Budo Secrets - Teachings of the Martial Arts Masters

ohn Stevens is the editor of this book. Stevens is a professor of budhist studies as well as an aikido teacher in Japan. He has written and translated more than thirty books.

There are three parts to this book. The first part is a collection of budo principles that have been gathered from old training manuals on very old scrolls. The other part are from tales reflecting on the philosophical sides of budo. One such tale is Neko no Myojutsu ("The fantastic techniques of the old cat").

In the third part Stevens presents stories from the old masters of budo, designed like inspirational words of wisdom and lessons. In this part you'll find included some drawings as well as caligraphy.

As the author himself states, this is not a book for "dummies" or "idiots". There are barely an explanation or clarifying comment in sight, and many the stories are meant to be cryptic (following the zen-tradition). In the introduction the author writes: "(...) They are to be understood through lifelong personal experience and self-reflection, through discussion with fellow trainees, and through person-to-person, heart-to-heart transmisson from a teacher."

If you wish to know more about the very fundament that many of our arts are built upon, and you don't shy away from doing som reflecting and thinking, then this is a book for you!

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