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The Unfettered Mind: Writings of the Zen Master to the Sword Master
So succinct are the author's insights that these writings have outlasted the dissolution of the samurai class to come down to the present and be read for guidance and inspiration by the captains of business and industry, as well as those devoted to the practice of the martial arts in their
modern form.
modern form.
101 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
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August 26, 2016
Universally applicable statements are not instructive. They do not inspire thought or care, but enable the continuation of ignorance. A man may comment 'this is the worst review ever' (and in my experience, probably will), and achieve nothing more with by it than biting his own tongue. It is not applicable to any statement or idea, it does not continue any discussion, it is devoid of thought. It could be cut and pasted onto any review without gaining any meaning, and without shedding a single strand of its foolishness.
Statements like this may be fundamentally self-serving, but they are bad servants. They are sycophantic, fawning on their master, comforting him through his doubts, telling him that all he does is right and good. If they speak, it is only to drown out the sound of his uncertainties, and shut the gate to all guests, that he may hear no dissenting voice.
So it is troubling that there is a central tenet to many philosophies, both Eastern and Western, which can easily become a lazy servant, which would make its master deaf and blind, subservient to his weaknesses. Takuan often intones that a man must act without thought, that he must never doubt, but rely on his sense of rightness without pause.
There is danger here. It is always tempting for a man to trust in his ignorance, to live not by action, but reaction only, moving from moment to moment without a second thought. One can read into this philosophy an invitation to give in to fear and weakness, and to let them rule, banishing all questions. We have all seen how desperately the inept will cling to their intuition, no matter how meager it may be, or how often it has failed them.
I do not think this is what Takuan intends, for he often avails himself of careful thought and analysis throughout the text. He often skewers those who seem to act with honor, and without hesitation, but who act quickly not because they are decisive, but because they lack the self-control ever to be still. He speaks of those who would die at a moment's notice because it is their proper duty, contrasting them with men who throw their lives away in a quarrel, invoking the name of honor to hide the shame that drives them.
It is clear that for Takuan, proper, decisive action and intuition are not things which a man can take for granted, but things which must be treasured, cultivated, and patiently questioned. As Socrates said: "The unexamined life is not worth living".
Yet there is a further thing which troubles me: despite all the talk about things being proper, about honor and rightness of action, I did not get a sense of just what the basis of this philosophy was. There were odd contrasts and contradictions, seeming conflicts which pointed at what may have been a central coherence, but I was unable to define it.
Likely Takuan was drawing from his own culture's concepts for these notions, the great tradition of budo, but I would have gotten more from the work if he had first defined his own view of budo before expanding upon the particulars.
If a man is to develop his sense of correctness and then act without doubt or thought, we must agree upon some conceptual basis of what is correct, and why it is correct--otherwise we will have a world of men who are all certain of their own correct Way, the Way that they have built up since childhood, but who are in fundamental, incompatible conflict with every other man and his correct Way. Of course, some might say that is the very world which we have been gifted.
Yet there are those who would try to bridge the gap, to create some coherent baseline of what is fundamental to the life of the individual, and of the society. So we sit, and we talk about what is good, and what is better, and what we share. Cultivate your awareness so that when a thinker speaks at great length about acting without thought, you know he must be a Zen master, and that you must pay more attention to what does than what he says.
Statements like this may be fundamentally self-serving, but they are bad servants. They are sycophantic, fawning on their master, comforting him through his doubts, telling him that all he does is right and good. If they speak, it is only to drown out the sound of his uncertainties, and shut the gate to all guests, that he may hear no dissenting voice.
So it is troubling that there is a central tenet to many philosophies, both Eastern and Western, which can easily become a lazy servant, which would make its master deaf and blind, subservient to his weaknesses. Takuan often intones that a man must act without thought, that he must never doubt, but rely on his sense of rightness without pause.
There is danger here. It is always tempting for a man to trust in his ignorance, to live not by action, but reaction only, moving from moment to moment without a second thought. One can read into this philosophy an invitation to give in to fear and weakness, and to let them rule, banishing all questions. We have all seen how desperately the inept will cling to their intuition, no matter how meager it may be, or how often it has failed them.
I do not think this is what Takuan intends, for he often avails himself of careful thought and analysis throughout the text. He often skewers those who seem to act with honor, and without hesitation, but who act quickly not because they are decisive, but because they lack the self-control ever to be still. He speaks of those who would die at a moment's notice because it is their proper duty, contrasting them with men who throw their lives away in a quarrel, invoking the name of honor to hide the shame that drives them.
It is clear that for Takuan, proper, decisive action and intuition are not things which a man can take for granted, but things which must be treasured, cultivated, and patiently questioned. As Socrates said: "The unexamined life is not worth living".
Yet there is a further thing which troubles me: despite all the talk about things being proper, about honor and rightness of action, I did not get a sense of just what the basis of this philosophy was. There were odd contrasts and contradictions, seeming conflicts which pointed at what may have been a central coherence, but I was unable to define it.
Likely Takuan was drawing from his own culture's concepts for these notions, the great tradition of budo, but I would have gotten more from the work if he had first defined his own view of budo before expanding upon the particulars.
If a man is to develop his sense of correctness and then act without doubt or thought, we must agree upon some conceptual basis of what is correct, and why it is correct--otherwise we will have a world of men who are all certain of their own correct Way, the Way that they have built up since childhood, but who are in fundamental, incompatible conflict with every other man and his correct Way. Of course, some might say that is the very world which we have been gifted.
Yet there are those who would try to bridge the gap, to create some coherent baseline of what is fundamental to the life of the individual, and of the society. So we sit, and we talk about what is good, and what is better, and what we share. Cultivate your awareness so that when a thinker speaks at great length about acting without thought, you know he must be a Zen master, and that you must pay more attention to what does than what he says.
July 20, 2014
The Unfettered Mind is deceptively simple. It takes years of study to unravel it's true depth. This is because it's a collection of personal communications from one master to another, at the peak of their given practices. There is a lot the book doesn't explain because it didn't need to be explained in a dialog between these two men.
So it wasn't written as an introduction to Bushido or Zazen or as instruction for the layperson.
This book is more useful as practical mental instruction for someone engaged at a higher level of a challenging or competitive pursuit than as an intellectual or philosophical exercise because this is precisely what Takuan intended in his writing.
The section, Water Scorches Heaven, Fire Cleanses Clouds, is different than the others. It's more a personal letter to Yagyu Munenori, and ends with a Confucian admonishment to him. Yagyu was the head of the Yagyu Shinkage school of swordsmanship, who were teachers to two generations of Shoguns.
Because Takuan was close with the Emperor, the Shogun, and a very powerful Daimo, this could have been a warning given to Yagyu regarding his and his son's behavior from one of them using Takuan as an intermediary. So it shouldn't be viewed in the same context as the other sections of the book.
I bring this up because while it may be a historically interesting communication between Takuan and Yagyu, it can be confusing to the reader because it's not part of the core instruction he was conveying.
So it wasn't written as an introduction to Bushido or Zazen or as instruction for the layperson.
This book is more useful as practical mental instruction for someone engaged at a higher level of a challenging or competitive pursuit than as an intellectual or philosophical exercise because this is precisely what Takuan intended in his writing.
The section, Water Scorches Heaven, Fire Cleanses Clouds, is different than the others. It's more a personal letter to Yagyu Munenori, and ends with a Confucian admonishment to him. Yagyu was the head of the Yagyu Shinkage school of swordsmanship, who were teachers to two generations of Shoguns.
Because Takuan was close with the Emperor, the Shogun, and a very powerful Daimo, this could have been a warning given to Yagyu regarding his and his son's behavior from one of them using Takuan as an intermediary. So it shouldn't be viewed in the same context as the other sections of the book.
I bring this up because while it may be a historically interesting communication between Takuan and Yagyu, it can be confusing to the reader because it's not part of the core instruction he was conveying.
April 10, 2009
Great book, but difficult reading from a Westerner's perspective. Have to read parts of it several times before I understand what was being said (at surface level). This is a book to come back to at a later date when I have more experience.
One has to take into consideration that it was written by a Zen master to a sword master, two learned individuals. I am way below the experience level of the target audience.
The book is nothing about sword fighting. It is about clearing your mind, and returning to as you were at the beginning. This can only be done successfully with diligent work until you can do an action without any thought. If you concentrate on anything during a fight you will become entangled in that aspect, you must concentrate on nothing, and that includes not thinking about doing nothing.
The only way to do this is to become a master of your actions through hard work and through meditation and other Zen practices. This leads to enlightenment, when you reach the point that you are not driven by desires (like the desire to strike your opponent), no fear, no nothing.
The sword master that has been enlightened can strike as lighting from the clouds. A defender would have not a hairs breadth to counter a strike. The sword master would not strike if it weren't absolutely necessary. No desire to strike. He/She is a master of life and death.
One has to take into consideration that it was written by a Zen master to a sword master, two learned individuals. I am way below the experience level of the target audience.
The book is nothing about sword fighting. It is about clearing your mind, and returning to as you were at the beginning. This can only be done successfully with diligent work until you can do an action without any thought. If you concentrate on anything during a fight you will become entangled in that aspect, you must concentrate on nothing, and that includes not thinking about doing nothing.
The only way to do this is to become a master of your actions through hard work and through meditation and other Zen practices. This leads to enlightenment, when you reach the point that you are not driven by desires (like the desire to strike your opponent), no fear, no nothing.
The sword master that has been enlightened can strike as lighting from the clouds. A defender would have not a hairs breadth to counter a strike. The sword master would not strike if it weren't absolutely necessary. No desire to strike. He/She is a master of life and death.
January 25, 2013
This book is a collection of three short works by a 17th century Abbot from northern Japan. Each of these works is different: the first is a discussion of the right mind required for both enlightenment and perfection of the craft of sword combat, the second is a discussion on the proper mindset for both political ruler and citizen (perhaps you could call it a Machiavellian essay for Easterners), and the final portion of the book is a discussion on some old poetry.
The first part I found incredibly interesting while the latter two I thought were boring. This book is my introduction to Zen philosophy so I'll admit I might not have the proper mindset or appreciation of context to successfully approach this genre, but it's just as possible this is either a mediocre English translation or the abbot himself didn't have much interesting to say on politics or much to contribute to poetry with his analyses.
The poetry the author analyzes in the third work was quite beautiful on its own. It's absent of the labyrinths of intellectual cleverness or subtle egotistical arrogance you sometimes find among modern poets of the post-Renaissance era. This poetry was introspective, yet only lightly subtle, but certainly not needing much analysis or picking apart each line into a "this line means this . . ." paragraph. There were several of these "definitions" which weren't remotely related to the stanza and the author doesn't make a convincing argument for some of his proposed definitions. Some bits of his commentary were insightful though.
The middle work again was of a political nature and perhaps suffered the most from being poorly translated or needing more context than was provided. In fact, the political concepts were the more readable parts of this section of the book. This part was written with a strange see-saw style that bounced between civic duty and random metaphors. It's an exhausting assemblage of metaphor after metaphor, simile after simile, and analogy after analogy, most of which seem randomly inserted between discussions of political concepts. I thought they seemed to show up when the political idea was unable to stand convincingly on its own two feet. You see this pattern used nowadays from the podium or pulpit whose speaker lacks the strong intellect or sharp rhetoric to convince the listener and must resort instead to juvenile antimetaboles or to analogies that prove themselves (and by implication the speaker's idea as well). Again, there may be context here I'm missing and would have benefited from understanding, however this portion of the book just isn't interesting enough to go seek it out now.
The crowning jewel of this book though was the first portion, discussing the nature of an "unstopping" mind. The author does an excellent job of explaining his ideas, anticipating and clearing away potential confusion his readers/listeners may fall under. When discussing the meditative mind we are used to hearing teachers and authors discuss the obstacle of the racing thoughts and flood of emotion our minds are constantly engaged in, so it might sound odd to hear a Zen Buddhist speak of an "unstopping" mind. However, the type of mind he's discussing is not to be equated with the bewildered mind the Buddhists generally speak of as being an obstacle.
A mind is able to force its attention onto a resting concept, idea, feeling, thought, etc., and when it does, the author says then the mind has "stopped" on that thing. So the idea then - whether in meditation, playing an instrument, participating in athletics or combat - is to never let the mind direct itself completely onto and stop on one "thing". No forced mustering of concentrating effort onto any one idea, concept or event (upcoming or current). This type of mind is free to be anywhere and nowhere at the same time, embodying a softness yet is at the same time profoundly alert and possessing an almost primal awareness.
The abbot doesn't let the reader down either by speaking briefly on an esoteric idea and then speeding past it, leaving the gap between master and student ever more noticeable. Instead his rhetoric is direct and detailed, yet gracefully proves its point. I believe this portion of the book is a wonderful contribution to the subject of martial arts.
The first part I found incredibly interesting while the latter two I thought were boring. This book is my introduction to Zen philosophy so I'll admit I might not have the proper mindset or appreciation of context to successfully approach this genre, but it's just as possible this is either a mediocre English translation or the abbot himself didn't have much interesting to say on politics or much to contribute to poetry with his analyses.
The poetry the author analyzes in the third work was quite beautiful on its own. It's absent of the labyrinths of intellectual cleverness or subtle egotistical arrogance you sometimes find among modern poets of the post-Renaissance era. This poetry was introspective, yet only lightly subtle, but certainly not needing much analysis or picking apart each line into a "this line means this . . ." paragraph. There were several of these "definitions" which weren't remotely related to the stanza and the author doesn't make a convincing argument for some of his proposed definitions. Some bits of his commentary were insightful though.
The middle work again was of a political nature and perhaps suffered the most from being poorly translated or needing more context than was provided. In fact, the political concepts were the more readable parts of this section of the book. This part was written with a strange see-saw style that bounced between civic duty and random metaphors. It's an exhausting assemblage of metaphor after metaphor, simile after simile, and analogy after analogy, most of which seem randomly inserted between discussions of political concepts. I thought they seemed to show up when the political idea was unable to stand convincingly on its own two feet. You see this pattern used nowadays from the podium or pulpit whose speaker lacks the strong intellect or sharp rhetoric to convince the listener and must resort instead to juvenile antimetaboles or to analogies that prove themselves (and by implication the speaker's idea as well). Again, there may be context here I'm missing and would have benefited from understanding, however this portion of the book just isn't interesting enough to go seek it out now.
The crowning jewel of this book though was the first portion, discussing the nature of an "unstopping" mind. The author does an excellent job of explaining his ideas, anticipating and clearing away potential confusion his readers/listeners may fall under. When discussing the meditative mind we are used to hearing teachers and authors discuss the obstacle of the racing thoughts and flood of emotion our minds are constantly engaged in, so it might sound odd to hear a Zen Buddhist speak of an "unstopping" mind. However, the type of mind he's discussing is not to be equated with the bewildered mind the Buddhists generally speak of as being an obstacle.
A mind is able to force its attention onto a resting concept, idea, feeling, thought, etc., and when it does, the author says then the mind has "stopped" on that thing. So the idea then - whether in meditation, playing an instrument, participating in athletics or combat - is to never let the mind direct itself completely onto and stop on one "thing". No forced mustering of concentrating effort onto any one idea, concept or event (upcoming or current). This type of mind is free to be anywhere and nowhere at the same time, embodying a softness yet is at the same time profoundly alert and possessing an almost primal awareness.
The abbot doesn't let the reader down either by speaking briefly on an esoteric idea and then speeding past it, leaving the gap between master and student ever more noticeable. Instead his rhetoric is direct and detailed, yet gracefully proves its point. I believe this portion of the book is a wonderful contribution to the subject of martial arts.
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August 25, 2021"This is the way"
May 31, 2021
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.
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.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 19, 2017
The book consists of three essays written by a Zen priest as advice to a martial artist. The first essay's input can be summarised as "don't focus on the opponent's sword". A valid point, to be sure, but one that could be stated much more succinctly. The other two, from what I can tell, have very little to do with martial arts at all, but just ruminations on Buddhism and Zen in particular. I can only assume that the arguments therein are very profound to a practitioner, as to a layman they are at best vacuous, and more often meaningless.
December 3, 2008
I consider this to be essential reading. For everyone. The concepts can be a bit dense, but it's well worth the effort. Combined with A Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi and The Art of War by Sun Tzu, this is part of a set that I frequently give to people.
April 17, 2018
I gained a better understanding of the concepts of Zen as espoused by Monk Takuan because I recently read Old Path White Clouds, a biography of the Buddha. While Zen in itself can seem a little daunting to comprehend upfront, having some perspective on its background is really helpful.
Overall, this is a wonderful book full of short essays in the form of letters which present Buddhist values as perceived in the Zen tradition. Despite the added flourish of Mahayana Buddhism (of which Zen is a part), the basic message remains the same: be present, be aware.
I was introduced to Monk Takuan in an altogether different format through the wonderful manga series called Vagabond by Takehiko Inoue. I'm glad I landed here.
Overall, this is a wonderful book full of short essays in the form of letters which present Buddhist values as perceived in the Zen tradition. Despite the added flourish of Mahayana Buddhism (of which Zen is a part), the basic message remains the same: be present, be aware.
I was introduced to Monk Takuan in an altogether different format through the wonderful manga series called Vagabond by Takehiko Inoue. I'm glad I landed here.
December 13, 2008
A good translation of Takuan Soho's classic text on Buddhism. The book was written to bring understanding of "No Mind" to the samurai warrior. It's rather dense, and assumes familiarity with Zen Buddhism.
Chances are you're interested in this because you a) read about it in a Japanese history/culture book, or b) you heard this referenced in a Japanese work of fiction, whether anime, literature, or film. It assumes a high amount of understanding of the context and does little to lead you through the ideas. It was, after all, written for a specific person at a specific time. There are easier places to start. Try Secret Tactics for a general introduction, to get oriented.
Chances are you're interested in this because you a) read about it in a Japanese history/culture book, or b) you heard this referenced in a Japanese work of fiction, whether anime, literature, or film. It assumes a high amount of understanding of the context and does little to lead you through the ideas. It was, after all, written for a specific person at a specific time. There are easier places to start. Try Secret Tactics for a general introduction, to get oriented.
July 18, 2007
I've been wanting to read this book for a while and I am glad I did. This selection of essays makes the tie between Zen meditation and the practice of the martial arts. It is a beautiful exploration of the spiritual side of budo and a must-read for anyone who practices its principles.
February 25, 2020
some highlights
Soho illuminates the difference between the right mind and the confused mind, the nature of right-mindedness, and what makes life precious.
The sword and the spirit have long been closely associated by the Japanese.
He seems to have remained unaffected by his fame and popularity, and at the approach of death he instructed his disciples, “Bury my body in the mountain behind the temple, cover it with dirt, and go home. Read no sutras, hold no ceremony. Receive no gifts from either monk or laity. Let the monks wear their robes, eat their meals and carry on as on normal days.” At his final moment, he wrote the Chinese character for yume (“dream”), put down the brush, and died.
His life may be summed up by his own admonition, “If you follow the present-day world, you will turn your back on the Way; if you would not turn your back on the Way, do not follow the world.”
When facing a single tree, if you look at a single one of its red leaves, you will not see all the others. When the eye is not set on any one leaf, and you face the tree with nothing at all in mind, any number of leaves are visible to the eye without limit. But if a single leaf holds the eye, it will be as if the remaining leaves were not there.
The ignorance and afflictions of the beginning, abiding place and the immovable wisdom that comes later become one. The function of the intellect disappears, and one ends in a state of No-Mind-No-Thought. If one reaches the deepest point, arms, legs, and body remember what to do, but the mind does not enter into this at all.
In Zen, if asked, “What is the Buddha?” one should raise a clenched fist. If asked, “What is the ultimate meaning of the Buddhist Law?” before the words have died away, one should respond, “A single branch of the flowering plum” or “The cypress in the garden.” It is not a matter of selecting an answer either good or bad. We respect the mind that does not stop. The non-stopping mind is moved by neither color nor smell.
Although the form of this unmoving mind is revered as a god, respected as a Buddha, and called the Mind of Zen or the Ultimate Meaning, if one thinks things through and afterwards speaks, even though he utter golden words and mysterious verses, it will be merely the affliction of the abiding place.
When a person does not think, “Where shall I put it?”the mind will extend throughout the entire body and move about to any place at all.
The effort not to stop the mind in just one place—this is discipline. Not stopping the mind is object and essence. Put nowhere, it will be everywhere. Even in moving the mind outside the body, if it is sent in one direction, it will be lacking in nine others. If the mind is not restricted to just one direction, it will be in all ten.
In not remaining in one place, the Right Mind is like water. The Confused Mind is like ice, and ice is unable to wash hands or head. When ice is melted, it becomes water and flows everywhere, and it can wash the hands, the feet, or anything else.
Completely forget about the mind and you will do all things well.
SEEK THE LOST MIND This is a saying of Mencius’s. It means that one should seek out the lost mind and return it to himself.
There is nothing dearer to us than life. Whether a man be rich or poor, if he does not live out a long life, he will not accomplish his true purpose. Even if one had to throw away thousands in wealth and valuables to do so, life is something he should buy.
It is said that life is of small account compared with right-mindedness.1 In truth, it is right-mindedness that is most esteemed.
“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 intact. But when you think that a man will not hesitate to throw away the life he so values for the sake of right-mindedness, the value of right-mindedness is greater than life itself. Desire, life, and right-mindedness—among these three, isn’t the latter what man values most?”
I said, “Dying because someone is vexed at being insulted resembles right-mindedness, but it is not that at all. This is forgetting oneself in the anger of the moment. It is not right-mindedness in the least. Its proper name is anger and nothing else. Before a person has even been insulted, he has already departed from right-mindedness. And for this reason, he suffers insult. If one’s right-mindedness is correct when he is associating with others, he will not be insulted by them. Being insulted by others, one should realize that he had lost his own right- mindedness prior to the offense.”
What is called desire is not simply attaching oneself to wealth, or thinking only about one’s fancies for silver and gold. When the eye sees colors, this is desire. When the ear hears sounds, this is desire. When the nose smells fragrances, this is desire. When a single thought simply germinates, this is called desire. This body has been solidified and produced by desire, and it is in the nature of things that all men have a strong sense of it. Although there is a desireless nature confined within this desire-firmed and -produced body, it is always hidden by hot-bloodedness, and its virtue is difficult to sow. This nature is not protected easily. Because it reacts to the Ten Thousand Things in the external world, it is drawn back by the Six Desires, and submerges beneath them.
This body is composed of the Five Skandhas: form, feeling, conception, volition, and consciousness.
It is for this reason that the Way of Confucius is said to be that of sincerity and sympathy. Sincerity is the same as “the core of the mind.” Sympathy is the same as “like mind” or “oneness.” If the core of the mind and like- mindedness are achieved, not one in ten thousand affairs will ever turn out poorly.
Presumably, as a martial artist, I do not fight for gain or loss, am not concerned with strength or weakness, and neither advance a step nor retreat a step. The enemy does not see me. I do not see the enemy. Penetrating to a place where heaven and earth have not yet divided, where Yin and Yang have not yet arrived, I quickly and necessarily gain effect.
Not to fight for gain or loss, not to be concerned with strength or weakness means not vying for victory or worrying about defeat, and not being concerned with the functions of strength or weakness.
Neither advance a step nor retreat a step means taking neither one step forward nor one step to the rear. Victory is gained without stirring from where you are.
The me of “the enemy does not see me” refers to my True Self. It does not mean my perceived self. People can easily see the perceived self; it is rare for them to discern the True Self. Thus I say, “The enemy does not see me.” I do not see the enemy. Because I do not take the personal view of the perceived self, I do not see the martial art of the enemy’s perceived self.2 Although I say, “I do not see the enemy,” this does not mean I do not see the enemy right before my very eyes. To be able to see the one without seeing the other is a singular thing.
Well then, the accomplished man uses the sword but does not kill others. He uses the sword and gives others life. When it is necessary to kill, he kills. When it is necessary to give life, he gives life. When killing, he kills in complete concentration; when giving life, he gives life in complete concentration. Without looking at right and wrong, he is able to see right and wrong; without attempting to discriminate, he is able to discriminate well. Treading on water is just like treading on land, and treading on land is just like treading on water. If he is able to gain this freedom, he will not be perplexed by anyone on earth. In all things, he will be beyond companions.
Soho illuminates the difference between the right mind and the confused mind, the nature of right-mindedness, and what makes life precious.
The sword and the spirit have long been closely associated by the Japanese.
He seems to have remained unaffected by his fame and popularity, and at the approach of death he instructed his disciples, “Bury my body in the mountain behind the temple, cover it with dirt, and go home. Read no sutras, hold no ceremony. Receive no gifts from either monk or laity. Let the monks wear their robes, eat their meals and carry on as on normal days.” At his final moment, he wrote the Chinese character for yume (“dream”), put down the brush, and died.
His life may be summed up by his own admonition, “If you follow the present-day world, you will turn your back on the Way; if you would not turn your back on the Way, do not follow the world.”
When facing a single tree, if you look at a single one of its red leaves, you will not see all the others. When the eye is not set on any one leaf, and you face the tree with nothing at all in mind, any number of leaves are visible to the eye without limit. But if a single leaf holds the eye, it will be as if the remaining leaves were not there.
The ignorance and afflictions of the beginning, abiding place and the immovable wisdom that comes later become one. The function of the intellect disappears, and one ends in a state of No-Mind-No-Thought. If one reaches the deepest point, arms, legs, and body remember what to do, but the mind does not enter into this at all.
In Zen, if asked, “What is the Buddha?” one should raise a clenched fist. If asked, “What is the ultimate meaning of the Buddhist Law?” before the words have died away, one should respond, “A single branch of the flowering plum” or “The cypress in the garden.” It is not a matter of selecting an answer either good or bad. We respect the mind that does not stop. The non-stopping mind is moved by neither color nor smell.
Although the form of this unmoving mind is revered as a god, respected as a Buddha, and called the Mind of Zen or the Ultimate Meaning, if one thinks things through and afterwards speaks, even though he utter golden words and mysterious verses, it will be merely the affliction of the abiding place.
When a person does not think, “Where shall I put it?”the mind will extend throughout the entire body and move about to any place at all.
The effort not to stop the mind in just one place—this is discipline. Not stopping the mind is object and essence. Put nowhere, it will be everywhere. Even in moving the mind outside the body, if it is sent in one direction, it will be lacking in nine others. If the mind is not restricted to just one direction, it will be in all ten.
In not remaining in one place, the Right Mind is like water. The Confused Mind is like ice, and ice is unable to wash hands or head. When ice is melted, it becomes water and flows everywhere, and it can wash the hands, the feet, or anything else.
Completely forget about the mind and you will do all things well.
SEEK THE LOST MIND This is a saying of Mencius’s. It means that one should seek out the lost mind and return it to himself.
There is nothing dearer to us than life. Whether a man be rich or poor, if he does not live out a long life, he will not accomplish his true purpose. Even if one had to throw away thousands in wealth and valuables to do so, life is something he should buy.
It is said that life is of small account compared with right-mindedness.1 In truth, it is right-mindedness that is most esteemed.
“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 intact. But when you think that a man will not hesitate to throw away the life he so values for the sake of right-mindedness, the value of right-mindedness is greater than life itself. Desire, life, and right-mindedness—among these three, isn’t the latter what man values most?”
I said, “Dying because someone is vexed at being insulted resembles right-mindedness, but it is not that at all. This is forgetting oneself in the anger of the moment. It is not right-mindedness in the least. Its proper name is anger and nothing else. Before a person has even been insulted, he has already departed from right-mindedness. And for this reason, he suffers insult. If one’s right-mindedness is correct when he is associating with others, he will not be insulted by them. Being insulted by others, one should realize that he had lost his own right- mindedness prior to the offense.”
What is called desire is not simply attaching oneself to wealth, or thinking only about one’s fancies for silver and gold. When the eye sees colors, this is desire. When the ear hears sounds, this is desire. When the nose smells fragrances, this is desire. When a single thought simply germinates, this is called desire. This body has been solidified and produced by desire, and it is in the nature of things that all men have a strong sense of it. Although there is a desireless nature confined within this desire-firmed and -produced body, it is always hidden by hot-bloodedness, and its virtue is difficult to sow. This nature is not protected easily. Because it reacts to the Ten Thousand Things in the external world, it is drawn back by the Six Desires, and submerges beneath them.
This body is composed of the Five Skandhas: form, feeling, conception, volition, and consciousness.
It is for this reason that the Way of Confucius is said to be that of sincerity and sympathy. Sincerity is the same as “the core of the mind.” Sympathy is the same as “like mind” or “oneness.” If the core of the mind and like- mindedness are achieved, not one in ten thousand affairs will ever turn out poorly.
Presumably, as a martial artist, I do not fight for gain or loss, am not concerned with strength or weakness, and neither advance a step nor retreat a step. The enemy does not see me. I do not see the enemy. Penetrating to a place where heaven and earth have not yet divided, where Yin and Yang have not yet arrived, I quickly and necessarily gain effect.
Not to fight for gain or loss, not to be concerned with strength or weakness means not vying for victory or worrying about defeat, and not being concerned with the functions of strength or weakness.
Neither advance a step nor retreat a step means taking neither one step forward nor one step to the rear. Victory is gained without stirring from where you are.
The me of “the enemy does not see me” refers to my True Self. It does not mean my perceived self. People can easily see the perceived self; it is rare for them to discern the True Self. Thus I say, “The enemy does not see me.” I do not see the enemy. Because I do not take the personal view of the perceived self, I do not see the martial art of the enemy’s perceived self.2 Although I say, “I do not see the enemy,” this does not mean I do not see the enemy right before my very eyes. To be able to see the one without seeing the other is a singular thing.
Well then, the accomplished man uses the sword but does not kill others. He uses the sword and gives others life. When it is necessary to kill, he kills. When it is necessary to give life, he gives life. When killing, he kills in complete concentration; when giving life, he gives life in complete concentration. Without looking at right and wrong, he is able to see right and wrong; without attempting to discriminate, he is able to discriminate well. Treading on water is just like treading on land, and treading on land is just like treading on water. If he is able to gain this freedom, he will not be perplexed by anyone on earth. In all things, he will be beyond companions.
September 10, 2020
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.
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.
May 30, 2023
Good and helpful overall. It’s a collection of three essays and the first one was the best one. I was very attracted to it as it relates Zen with the art of the sword; being a classical pianist, I can actually relate to that (the piano is the sword!). But the latter two were simply too abstruse and reflect older ways of thinking.
October 30, 2023
if you like to finish a book and think to yourself what did I just read? this book is for you, or maybe that's just zen Buddhism idk look it's quite interesting, might make you catch a new perspective
August 23, 2022
Thoughts and practices meant for elders meditating and navigating the life of a swordsman. Although the time of warriors and samurai are past, these words can still hold true and help one on their own journey of self and how to exist in this modern age. I will listen to this again when needed, attempting my best to be ever flowing and ever growing. 10/10
April 10, 2021
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.
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.
April 24, 2012
Zen Budizmi ve savas sanatlari arasindaki zaman zaman urkutucu iliskiy en iyi sekilde anlatan kitaplardan biri Engellenemeyen Zihin. Gunumuzde Zen bariscil bir new age antin kuntini gibi algilaniyor cogunlukla malum L.Cohen bile cikti ya manastira... Halbuki bu ve bunun gibi bir baska muazzam klasik, Yukio Mishima'nin Sun and Steel'i aslinda Zen Budizminin son derece fasizan bir altyapisi oldugunu ve bu yonde kolaylikla kullanilabileceginin bir ornegi. Tabi bu Zen'i fasist yapmiyor sadece praxisinde boyle bir nuve barindiriyor demek istiyorum. Ote yandan, bir batilinin (ve malese bence bizim de) anlayabilecegi sekilde yazilmis en iyi Zen kitabi buyuk ustad Shunryu Suzuki'nin Zen Zihni, Baslangic Zihni ni tavsiye ederim. Hatta lutfen Simdi'nin Gucu'nu bir kenara koyalim ve Zen in gercek metaforlariyla degerini anlatan bu kitaplara takilalim derim ben :)
May 16, 2022
The profundity of this succinct text, essential to its longevity, can be gauged from the fact that it outlived its premier readership- the aristocratic Samurai warrior class in feudal Japan.
So what makes it relevant today? Takuan Soho renders crisp advisory guidance which emphasizes that contrary to popular religious thought (in the East at least), the human mind is not to be made static. Rather, it is to be unfettered of all coagulation. The mind must flow like water rather than statify.
William Scott has done an exceptional job in preserving both the brevity and essence of the original text while rendering it in lay English. A marvelous read indeed.
So what makes it relevant today? Takuan Soho renders crisp advisory guidance which emphasizes that contrary to popular religious thought (in the East at least), the human mind is not to be made static. Rather, it is to be unfettered of all coagulation. The mind must flow like water rather than statify.
William Scott has done an exceptional job in preserving both the brevity and essence of the original text while rendering it in lay English. A marvelous read indeed.
February 18, 2021
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.
Read
July 23, 2009A frequent reread. Practical and spiritual advice from the most renowned Zen master of feudal Japan.
October 4, 2022
As a martial artist and author, I enjoyed the book. Many lessons for everyday living can be drawn from training to battle. Enjoyably profound.
December 28, 2022
Takuan Soho zensplains swordfighting to a master swordsman. It comes off as encouragement to really double down on your ADHD.
The take-home is, the mind that stops presents an interval for a fella to get lost in, and in that loss, he will get chopped in half by a more fluid-thinking samurai. Takuan's key is that the grind never stops, wherein the grind is the stream-of-consciousness flow of uncritical perception and unpremeditated action within the mind. If you don't think about the sword, you don't get lost in the sword. If you don't think about your stance, what your hand is doing, what your enemy is doing, you don't get lost in any of those things.
He keeps relating the mind to a cat. If the cat is free to wander, it will wander around and do cat things, effectively. The jury's out on what effective cat things are, but it probably involves 'killing vermin', and that is useful. If you put a leash on a cat, the cat won't serve its purpose. If the cat is well-trained, you can let it off the leash and know it'll be out there doing what you need it to do, killing vermin, while not doing disobedient cat actions, like "killing a baby sparrow" which was of great concern to Takuan for some reason, or shitting in your bed.
So is the mind. You let it wander from one thing to the next without trying to redirect it or stop it, and it will do exactly what it needs to do at the best time to do it. It's only if you try to micromanage it, force your attention here and there, think about thinking about thinking about thinking about, that the cat gets oppositional and defiant.
What happens will happen, and for our delusions of grandeur, we happen in the same way. Where can the dust alight, amirite fellas?
He tells the story of a Zen priest named Mugaku who got captured during a disturbance in China, and the soldier has him at swordpoint, ready to cut our man clean in half. Mugaku responds to this, in typical Zen priest fashion, by quoting obtuse poetry: "With the speed of a flash of lightning / cut through the spring breeze", prompting the soldier to immediately throw down his sword and flee. Undoubtedly to be caught, court-martialed, and chopped up as a deserter within a few days.
So what did Mugaku mean by this? Iunno man. Zen moment. But Takuan suggests it was another meditation on the ways in which we separate ourselves from our environment and the universe, as if such a thing were possible. The soldier is nothing, the sword is nothing, Mugaku is nothing, so the soldier cutting Mugaku in half, the speed with which his smug li'l life force will be snuffed, is as meaningless as swinging a sword into the wind.
Void sending void back to the void. Love me some Zen. And when the soldier who was so intimidated by Mugaku's perfectly timed "we're all like, one, man" is caught and filleted for going AWOL, his ropes of intestines hitting the dirt carried the same significance as the first or last droplets of a summer shower.
This, I'm told by dead clerics and Mandalorians alike, is the way.
The take-home is, the mind that stops presents an interval for a fella to get lost in, and in that loss, he will get chopped in half by a more fluid-thinking samurai. Takuan's key is that the grind never stops, wherein the grind is the stream-of-consciousness flow of uncritical perception and unpremeditated action within the mind. If you don't think about the sword, you don't get lost in the sword. If you don't think about your stance, what your hand is doing, what your enemy is doing, you don't get lost in any of those things.
He keeps relating the mind to a cat. If the cat is free to wander, it will wander around and do cat things, effectively. The jury's out on what effective cat things are, but it probably involves 'killing vermin', and that is useful. If you put a leash on a cat, the cat won't serve its purpose. If the cat is well-trained, you can let it off the leash and know it'll be out there doing what you need it to do, killing vermin, while not doing disobedient cat actions, like "killing a baby sparrow" which was of great concern to Takuan for some reason, or shitting in your bed.
So is the mind. You let it wander from one thing to the next without trying to redirect it or stop it, and it will do exactly what it needs to do at the best time to do it. It's only if you try to micromanage it, force your attention here and there, think about thinking about thinking about thinking about, that the cat gets oppositional and defiant.
What happens will happen, and for our delusions of grandeur, we happen in the same way. Where can the dust alight, amirite fellas?
He tells the story of a Zen priest named Mugaku who got captured during a disturbance in China, and the soldier has him at swordpoint, ready to cut our man clean in half. Mugaku responds to this, in typical Zen priest fashion, by quoting obtuse poetry: "With the speed of a flash of lightning / cut through the spring breeze", prompting the soldier to immediately throw down his sword and flee. Undoubtedly to be caught, court-martialed, and chopped up as a deserter within a few days.
So what did Mugaku mean by this? Iunno man. Zen moment. But Takuan suggests it was another meditation on the ways in which we separate ourselves from our environment and the universe, as if such a thing were possible. The soldier is nothing, the sword is nothing, Mugaku is nothing, so the soldier cutting Mugaku in half, the speed with which his smug li'l life force will be snuffed, is as meaningless as swinging a sword into the wind.
Void sending void back to the void. Love me some Zen. And when the soldier who was so intimidated by Mugaku's perfectly timed "we're all like, one, man" is caught and filleted for going AWOL, his ropes of intestines hitting the dirt carried the same significance as the first or last droplets of a summer shower.
This, I'm told by dead clerics and Mandalorians alike, is the way.
July 29, 2021
There is a lot to love in this little book, it connects with elements of Confucianism, Buddhism, Stoicism, Dostoevsky, Christianity, martial arts, and Top Gun.
I read Munenori's "The Life-Giving Sword", and Soho is talking directly to Munenori in the first section of "The Unfettered Mind". I loved the mentor/mentee relationship, the teachings Munenori has repeated in his book from Soho, and the further development of the Right Mind and the Confused Mind along with an analysis of Right-Mindedness.
I am curious about the use of the word "volition", which Soho defines as, "...operating the body on the basis of feeling and perception. This means hating pain and so obtaining pleasure, or hating evil and so doing things that are good for oneself." This seems far different from the Western use of the word, which we use in a positive light to describe a self-starter, a motivated person. Always-reliable Wikipedia mentions the work of Narziß Ach, who differentiates between motivation and volition depending on how much desire a person has. In keeping with Buddhist principles, I assume desire to be counter-productive in terms of right-mindedness, so a low level of desire means I am motivated, whereas a higher level of desire fits into Ach's definition of volition.
Soho goes into some detail about reincarnation, which reminded me of "The Tibetan Book of the Dead's" talk of the six "in-betweens" such as life between birth and death, and dream between sleep and waking. What Soho refers to as "meta-existence", the Bardo Thödol seems to include Reality and Existence, which both lie between the death point and rebirth.
"Consciousness is, therefore, desire." - Soho
"But all the same I am strongly convinced that not only too much consciousness but even any consciousness at all is a sickness." - Dostoevsky, "Notes from Underground"
The part that reminded me of Christianity was in the Clear Sound of Jewels section of Soho's book. In it, Soho says, "All men put on the face of right-mindedness, but they do not truly think about it.
Because of this folly, when some unpleasantness is visited upon a man, he is unable to bear it and spits out words of abuse..." This reminded me of the story of Job, who although he faced countless miseries and abuses, never blames God for his trials.
In The Unfettered Mind, it says, "Well then, the accomplished man uses the sword but does not kill others. He uses the sword and gives other life. When it is necessary to kill, he kills. When it is necessary to give life, he gives life." This is an advanced concept in martial arts, that knowing how to fight compels the martial artist to solve a problem peacefully.
"If one thinks, he will be taken by his thoughts." - Soho
"If you think, you're dead." - Maverick
I read Munenori's "The Life-Giving Sword", and Soho is talking directly to Munenori in the first section of "The Unfettered Mind". I loved the mentor/mentee relationship, the teachings Munenori has repeated in his book from Soho, and the further development of the Right Mind and the Confused Mind along with an analysis of Right-Mindedness.
I am curious about the use of the word "volition", which Soho defines as, "...operating the body on the basis of feeling and perception. This means hating pain and so obtaining pleasure, or hating evil and so doing things that are good for oneself." This seems far different from the Western use of the word, which we use in a positive light to describe a self-starter, a motivated person. Always-reliable Wikipedia mentions the work of Narziß Ach, who differentiates between motivation and volition depending on how much desire a person has. In keeping with Buddhist principles, I assume desire to be counter-productive in terms of right-mindedness, so a low level of desire means I am motivated, whereas a higher level of desire fits into Ach's definition of volition.
Soho goes into some detail about reincarnation, which reminded me of "The Tibetan Book of the Dead's" talk of the six "in-betweens" such as life between birth and death, and dream between sleep and waking. What Soho refers to as "meta-existence", the Bardo Thödol seems to include Reality and Existence, which both lie between the death point and rebirth.
"Consciousness is, therefore, desire." - Soho
"But all the same I am strongly convinced that not only too much consciousness but even any consciousness at all is a sickness." - Dostoevsky, "Notes from Underground"
The part that reminded me of Christianity was in the Clear Sound of Jewels section of Soho's book. In it, Soho says, "All men put on the face of right-mindedness, but they do not truly think about it.
Because of this folly, when some unpleasantness is visited upon a man, he is unable to bear it and spits out words of abuse..." This reminded me of the story of Job, who although he faced countless miseries and abuses, never blames God for his trials.
In The Unfettered Mind, it says, "Well then, the accomplished man uses the sword but does not kill others. He uses the sword and gives other life. When it is necessary to kill, he kills. When it is necessary to give life, he gives life." This is an advanced concept in martial arts, that knowing how to fight compels the martial artist to solve a problem peacefully.
"If one thinks, he will be taken by his thoughts." - Soho
"If you think, you're dead." - Maverick
September 19, 2020
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.
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.
Read
March 19, 2023The Unfettered Mind is a fascinating text filled with lightning. I was initially drawn to this book because of Takuan's role in Musashi's life - at least in Yoshikawa's wonderful novel. I am thankful I followed my curiosity.
Takuan can certainly point one to the way of the unfettered mind, but I love how he regularly reminds the reader (letters to a friend, historically), that one most do the hard work oneself for it to mean anything - a reminder Musashi also regularly does in his Book of Five Rings. Takuan offers many gems worth contemplating and transforming with.
On a side note: -
I am filled with an awe of thankfulness for being able to read 600 year old texts translated from another language. It's easy to take for granted, but also easy to blow one's mind.
Some favorite gems:
It must be said that the enlightening of one's mind depends on the depths of one's efforts.
We should be like the lotus which is unstained by the mud from which it rises. Even though the mud exists, we are not to be distressed by this. One makes his mind like the well-polished crystal that remains unstained even if put in the mud.
The effect of tightening up on the mind is to make it unfree. Bringing the mind under control is a thing done only in the beginning. if one remains this way all the way through life, in the end one will never reach the highest level. In fact, he will not rise above the lowest.
If we observe phenomena closely, it cannot be thought that anything between heaven and earth is really different. If we see differences, it is due to the narrowness of our vision.
This is like Mount Fuji being concealed by a tree thick with branches and leaves, and my not being able not being able to see it. But how can Mount Fuji be concealed by a single tree? It is simply because of the narrowness of my vision and because the tree stands in the way of my vision that Mount Fuji cannot be seen.
Takuan can certainly point one to the way of the unfettered mind, but I love how he regularly reminds the reader (letters to a friend, historically), that one most do the hard work oneself for it to mean anything - a reminder Musashi also regularly does in his Book of Five Rings. Takuan offers many gems worth contemplating and transforming with.
On a side note: -
I am filled with an awe of thankfulness for being able to read 600 year old texts translated from another language. It's easy to take for granted, but also easy to blow one's mind.
Some favorite gems:
It must be said that the enlightening of one's mind depends on the depths of one's efforts.
We should be like the lotus which is unstained by the mud from which it rises. Even though the mud exists, we are not to be distressed by this. One makes his mind like the well-polished crystal that remains unstained even if put in the mud.
The effect of tightening up on the mind is to make it unfree. Bringing the mind under control is a thing done only in the beginning. if one remains this way all the way through life, in the end one will never reach the highest level. In fact, he will not rise above the lowest.
If we observe phenomena closely, it cannot be thought that anything between heaven and earth is really different. If we see differences, it is due to the narrowness of our vision.
This is like Mount Fuji being concealed by a tree thick with branches and leaves, and my not being able not being able to see it. But how can Mount Fuji be concealed by a single tree? It is simply because of the narrowness of my vision and because the tree stands in the way of my vision that Mount Fuji cannot be seen.
September 17, 2022
I enjoyed this book very much. Takuan's ideas came to me at the same time that I've begun to re-investigate the place of Buddhism in my life. Now that I am older and have considered and seen much more about what is 'real' and what isn't real in this thing we call physical life, the value of what Takuan shares is much closer to my heart and understanding. This book helped me to move along my path towards greater awareness.
I would think that this book is good for people who have been wrestling with Buddhist ideas of impermanence for a while rather than as a first reader to Buddhist thought, even though Takuan's writing is very clear and to the point in the Buddhist metaphorical and allegorical way.
And it has a lot to say, in a purely practical and metaphysical way, about how we have come to be living in the age of covid delusion and the related overt manifestation of so-called good intentioned tyranny:
A valuable read at this time in my life. 5 stars.
I would think that this book is good for people who have been wrestling with Buddhist ideas of impermanence for a while rather than as a first reader to Buddhist thought, even though Takuan's writing is very clear and to the point in the Buddhist metaphorical and allegorical way.
And it has a lot to say, in a purely practical and metaphysical way, about how we have come to be living in the age of covid delusion and the related overt manifestation of so-called good intentioned tyranny:
The Right Mind and the Confused Mind
The Right Mind is the mind that does not remain in one place. It is the mind that stretches throughout the entire body and self.
The Confused Mind is the mind that, thinking something over [as true], congeals in one place.
When the Right Mind congeals and settles in one placed it becomes what is called the Confused Mind. When the Right Mind is lost, it was lacking in function here and there. For that reason, it is important not to lose it.
In not remaining in one place, the Right Mind is like water. The Confused Mind is like ice, and ice is unable to wash hands or head (p32).
A valuable read at this time in my life. 5 stars.
April 19, 2021
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.
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.
December 31, 2021
Written by monk and sword master Takuan Soho (who's name has been given the to the yellow radish that garnish sushi or kimbop dishes), this book is a treatise written for the Samurai on the nature of performance, and one can focus and train on performance and put it into proper context within the social structure of the era. What I just wrote is a modern vantage of it of course, in the literal words of the text, it's a book on how one ought to think of swordsmanship, combat, and how one should exercise fealty to their daimyo.
Much of the text is focused on knowing oneself, knowing the other, and ensuring that you know yourself perfectly (as possible), and should that fail, and your adversary know themselves better, you will surely fall in combat. I'll have to read it again, but a lot of knowing oneself in this case extends to also knowing one's ability, and knowing one's intentions, and not doubting their action, if one's intentions is fully known (to have your mind in your hand so-to-speak).
In a way, it's very similar to kind of productivity books one would read about corporate life, and also in a way, it's quite sad that the "fealty" relationship the common worker has today is not too dissimilar to the relationship the samurai had to their daimyo several hundred years ago.
An interesting, but opaque read (even in translation). Conditional recommendation for those who want to read more Zen philosophy.
Much of the text is focused on knowing oneself, knowing the other, and ensuring that you know yourself perfectly (as possible), and should that fail, and your adversary know themselves better, you will surely fall in combat. I'll have to read it again, but a lot of knowing oneself in this case extends to also knowing one's ability, and knowing one's intentions, and not doubting their action, if one's intentions is fully known (to have your mind in your hand so-to-speak).
In a way, it's very similar to kind of productivity books one would read about corporate life, and also in a way, it's quite sad that the "fealty" relationship the common worker has today is not too dissimilar to the relationship the samurai had to their daimyo several hundred years ago.
An interesting, but opaque read (even in translation). Conditional recommendation for those who want to read more Zen philosophy.
March 2, 2020
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.
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.
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