Philosophy

The Unfettered Mind: Writings from a Zen Master to a Master Swordsman

The Unfettered Mind: Writings from a Zen Master to a Master Swordsman

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  • Author：Takuan Soho
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Summary

This classic samurai-era text fused Japanese swordsmanship with Zen and influenced the direction that the art has taken ever since。 Written by the seventeenth-century Zen master Takuan Soho （1573-1645）， The Unfettered Mind is a book of advice on swordsmanship and the cultivation of right mind and intention。 It was written as a guide for the samurai Yagyu Munenori， who was a great swordsman and rival to the legendary Miyamoto Musashi。

Takuan was a giant in the history of Zen; he was also a gardener， calligrapher， poet， author， adviser to samurai and shoguns， and a pivotal figure in Zen painting。 He was known for his brilliance and acerbic wit。 In these succinct and pointed essays， Takuan is concerned primarily with understanding and refining the mind--both generally and when faced with conflict。 The Unfettered Mind was a major influence on the classic manifestos on swordsmanship that came after it， including Miyamoto Musashi's Book of Five Rings and Yagyu Munenori's Life-Giving Sword。

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Reviews

Joann Nhan noi ，

My mind was too fettered to absorb this book。

Wise Fool ，

"This religion， that religion， there are various kinds but at their deepest points they are all settled in one conclusion"And it only gets better！！！It's an amazing insight into the higher arts of Zen， Buddhism， martial arts， spirituality。。。。 so many things in general！！！It's just a beautiful book！Highly recommended！ Enjoy！！！ "This religion， that religion， there are various kinds but at their deepest points they are all settled in one conclusion"And it only gets better！！！It's an amazing insight into the higher arts of Zen， Buddhism， martial arts， spirituality。。。。 so many things in general！！！It's just a beautiful book！Highly recommended！ Enjoy！！！ 。。。more

Emily Kaitlyn ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This is one that needs a few listens or reads to really grasp the concepts。 Lots of ancient wisdom here， but like many old proverbs l it sometimes requires quite a bit of pondering to fully understand and internalize the message。 The main points that I took from the letters were the necessity of focus and intent with anything you do。 Did Samurai do a lot of killing？ Yes。 But they didn’t take it lightly。 No。They had immense focus， incredible calm， and purposeful intent。 Kill only when necessary， This is one that needs a few listens or reads to really grasp the concepts。 Lots of ancient wisdom here， but like many old proverbs l it sometimes requires quite a bit of pondering to fully understand and internalize the message。 The main points that I took from the letters were the necessity of focus and intent with anything you do。 Did Samurai do a lot of killing？ Yes。 But they didn’t take it lightly。 No。They had immense focus， incredible calm， and purposeful intent。 Kill only when necessary， let live when necessary。 In addition to these ideas it seems as though the Zen Master intended to communicate the need for practice to achieve mastery。 He spends a lot of time describing that if you let your brain slip your body will follow。 So perfect practice paired with perfect focus makes perfect zen swordsmanship （rinse， apply to anything in your life， repeat）。 You should be such a master that you can weigh grain perfectly with just your eyes。So much wisdom that we forget today in a world of multi-tasking and obsession with productivity。 Sometimes it pays to slow down and perfect the small details so that when it’s time to execute you don’t have to think about it。 。。。more

Mikal Svendsen ，

Beyond description。。 It is just really insightful and expressive。 It applies to all aspects of life

Robert ，

The writings of a man who was 100% correct。

Greg ，

I had never heard of Takuan Sōhō - not even the pickled daikon radishes that bear his name - until the mid-'90s when I read the 1935 novel "Musashi" by Eigi Yoshikawa， sometimes called "the Gone With The Wind of Japan。" In relating the fascinating life of the legendary sword master Miyamoto Musashi （born Shinmen Bennosuke， later adopting the name Takezō， the kanji for which can be alternately read as Musashi，） Yoshikawa tells of a similarly-fascinating itinerant Buddhist monk named Takuan who wa I had never heard of Takuan Sōhō - not even the pickled daikon radishes that bear his name - until the mid-'90s when I read the 1935 novel "Musashi" by Eigi Yoshikawa， sometimes called "the Gone With The Wind of Japan。" In relating the fascinating life of the legendary sword master Miyamoto Musashi （born Shinmen Bennosuke， later adopting the name Takezō， the kanji for which can be alternately read as Musashi，） Yoshikawa tells of a similarly-fascinating itinerant Buddhist monk named Takuan who was advisor to emperor Go-Minuzoo， Shōgun Tokugawa Iemitsu， to a number of famed swordsmen， most notably the Yagyū family of the Nara area - and of course Musashi himself。 Early in the novel， a young and unbridled Takezō rashly kills an attacker and is consequently hunted by the local official's militia for execution。 Takuan brokers a deal with the official， in which he agrees to capture Takezō in exchange for being given full custody and responsibility for him。 Which he does - and locks Takezō in a small room high in Himeji castle， forcing him to study Buddhism and the Chinese and Japanese classics， as well as reflect on his character and direction in life。 Though it's rooted in historical fact and much of Yoshikawa's novel is fictionalized， it is a historical fact that Takuan had a mentor-student relationship with Musashi， and that Musashi did stay for a time at Himeji castle。 Whether he was there as a prisoner of Takuan or of his own volition is uncertain， though I lean toward the latter theory。 Interested readers should note that although Yoshikawa's "Musashi" is a fascinating tale of self-discovery and a purposive， lifelong quest for self-betterment， it's told in an episodic， almost fable-like style。 As one last addendum to this enormous tangential preface: Between 1954 and 1956， Japanese filmmaker Hiroshi Inagaki did a film trilogy based on Yoshikawa's novel， starring a young Toshirô Mifune in the title role and Onoe Kuroemon as Takuan， titled: "Miyamoto Musashi，" "Duel at Ichijoji Temple" and "Duel at Ganryu Island，" and commonly marketed as， simply， "The Samurai Trilogy。" It's an endearing classic of Japanese cinema， and the color cinematography is frequently spectacular throughout。 If you're a film buff and/or a fan of Japanese history and culture， it's a must-see:https://www。imdb。com/video/vi2073100569So I suppose I really shouldn't be surprised at how fascinating and enjoyable I found "The Unfettered Mind，" despite its being essentially an instruction on applied Zen Buddhism addressed to 16th-17th century martial artists。 Certainly there is a boatload of esoteric， often inscrutable content in this book， but there is nonetheless a wealth of valuable instruction to be had here - on things like temperament， mental discipline， misguided vs。 correct action， and the importance of training and self-education as a constant lifelong thing。 And of course the fact that you're reading the very words of a legendary figure from some four hundred years in the past is fascinating in itself。 This is something I will likely read several more times， because there is a lot to absorb and ponder。 So thank you， Takuan-sensei！ 。。。more

Matt S ，

On the face of it， this series of essays written many years ago on the subject of martial art is of little relevance to those seeking to live a mind-full life in the 21st Century。 However， those who give them a chance will soon realise that， with the right mind and effort， we may all become potential master swordspeople。 Written in a Zen style that may seem slightly cryptic to newcomers， the three relatively short essays contain illuminating wisdom that may genuinely help readers accelerate alon On the face of it， this series of essays written many years ago on the subject of martial art is of little relevance to those seeking to live a mind-full life in the 21st Century。 However， those who give them a chance will soon realise that， with the right mind and effort， we may all become potential master swordspeople。 Written in a Zen style that may seem slightly cryptic to newcomers， the three relatively short essays contain illuminating wisdom that may genuinely help readers accelerate along the way to self-realisation and freedom in an world formed of emptiness。 。。。more

Raymond Goss ，

I reread this book again now， probably 20 years since I read it last。 It consists of three short books， each with a different purpose。 As a martial artist and one who has studied Buddhists philosophy and Chinese， I find the subject interesting。 However， I think I've read better books on Buddhist philosophy。 For those of you who might not have read such material before， contemplating the idea of no thought （mushin） or martial perfection without pride or the focus on the self， it could be either e I reread this book again now， probably 20 years since I read it last。 It consists of three short books， each with a different purpose。 As a martial artist and one who has studied Buddhists philosophy and Chinese， I find the subject interesting。 However， I think I've read better books on Buddhist philosophy。 For those of you who might not have read such material before， contemplating the idea of no thought （mushin） or martial perfection without pride or the focus on the self， it could be either enlightening or frustrating。 I found the first book good as a refresher， but the other two books were less useful to me。 From a historically perspective， it is good。 The translation is very readable and the footnotes are useful。 。。。more

Fri ，

Great book。 I'll separate myself from figuring things out and I'll go watch the seven samurai right now。 Great book。 I'll separate myself from figuring things out and I'll go watch the seven samurai right now。 。。。more

Tait Sougstad ，

Just saying， I only listened to this book because of my great love of his characterization in Eiji Yoshikawa's Musashi。I was not expecting how much of a textbook it would be！ Takuan's writing style consists mainly in setting out an enigmatic statement， and then breaking down each word， phrase， or clause into pieces， and expounding them with commentary。 It is full of metaphor and Buddhist theology， and tries to describe the enlightened man。 This person lives， as we would say， completely in the mo Just saying， I only listened to this book because of my great love of his characterization in Eiji Yoshikawa's Musashi。I was not expecting how much of a textbook it would be！ Takuan's writing style consists mainly in setting out an enigmatic statement， and then breaking down each word， phrase， or clause into pieces， and expounding them with commentary。 It is full of metaphor and Buddhist theology， and tries to describe the enlightened man。 This person lives， as we would say， completely in the moment。 His mind is everywhere， evaluating and responding to everything perfectly and instantaneously， and yet his mind is nowhere， not getting in the way of his actions and reactions。 The thoughtfulness put into training and form is idealized in perfect and unconscious execution in the time of need。There is also some really esoteric stuff in here。 It would be interesting to compare aspects of Takuan's philosophy to Socrates， as I heard a bit of overlap in ideas about the realm of the forms and illusion of reality。 I only have a surface acquaintance with Buddhism， but perhaps the thoughts in here are only as socratic as Buddhism is。It would be more interesting to compare this with the Hagakure。 Takuan has， it sounds like， a very different take on the role of the sword and the samurai than Yamamoto Tsunetomo， perhaps one with a bit less cutting people down and committing seppuku。 。。。more

gregor kulla ，

kaasaegse läänemaailma mõistatus: miks jagab zen-meister õpetussõnu samuraile。 mumst lihtne – romantika！ :~/ kõik kolm esseed/kirja tundusid mulle väga intiimsed。 olen suurepärane ettekujutaja。 kui ma millesti kord kinni võtan， siis see mulle pihku jääb。 seekord jäi selline ripats pihku。 ainult ca。 sada lehekülge。 sada sisukat lehekülge。 pihuks mu ettekujutlusvõime， ripatsiks raamat。meeldis， sest otsest budistlikku terminoloogiat esines vähe。 samuraile läheneti olukordi kirjeldades。 kirjeldusele kaasaegse läänemaailma mõistatus: miks jagab zen-meister õpetussõnu samuraile。 mumst lihtne – romantika！ :~/ kõik kolm esseed/kirja tundusid mulle väga intiimsed。 olen suurepärane ettekujutaja。 kui ma millesti kord kinni võtan， siis see mulle pihku jääb。 seekord jäi selline ripats pihku。 ainult ca。 sada lehekülge。 sada sisukat lehekülge。 pihuks mu ettekujutlusvõime， ripatsiks raamat。meeldis， sest otsest budistlikku terminoloogiat esines vähe。 samuraile läheneti olukordi kirjeldades。 kirjeldusele järgnes selle võistluskunstide jaoks sobilik tõlgendus。 kõigele läheneti suure kaarega。 mõistatus oli täis omakorda väikseid puslesid。osalesin pühapäeval mingis rahvusvahelises loovkirjutamise töötoas ja seal pidin kirjutama oma hingamisest ühistransporti kasutades。 seejärel pidin teksti töötlema mõne emotsioonirohke laulu hingamise salvestusega （joonistus）。 looma järgmise teksti。 nüüd on see olukord mulle tuttav， sest tunnen， et tegin sama seda raamatut tõlgendades või lugedes。 kaudselt。 segasin ja vahustasin kokku kaks pealtnäha võõrast。 kaks asja， mis juhtusid mul samaaegselt peas olema。 。。。more

If ，

Monge muito sábio， só queria ser um samurai no século XVI no Japão para ele me ensinar a ver a vida desta forma bonita e com sentidoAgora é ver como o musashi foi influenciado por todos estes escritos e ensinamentos 7。5/10

Caitlin Ball ，

This book gives the individual a lot to think about。 I particularly like the parts on the value of human life。 Comparing those that would willingly throw theirs away for rightmindedness。 Rightmindedness is not a common word to read， and I do think it might represent today what we think of as reason， and the ability to reason。 My favorite quote， which I've yet to add is， "While wealth truly pleases our hearts， having life is the greatest wealth of all。 So when it comes to the moment of reckoning， This book gives the individual a lot to think about。 I particularly like the parts on the value of human life。 Comparing those that would willingly throw theirs away for rightmindedness。 Rightmindedness is not a common word to read， and I do think it might represent today what we think of as reason， and the ability to reason。 My favorite quote， which I've yet to add is， "While wealth truly pleases our hearts， having life is the greatest wealth of all。 So when it comes to the moment of reckoning， a man will throw away his wealth to keep his life in tact。 But when you think that a man will not hesitate to throw away the life he so values for the sake of rightmindedness the value of rightmindedness is greater than life itself。 Desire， life and rightmindedness。 Among these three， isn't the latter what man values most？" This in itself speaks to much of what the book divulges into。 I would gladly read it again to form a better understanding of each of the passages。 This one deserves careful consideration。 。。。more

Marconi ，

I liked the book。 It has interesting insights on the sentience and immanence of beings。 Takuan also talks about how the martial artist should always maintain a state of "flowing" or "no-mind"， avoiding interruption or setting the mind on something， since this fraction of hesitation can cost his life in a bout。 This is way easier said than done; for that reason， this is not a book to be read in a hurry。 It takes a life of practicing these principles。 Since they are writings from a zen master to a I liked the book。 It has interesting insights on the sentience and immanence of beings。 Takuan also talks about how the martial artist should always maintain a state of "flowing" or "no-mind"， avoiding interruption or setting the mind on something， since this fraction of hesitation can cost his life in a bout。 This is way easier said than done; for that reason， this is not a book to be read in a hurry。 It takes a life of practicing these principles。 Since they are writings from a zen master to a master swordsman （Yagyū Munenori）， one cannot expect the teachings to be anything near practical。 。。。more

Cara ，

To act with thought， but without excessive thinking， to purge the unnecessary self-doubt and the superfluous。 I'll probably need to return to this in a couple of years when I'm older and I hope， wiser。 To act with thought， but without excessive thinking， to purge the unnecessary self-doubt and the superfluous。 I'll probably need to return to this in a couple of years when I'm older and I hope， wiser。 。。。more

Blindzider ，

Another book of wisdom that requires study， time and experience to understand。 When reading stuff like this， written in another time period， there's always a filtering and deciphering of the language used， trying to understand the environment and society in order to gather context。"The Mysterious Record of Immovable Wisdom" had the clearest piece of advice， although it was repeated many times。 And clearest doesn't mean it's easy to follow or understand， just that it was obvious what the intent o Another book of wisdom that requires study， time and experience to understand。 When reading stuff like this， written in another time period， there's always a filtering and deciphering of the language used， trying to understand the environment and society in order to gather context。"The Mysterious Record of Immovable Wisdom" had the clearest piece of advice， although it was repeated many times。 And clearest doesn't mean it's easy to follow or understand， just that it was obvious what the intent of the piece was trying to convey。"The Clear Sound of Jewels" had a few nuggets， but I'll be chewing on those for awhile。"Annals of the Sword Taia" was interesting in that it contained small paragraphs， presumably from other writings。 Each was followed by a breakdown of what each sentence meant， although sometimes the "meaning" didn't really add enlightenment。After a few years of experience I plan to revisit and look for new meaning。 。。。more

Jessica ，

This is the first book I have read about Zen Masters and Japanese swordsmanship。 In addition， this read gave me an overview about master Soho - someone who is described as legendary in the Zen world。 I appreciated the stewardship and counsel coming from the Zen Master to the swordsman。 Ultimately I am grateful to have read a book that carried a major influence in future swordsmanship training manuals/books。 Ultimately this text was about refining the mind in ways that enhance the conduct of the This is the first book I have read about Zen Masters and Japanese swordsmanship。 In addition， this read gave me an overview about master Soho - someone who is described as legendary in the Zen world。 I appreciated the stewardship and counsel coming from the Zen Master to the swordsman。 Ultimately I am grateful to have read a book that carried a major influence in future swordsmanship training manuals/books。 Ultimately this text was about refining the mind in ways that enhance the conduct of the swordman。 。。。more

Draden ，

The book is composed of three essays。 It starts strong。 First part on unstoppable mind is best， sharp and focused writing。 Other essays contain some gems of wisdom， but overall I did not enjoy reading them。 The text is at worst near-incomprehensible and abstract。 It lacks focus， jumping from one topic to another。 Last chapter on Taia not was not very insightful nor interesting to me。The essential teachings of this book could probably be summed up in a few pages。 But as it says in the book， there The book is composed of three essays。 It starts strong。 First part on unstoppable mind is best， sharp and focused writing。 Other essays contain some gems of wisdom， but overall I did not enjoy reading them。 The text is at worst near-incomprehensible and abstract。 It lacks focus， jumping from one topic to another。 Last chapter on Taia not was not very insightful nor interesting to me。The essential teachings of this book could probably be summed up in a few pages。 But as it says in the book， there is no way to become a master in anything by study alone， no matter how clearly and succinctly your study material is written。 Only practice through personal experience gets you there。The book is short so I finished it anyway， but personally cannot really recommend it。 Someone more acquainted with the history and topics in the book may get more out of it than me though， so take this review with a pinch of salt。 。。。more

Zachary Sokol ，

Fantastic。 Even better than Book of 5 rings。 Lots of wisdom on the art of performance— applicable in a wide variety of domains。

Richard Thompson ，

I have read a couple of other samurai books recently -- The Book of the Five Rings and Hagakure。 This one spoke to me more than the others in some ways because it was less about fighting and honor and the relationship to the master than it was about Buddhism and the deep connection between the Samurai path and the Buddhist path。 It's an odd combination on the surface because Buddhist values of pacificism and respecting all life seem very distant fron the martial world of the samurai and because I have read a couple of other samurai books recently -- The Book of the Five Rings and Hagakure。 This one spoke to me more than the others in some ways because it was less about fighting and honor and the relationship to the master than it was about Buddhism and the deep connection between the Samurai path and the Buddhist path。 It's an odd combination on the surface because Buddhist values of pacificism and respecting all life seem very distant fron the martial world of the samurai and because the ideal world of Buddhism puts little importance on rank and hierarchy which are an integral part of Samurai world。 And yet I take the point of this book and agree that there is a connection between the way that the Buddhist mind must work to find peace and enlightenment and the way that the Samurai mind must work to achieve mastery in swordsmanship。 Other connections are discussed here too。 And given the universality of Buddhism I suppose that one could do the same analysis with any profession， maybe even mine。 。。。more

Santosh Shetty ，

I wasn't able to get anything out of this book。 It's probably me and may have to do a re-read。 I wasn't able to get anything out of this book。 It's probably me and may have to do a re-read。 。。。more

Alexander K ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I aspire towards rightmindedness。

Andrey ，

I have a feeling that this guy was a very enlightened person。 Very simple words， yet make so much sense

Andrew Carr ，

2020 seems a good year for taking stock of how we approach the world。 I know the stoic tradition well， but I have been asking my wiser friends and colleagues for works that helped shape their thinking。 This book is is aimed at a very specific historic audience。 So while there's probably much I thus did not have the cultural fluency to grasp， I found several elements of Takuan Soho's writings engaging and applicable to today。In particular， the idea of a 'snagged mind' is one that has well， become 2020 seems a good year for taking stock of how we approach the world。 I know the stoic tradition well， but I have been asking my wiser friends and colleagues for works that helped shape their thinking。 This book is is aimed at a very specific historic audience。 So while there's probably much I thus did not have the cultural fluency to grasp， I found several elements of Takuan Soho's writings engaging and applicable to today。In particular， the idea of a 'snagged mind' is one that has well， become snagged in my own thoughts。 That is， being more aware of how we can get caught up replaying or re-litigating moments of tension or drama at the expense of concentrating on the moments you are in。 The metaphor of a snagged mind is a good way of describing that sense of returning to a memory and thus losing focus on your current situation。 That's an insight I have already taken with me and begun using in normal situations。One element of this broad philosophy （Alongside say Musashi's Five Rings which i read earlier this year） is an idea I struggle with: that the unfettered mind will make the right judgement， will intuit the right approach。 Obviously a lifetime of training is expected to go into this process， but there's still a sense of the mind as a tabula rasa as if this is the ideal to get to。 I find that hard to accept。 Both in terms of biology （our mind is an evolutionary construct only partially adapted to the world we live in）， and intellectually （the mind is built up and strengthened， not something that needs to be cleaned and emptied）。 My concern here is not so much to critique the view， as to say I see it in this type of philosophy yet do not really understand it。Overall， a short， sometimes historically-set text （I'm not sure advice about loyalty to my Lord's retainers is likely to come in handy）， but there are a few real gems， such as the notion of a snagged mind and how to realise and address it。 A useful tool for grappling with 2020 and beyond。 But I feel I need to read much more deeply in this style to better understand the foundations on which it rests and the true basis of its wisdom。 。。。more

Chad ，

The original author， the Zen monk Takuan Souhou from the era of the founding of the Shogunate at the end of the Warring States Period of Japan， addressed matters public and private， personal and formal， military and diplomatic， and others as well。 He applied insight to these matters to advise swordmasters of his time -- particularly Yagyuu Munenori， swordsmanship instructor to more than one shogun。 In at least one point， communicating with such a highly placed personage with the essays collected The original author， the Zen monk Takuan Souhou from the era of the founding of the Shogunate at the end of the Warring States Period of Japan， addressed matters public and private， personal and formal， military and diplomatic， and others as well。 He applied insight to these matters to advise swordmasters of his time -- particularly Yagyuu Munenori， swordsmanship instructor to more than one shogun。 In at least one point， communicating with such a highly placed personage with the essays collected in this book， he actually scolded the man。 A shogun spent years and great resources seeking his favor and friendship。 This was a person of influence， despite humility of lifestyle and eccentricity of ideas。Having not read this in full before， in any translation， I am not sure how much of its character is due to the original author or the translation。 It gets overly wordy at times， and dwells on the prosaic and obvious when the subtle and profound lurk behind， as if he just doesn't get that people might miss important implications。 Then again， maybe the culture of his time was influenced by bromides so pervasive that a simple restatement makes the metaphorical purpose obvious to his reader， or perhaps shared context allows him to make a joke of belaboring the blatantly superficial and expect his interlocutor to understand。 Suffice to say that， if I wrote a similar tract for a general audience of warriors， I would likely have tried to lighten the verbosity load a bit and cut to the quick a bit more。I wouldn't call this an introductory bit of philosophizing， practical or theoretical， in large part because of the above。 Having gotten some real insights out of works like Stephen Mitchell's translation of the Tao Te Ching， though， should prepare one for getting past the packing material to the precious cargo inside this book。 I enjoyed it， and the next time I read it I'll probably go through all the end notes， too -- because it's brief and interesting enough for a second reading。 。。。more

Victor Negut ，

My （according to the book） inadequate Interpretation:Practice makes perfectMu is everywhere， everything， and always， anything less would be a cage。Everything is one， the narrowness of our vision is the reason things look different。You cannot reach mastery by using your mind， or learning it from a teacher

Cristian Marrero ，

Deeply philosophical。 You can take many strands and apply it to life。 I listened to the audiobook version as I read it。 Very insightful。

AttackGirl ，

A must read for believers of The Way。

Lena ，

I'm not really a fan of Buddhism， but it was interesting。 I had to read it for a class。 I'm not really a fan of Buddhism， but it was interesting。 I had to read it for a class。 。。。more

Peter ，

In a time of such hurry， meditative studying of stillness is a lost art。 I’m not sure what place it has in the west in 2020， if any。 To seek， distill， and quiet the mind is just that: an art。 The process of doing so takes extreme diligence。 To see such an art relayed between a zen master and a master swordsman is an invaluable relic。 I cannot imagine two craftsmen better suited to discuss such a thing。 What makes it interesting is the basic difference that men are trained in the same principle， In a time of such hurry， meditative studying of stillness is a lost art。 I’m not sure what place it has in the west in 2020， if any。 To seek， distill， and quiet the mind is just that: an art。 The process of doing so takes extreme diligence。 To see such an art relayed between a zen master and a master swordsman is an invaluable relic。 I cannot imagine two craftsmen better suited to discuss such a thing。 What makes it interesting is the basic difference that men are trained in the same principle， yet hone the same art in opposite practice。“Engendering the mind with no place to hide” was the most powerful idea I encountered in the book。 To me it is its essence。 This is what I was looking for when I read this book。 I sought the stillness of consciousness I’d always wanted。 As you can imagine， this journey shows the practitioner that finding this place is so much more than that。 Striking without striking， seeing without the eyes， living beyond the body - to *be* is not about exertion like we in the west think it is。 To these men， it is about less self; none of “us” at all。 Instead: pure being， and eternal devotion to this path。 This book puts the self-help and life hack books of the New York Times bestseller list in perspective。 Herein lies the stillness if you choose to seek it。 I will be revisiting this book。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Unfettered Mind: Writings from a Zen Master to a Master Swordsman

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Unfettered Mind: Writings from a Zen Master to a Master Swordsman&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Unfettered Mind: Writings from a Zen Master to a Master Swordsman&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0