herrigel

EUGEN HERRIGEL (1884-1955), a German professor who taught philosophy at the University of Tokyo, penetrated deeply and personally into the theory and practice of Zen Buddhism. In endeavoring to become a Zen mystic, he experienced the rigorous discipline of training with a Zen Master for six years.

About Ralph Blum

Ralph Blum has narrated a host of titles for Macmillan Audio, including Hero with a Thousand Faces, He, She, Zen Practice, and The Book.  In describing Ralph's reading of Zen in the Art of Archery, also published by Macmillan Audio, AudioFile magazine declared, "Selecting reader Ralph Blum was a great way to resurrect the ideas in this rich and satisfying book. His academic tone inspires respect and makes the ideas even more intriguing."


Reviews

Goodreads review by Riku on December 30, 2017

Are we all such helpless and inexperienced beginners with not the slightest clue on how to correct our aims or on how to draw our bowstrings right? This supposedly uplifting book has depressed me amidst its poetry and beauty into a realization that I will probably never 'correct my own stance' or 'l......more

Goodreads review by Greg on March 22, 2009

A painless book to read. I'm just not into the Zen thing. Reading this book made me realize that I never will be this type of person, I couldn't go through with the ssssssslllllllooooooooowwwwwwwww process of learning each step of something to perfection. I'm sure I'd be a better person if I could j......more

Goodreads review by Jon on July 05, 2024

One of the best martial-arts books I have ever read. Eugen Herrigel is a German professor teaching in Japan during the period between WWI and WWII. When he decides to learn Kyudo (Japanese archery) he finds that he must abandon all the analytical skills he has utilized to solve problems; his teacher......more

Goodreads review by Nood-Lesse on April 06, 2018

Il pub e i tiri con le freccette Dopo quattro -sottolineo QUATTRO- anni di esercizio quotidiano a tendere la corda, l’allievo tedesco si rivolge al Sensei nipponico Questo mi spinse a chiedere al Maestro perché non ci avesse ancora spiegato come si mira. Ci deve pure essere, supponevo, un rapporto tra......more

Goodreads review by Erik on February 03, 2014

Many persons had recommended this little book over the years of high school and college, it being one of the canon of the counterculture like the novels of Kurt Vonnegut, the meditations of Alan Watts or the more scholarly essays of D.T. Suzuki. I resisted, partly because it was so popular, another......more


Quotes

“In this wonderful little book, Mr. Herrigel, a German philosopher who came to Japan and took up the practice of archery toward an understanding of Zen, gives an illuminating account of his own experience. Through his expression, the western reader will find a more familiar manner of dealing with what very often must seem to be a strange and somewhat unapproachable Eastern experience.” —D.T. Suzuki, author of Zen in Japanese Culture