The Bodhisattva Warriors: The Origin, Inner Philosophy, History and Symbolism of the Buddhist Martial Art Within India and China

Customer Reviews:

I can't believe i payed money for this.......2006-12-16

I don't know how anyone can possibly state that this book is any good. As a historical book, it doesn't have any historical authenticity to anything that the author has written in it. I bought this book because I thought I was going to learn something new - boy was I wrong. His take on history is not related to what is written by current historians and a lot of his conclusions about the origins of martial arts are just opinions that when one thinks about it makes no logical sense. Newsflash.... all major historians believe that organized martial arts were created by the military or by people involved in military/police affairs. They were not created by pacifistic monks or religious people who believe in pacifism. That is just illogical. His other attempts such as tying the birth of martial arts to buddhism is wrong in the face of the fact that there is defined martial arts in china, korea, and japan before the creation of buddhism or even the transport of buddhism to those countries. The Shaolin temple is the only Chan/Zen temple that has a martial arts tradition in all of china. Most historians believe that it harbored retired soldiers who possessed martial arts traditions from their military days and brought it into the temple. Further, most historians believe that the martial arts in china and japan took religion into it after the creation of the martial arts to try to lend a moral character to the immoral process of learning how to hurt and kill others (so that people wouldn't do it a totally immoral fashion). He also discounts the major contributions that Taoism/Confucianism/ and Sun Tzu's theories on warfare on the martial arts. His take on this seems to revolve around the Shaolin temple and the Bodhidharma legend (which is just a legend! - Historians aren't even sure that he existed as a real individual in connection with the Shaolin temple!) It's the same with European or Middle Eastern martial arts and warfare. Most soldiers of Europe and the Middle east were greatly influenced by priests and religious men for moral or religious fortitude in the face of the study of the art of self defense. That does not mean that Christianity or Islam created european/middle eastern swordplay. His illogic is similar to the illogic of stating that the Knights Templar of Europe invented fencing and sword play because they were religious people and many soldiers and swordsmen in Europe during the middle ages were religious and attended church... A totally illogical statement. All in all a horrible book. I'm peeved because I unfortunately actually spent my hard earned money on it at full price.

Martial arts Buddhist past.......2006-07-16

I don't know what some of these reviewists talk about when they say that Shifu Nagaboshi Tomio's work is fabricated. Bodhisattva warriors has much quantifiable evidence in its 500 plus pages (I can only think that they have an ulterior motive to try suppress the writers' work).

Bodhisattva Warriors to my mind goes beneath the surface of current historical facts but the key facts are still there with many more I had not read before pointing me in directions for further reading.

With regards this subject the most popular records are those of of Bodhidharma the 28th Patriarch of Buddhism in India, and the first Patriarch in China. Bodhidharma is traditionally held to be the founder of the Chaan school of Buddhism (known in Japan and the West as Zen), and the Shaolin school of Chinese martial arts. Bodhidharma is well known for teaching the ailing monks of Shaolin the moving arts, though Shifu Nagaboshi points out that having been an Indian Prince like the Buddha, Bodhidharma had been taught the warrior arts of the Kshatrya caste in his home country of India.

There is no question about the earliest reliable evidence of Buddhist monks engaging in military action, and therefore possibly using martial arts skills, from the celebrated attack on Wang Shih-ch'ung's forces, in support of the Tang forces of Li Shill-min, in 621 CE. Memorial tablets recording this and other military exploits of Shaolin monks are still preserved today. (DEMIEVILLE 1973, pp. 275-79)

Terry Dukes' sensible observation that many martial arts movements in China, Korea and Japan are derived from Buddhist 'mudra' (signs of the hand) are clearly not just his own fanciful ideas (as some like to suggest) as these mudras can be seen all over China in surviving Buddhist paintings and statues of Buddhas. Evidence is even greater in Buddhist temple guardians who are traditionally depicted in warrior like poses performing mudras which are easily recognised as martial arts movements. Just to give a couple of examples: the well known Buddhist mudra 'abhaya mudra', the 'mudra of fearlessness' which the Buddha is recorded as using to subdue a charging elephant, can be seen in many martial arts as it is a type of inner circling knife hand. 'Bhumisparsa mudra' the mudra of calling the earth to witness is depicted in images of temple guardians as a gesture of surpressing enemies of Buddhism. However these examples are just two of many that can be uncovered by any discerning martial arts enquirer.

I have myself checked that many of these images and statues date back to the early insurgence of Buddhist culture into China through the silk Road which opened in the Second Century BC so there is absolutely no historical dispute that Indian Buddhism had a massive impact on Chinese Culture from this date onwards and Terry Dukes helps make the cross connections between martial arts and Buddhism from this time onwards.

Again there are more sustainable facts with Zhang Qian (Hsuang Tsang) a Chinese explorer and imperial envoy of the 2nd century BCE, is recorded as the first official diplomat to bring back reliable information about Central Asia to the Chinese imperial court, then under Emperor Wu of Han. Zhang Qian is also credited with the translation of many important Buddhist texts (sutras) which layed down the foundations for Buddhism which was to rival and often dominate Taoism in the Chinese imperial court.

There is no disputing that Indian Buddhism was so widespread that it managed to reach the shores of Japan, and as we know very well was whole heartedly adopted by the Japanese, dramatically influencing Japanese culture and arts from the 7th Century to the present day.

There is of course a fundemental difference between Japan and China in that Japan had no forign intervention or civil wars which resulted in the suppression of Buddhism. In China however as Terry Dukes points out in Bodhisattva Warriors that Taoism and Buddhism vied for acceptance as the imperial courts religion and so inevitably Buddhism at different periods in Chinese history was outlawed and inevitably had to be taught secretly. It is only a small step to infer that to escape detection by the authorities Buddhism was easily codified into hand movements and dances (form, kata or hsing) where it has been passed down through Buddhist martial practices to the present day.

Shifu Nagaboshi's assertians of this are are easily verified by evidence of the codification of mudras (hand signs) in Buddhist practice because we can see the practices of Chen Yen monks of China, Shingon Monks of Japan and Vajryana lamas of Tibet who still ritually perform complicated hand movements to accompany verbal and meditational practices.

This is what is interesting about this book as just as in Buddhist Chuan Fa the mudra these monks use are not just simply mundane 'hand signs' but a 'phsyco-physical' gesture which (as this term suggests) involves not just the body but also the mind of the practitoner.

The practice of unifying mind and body within physical training is well established within martial arts systems and this Buddhist (yogacara) tradition as Shifu Nagaboshi (along with others)* correctly identifies is most certainly one of the roots of this practice. (See Keenan: Spontaneity in Western Martial Arts, A Yogacara Critique of Mushin [No-Mind]- a google search will find this)

Terry Dukes (who quite openly displays both his English and Budddhist name on the front cover) has obviously hit some raw nerves with people who would keep to their blinkered history of martial arts rather than engage with the facts that there are some aspects of the esoteric doctrines that just do not fit into martial arts based on commercial an egotistical gain.

As a Buddhist this book explained a lot about the art I am practicing.

For the serious martial arts student.......2006-06-06

The Bodhisattva Warriors is a highly intellectual, thought-provoking book and is not for the casual reader. Despite its length and the depth of information given, it is obvious that the book is meant as an introduction only for it deals with a vast amount of complex subject matters, most of which would take volumes to cover fully. Where applicable, the sources of photographs and illustrations are given, and the 124 pages of the notes and bibliography at the back indicate where information contained in the book came from.
For the serious student who is interested in gaining a wider knowledge and understanding of the martial arts, The Bodhisattva Warriors by Shifu Nagaboshi Tomio provides a solid base from which to carry out further research and study.
This book is highly recommended.

A dedicated life long search for why a Martial art is Buddhist?.......2006-06-03

There are two sides to every coin and some martial arts practitioners dismiss this book out of hand and they are entitled to their views however in my humble opinion and that of many others in the martial arts world this book is a milestone in Martial Arts research. Nagaboshi/Dukes has oviously taken a lot of time in these 500 or so pages to investigate questions that many martial arts students would like to have answers to.

Although certainly not an easy read it is obvious after a while that Nagaboshi/Dukes is uncovering ideas that are rarely if ever mentioned in the local Shoalin/Zen/Budo martial arts dojo. Some of these questions are really quite simple like:

Why 'clobbering' each other is Buddhist?
What could be Buddhist about kata or forms?
Why does the Japanese term for the martial arts training hall 'dojo' have the same name as the meditation hall in a Zen monastery'?
What is the spiritual connection with the Shaolin Monastry or to Buddhism in general?
What did the patron of Buddhist Martial arts 'Bodhidhama' actually say and teach?

This book is certainly not going to be to everyone's taste but if you are seriously interested in what a Buddhist Martial art is and why, then this book cannot be overlooked. There are very few if any books to my knowledge that take this subject so seriously and if those who write it off were to write any books on the subject I would be happy to read them.

Bodhisattva Warriors has had an obvious impact, sending all the Shaolin/Zen perporting martial arts teachers diving to swat up on their Buddhism so that their students can't ask them awkward questions or on the other hand taking the easiest option in just dismissing Nagaboshi/Dukes as having made it all up! Which is obviously not the case if you read the book.

I've taken the time to read this book and come to my own conclusions. This is a very important book possibly a milestone in martial arts literature. Nagaboshi/Dukes has focused on the spiritual Buddhism in the Buddhist martial art rather than just paying lipservice to it with a few quipped Zen sayings. If your teacher doesn't know much about why his martial art is Buddhist, then this is the book to get and if he dimisses it you will know why. He hasn't read it!

Bodhisattva Warriors has obviously taken years of research to compile and probably the best part of a lifetime to write. It is a must even if like me you just use it as part of your research into martial arts history. I give it five stars.

Bogus Budo-Buyer Beware.......2006-03-25

As a Martial Artist and a Buddhist, I found this "book" by "Shifu" Nagaboshi (aka. Terry Dukes) to be both misleading and offensive. The information it contains regarding Buddhism and the Martial arts is completely false. The book is written in a poor, rambling and confusing style, profusely illustrated with ripped-off photos from other books. "Shifu" Nagaboshi is a well-known fraud in the Martial Arts world. His "Mushindo" is nothing more than a cult and has nothing to do either with either the real Martial Arts or Buddhism. Anyone seriously beginning studies in the path of either Budo or the Buddha would to well to steer clear of works by "Shifu" Nagaboshi-Dukes. There are dozens of wonderful books available at GREAT PRICES from Amazon.com. that will help your studies of Budo. Try reading, "Karate-do Kyohan" by Gichin Funakoshi (the title is Japanese, but the book is in english!) Or try Master Funakoshi's autobiography, "Karate-do, My Way of Life." For wonderful stories and legends about Chinese Kung Fu, nothing beats Robert Smith's classic "Chinese Boxing, Masters and Methods." Before you think of buying this "book" by Nagaboshi, consider something...in Japan you do not call your teacher "Shifu." "Sifu" is the Mandarin Chinese term for teacher. ("Shifu" is probably a Hong Kong/Cantonese corruption Dukes picked up somewhere.) In Japan, you always call your teacher "Sensei." Nagaboshi didn't even get his title right, so how can you trust his bogus book? If I can stop one serious young martial artist from getting into Nagaboshi's cult, my review will have served its purpose. In Gassho to all true students of the path.

The Book of Life: Daily Meditations with Krishnamurti

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Really moving meditations full of wisdom and love.
A passion for pomposity
Wonderful book!
GREAT BOOK!
The Book of Life-A Very Special K Book

The Book of Life: Daily Meditations with Krishnamurti
J. Krishnamurti
Manufacturer: HarperOne
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060648791

Book Description

Krishnamurti is a leading spiritual teacher of our century. In The First and Last Freedom he cuts away symbols and false associations in the search for pure truth and perfect freedom. Through discussions on suffering, fear, gossip, sex and other topics, Krishnamurti's quest becomes the readers, an undertaking of tremendous significance.

Customer Reviews:

Really moving meditations full of wisdom and love........2006-11-21

The book is full of insightful meditions just to quote one:
"You want me to give you an assurance that you will live another life, but in that there is no happiness or wisdom. The search for immortality through reincarnation is essentially egotistic, and therefore not true. Your search for immortality is only another form of the desire for the continuance of self-defensive reactions against life and intelligence. Such a craving can only lead to illusion. So what matters is not whether there is reincarnation, but to realize complete fulfillment in the present. And you can do that only when your mind and heart are no longer protecting themselves against life. The mind is cunning and subtle in its self-defense, and it must discern for itself the illusory nature of self-protection. This means that you must think and act completely anew. You must liberate yourself from the net of false values which environment has imposed upon you. There must be utter nakedness. Then there is immortality, reality."

A passion for pomposity.......2006-05-10

Someone recommended this guy to me as a profound thinker. I feel badly not liking the book insomuch as I like some what I have read *about* Krishnamurti, especially his repudiation of insitutionalized belief systems. This guy was bought by a rich British woman and raised to be a demi-god. See [...] It is laudable that he rebelled. When examining the content of this book, however, there's nothing I haven't read before from more compelling and less pompous sources.

Perhaps I am jaded, but this read like an awful lot of rehashed Hindu-Buddhist brahmin babbling, formulated for the "searching" western man, "searching" so often for a a father figure, in this case in the form of an approachably handsome and elegant western-educated guru. I know, I know, he said he didn't belong to any caste or religion, but really - just look at the content. Yes, he has some twists on what constitutes chastity, for example, but it is so trite ("chastity is nothing without love") that I just couldn't take it seriously.

Perhaps it is the format of the book, but within a few minutes of browsing I discovered a number of contradictory and maddeningly condescending statements. "Do you understand?", "I hope that you will listen" is pompously peppered throughout.

Krishnamurti undoubtedly meant well, was abused by weird cult practitioners in England, and was a physically beautiful man - but is he really much of an original thinker? There was certainly nothing poetic I could find in this book either.

Ugh.

Wonderful book!.......2003-10-30

This book is a delightful collection of various passages in the works of Krishnamurti. These words of wisdom are loaded with wonderful lesson about life. The mere act of reading these passages makes me feel relaxed and content from the inside. After being inspired by many of these fascinating things about the nature of life from the book "The Ever-Transcending Spirit" by Toru Sato, I use this book by Krishnamurti for my daily meditations and it is absolutely wonderful!

GREAT BOOK!.......2000-10-06

This book will make you think about important things for a couple of minutes every day. This book is excellent.

The Book of Life-A Very Special K Book.......2000-05-29

This volume is one of the most unique Krishnamurti books available. All the books by or about him seem to offer added insight but this book is very useful in what it brings to the reader. I found that it was best, for me, to read a week's worth of daily readings at a sitting since they are chosen to relate to each other...each week having a single focus. No book can capture the man or the totality of his challenge to us but this book surely is a must for anyone seriously trying to get an understanding of the man and his trying to verbalize that which is not easily expressed in words.

Christian and Oriental Philosophy of Art

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This is worth more stars than five!
How to understand a traditional work of art

Christian and Oriental Philosophy of Art
Ananda K. Coomaraswamy
Manufacturer: South Asia Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 8121503124

Book Description

NINE ESSAYS ABOUT ORIENTAL AND CHRISTIAN ART, DISCUSSING MANY FACETS OF ART, INCLUDING AESTHETICS, SYMBOLISM, &C.

Customer Reviews:

This is worth more stars than five!.......2000-08-31

Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy (1877-1947) was really somebody. I've owned and eventually given away at least half a dozen copies of this book over the years. I mean, I tend to force it on people. It changed my life.

The writer I'd compare him to, perhaps weirdly, is Joseph Conrad - if the young Conrad had, instead of going to sea, run away to join a museum and become an art historian, curator, philosopher and intellectual bridge between worlds. Certainly both men have a similar way of making you pay attention to every single word, and - this is so rare - repaying that attention with insight, not only into what the author means by what he's saying, but what he's actually talking about ie. the subject under discussion.

In a novelist this is a great thing, but in a historian of thought, art, mythology, metaphysics etc. it's almost miraculous. He spent his life explaining what we look at when we look at art - and why art matters, what it's for. Every sentence that he wrote was written to assist. And these good intentions are almost tangible.

In 1975, I dropped out of architecture and wandered off to become a poet, to the despair of my family and the amusement of my friends. At first this mostly just involved smoking pot and waiting for something to happen. Then I found this book. Just the footnotes are a virtual study guide to the wisdom of the world. Plato and Shankara, Aquinas and Eckhart and Plotinus and the Upanishads etc. It was all new to me back then, this book my door.

It was like my Yoda. It taught me how to read and think and start to know things for myself, and find the next book too, and the book after that. It also, and this was so important, helped me understand (in a way that didn't fall apart the first time someone called me on it) why art of any kind is not only worth doing, but doing well, the best you can. I love this book.

If you're interested in art (in any form, not just pictures on a wall) you will be interested in what he has to say. You might not accept all of his argument, but in the process you'll have thought harder and more clearly about where you stand than you ever normally get the chance to. And you'll learn things you didn't know. Because in this little book, as in all his work, Coomaraswamy is trying to pass on a vast and ancient and fruitful tradition in the best way that he can. And I'm grateful to him for having tried so hard, and succeeded so well.

I mean, it's just a bunch of essays, but hey - go for the paperback. It's cheap and well made (by Dover, a company that knows how to bind books) and you just might like it.

How to understand a traditional work of art.......2000-06-20

Definitely one of the most accessible works by A.K. Coomaraswamy and a good introduction to his oeuvre, of which the present book is somehow the sinthesis. Themes such as the meaning of art in its universality, the relationship between beauty and truth, and utility of art are developped to their maximum extent. The strenght of the thesis of the author, the almost perfect rigour of his analisys, the impressive richness of documentation provided, are such as to strike one's knowledge on the matter to the point of being able to change reader's relationship to the present reality.

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Christian and Oriental Philosophy of Art
Ananda K. Coomaraswamy
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O01FBY

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CHRISTIAN AND ORIENTAL PHILOSOPHY OF ART

Manufacturer: DOVER PUBHL.
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ASIN: B000HKTJNC

The Christian and Oriental, or true, philosophy of art;: A lecture given at Boston college, Newton, Massachusetts, in March, 1939,

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The Christian and Oriental, or true, philosophy of art;: A lecture given at Boston college, Newton, Massachusetts, in March, 1939,
Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy
Manufacturer: J. Stevens
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ASIN: B00086OPB6

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Christian & Oriental Philosophy of Art
Ananda Coomaraswamy
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ASIN: B000UU62BG

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CHRISTIAN AND ORIENTAL PHILOSOPHY OF ART
ANANDA K. COOMARASWAMY
Manufacturer: Dover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0000CQY98

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Simple step-by-step instructions and special drawing grids make it fun and easy to draw amazing pictures of your favorite creepy creatures! Each new step is shown in blue, so you'll always know exactly what to do next. Make great posters for your room and gifts for your friends and family! Everyone can be an artist, so grab a pencil and get started!

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Largest collection illustrating the use and development of the eagle in art and design in America contains 321 photos, drawings and designs featuring eagle in hundreds of sizes and positions in every conceivable medium.

American Eagle in Art and Design: Three Hundred Twenty-One Examples

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American Eagle in Art and Design: Three Hundred Twenty-One Examples
Clarence P. Hornung
Manufacturer: Peter Smith Pub
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ASIN: 0844656712

Customer Reviews:

If you thought your holidays were bad..........2002-01-15

Adam Green draws in a minimalist style but these comics are great. If you liked "What were you in a previous life?" then you'll enjoy this collection of holiday-themed comics.

Adam Green is God!.......1999-11-19

Adam Green is THE most brilliant cartoonist in the world at the moment. Everyone should own this book, and "What were you in a previous life?". Please buy this book, and worship Adam on a daily basis. (I actually laughed in the book store as I was reading this book. Not a quiet chuckle either...a big psycho laugh. People stared.) Adam's brand of humor isn't for everyone. Some people just won't get it. If you understand the Far Side and Life in Hell, you'll dig his stuff. Even his signatures are funny! Do yourself a favor...track down any and all Adam Green titles and buy them!

I thought the book was very funny........1999-06-21

This book was funny. It made me laugh. I said haha when I read it. It had funny pictures.

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The Character of leadership: Political Realism and Public Vi

An overlooked gem

The Character of Leadership: Political Realism and Public Virtue in Nonprofit Organizations
Michael Jinkins , and Deborah Bradshaw Jinkins
Manufacturer: Jossey-Bass
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0787941204

Book Description

Behold, I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd as snakes, and as innocent as doves. --Matthew 10:16

. . . remarkable example of practical humanities scholarship. . . .Those who lead all sorts of nonprofit organizations can benefit from this bracing encounter with political realism.
--James Wind, president, Alban Institute and author of Places to Worship

Leaders of nonprofit enterprises are often motivated by a completing vision of how the world should be. Too often, however, this prevents them from understanding and skillfully operating in the realm of pragmatic realism. For nonprofit leaders who want to succeed in their efforts to change the world without selling their souls, Jinkins and Jinkins offer a guide to pragmatic and principled politics.

This book includes case studies of the political successes and failures of talented, good-hearted leaders in a variety of roles including seminary presidents, pastors, and leaders of social service agencies. The authors show us that realistic leaders know that in the rough and tumble of the real world, we must strive to create a place where our values can be translated into policy and common life--learning how to do this is the task that confronts us.

Customer Reviews:

The Character of leadership: Political Realism and Public Vi.......2001-04-04

The character of leadership: Politic Realism and Public Virtue in nonprofit organizations

An overlooked gem.......1999-12-24

Machiavelli has been unfairly portrayed for centuries--kind of a Renaissance Dick Morris (minus the propensity for prostitutes and toe-s#&king). But the authors recognize the truth of Machiavelli's advice in the proper historical context and apply what he has to say to leadership in the modern world, especially as it relates to nonprofits. The section on determining whether your organization is a republic or a principality is worth the price of the book by itself. The authors' examples of skillful political maneuvering on behalf of worthwhile causes--not to mention bungling by well-meaning, but hopeless executives--are also enlightening.

Essentially, this book gives you some wonderfully useful strategies and ideas for making progress toward your organization's mission. You may have to learn to settle for incremental progress, for not always accomplishing everything you'd like to as soon as you'd like, but you can make a difference without compromising your values. The lessons in this book are practical for leaders of nonprofit and for-profit organizations. A little slow in parts, but well worth it overall.

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