 I first read this book three or four years ago and now find myself coming back to it. Why it took so long is a mystery. It is a very informative offering, highly insightful, often profound. The preface alone is worth the price of admission.
Davey, the author of several books on the Ways of Japan, is a practitioner and teacher of several traditional Asian arts. While his focus is from a Japanese perspective, he gives a deep bow to the Chinese influence and to just how deeply it has penetrated Japanese society. The premise of this particular offering is: what do the traditional Japanese arts have to do with living and living well? Deeper still: what do these arts have to do with the pursuit of health and spirituality? The simple answer is: A LOT! While I will not go into specifics, Davey does, and he does so with an understanding and insight rooted in years of direct personal experience. He began his study of martial arts long ago and has since added calligraphy, flower arranging, Japanese yoga, and the healing arts. As studying the particular often leads to a better understanding of the whole, Davey knows much about the ways of the universe. Part of his remarkable gift is an ability to share his insights in simple, easy to understand terms. He has a clear way of writing, and his use of story and metaphor is appropriate and appreciated. Using words to describe the spiritual underpinnings of such traditional practice is tricky and often difficult to say the least. These arts are disciplined, particular ways of living life in the Tao or the natural order of the universe. Davey is somehow able to detail how these practices are inextricably woven through the arts. And though mere action never guarantees insight, it does offer a starting point. This is not a book of instruction, and it never pretends to be. It is not a manual of the martial arts, calligraphy, flower arranging, or anything else. But it does provide insight and illustration of meditative practice in everyday life. I am fond of saying that virtually anyone can meditate while seated on a cushion in a dark, secluded room, however, carrying that calmness out into the real world in another matter entirely. If you have interest in being able to do just that, here’s a good place to start... |
