The Life-Giving Sword
Translated by William Scott Wilson
By Yagyu Munenori
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Shambhala Publications10/18/2012Pages: 192Size: 5.25 x 7.5ISBN: 9781590309902DetailsThis book is also included in our Reader's Guide on The Samurai and Zen where you will find other important Zen classics.
The legendary seventeenth-century swordsman Yagyu Munenori was the sword instructor and military and political adviser to two shoguns—and was a rival to the great Miyamoto Musashi. Despite his martial ability and his political power, Munenori spent his life immersed in Zen teachings and practice. These teachings formed the framework for his deeply spiritual approach to sword fighting; Munenori saw in the practice of the sword a way to transform the student into a total human being. The Life-Giving Sword is Munenori’s manifesto on his approach. His central themes are the “Life-Giving Sword”—the idea of controlling one’s opponent by spiritual readiness to fight rather than by actual fighting—and “No Sword,” which is the idea that the mind must be free of everything, even the sword itself, in order to get to the place of complete mastery. Munenori’s ideas are essential reading for martial artists of all kinds and can be applied to business and human relations as well.
RelatedCheck items to add to the cart orAuthor BioWilliam Scott Wilson is the foremost translator into English of traditional Japanese texts on samurai culture. He received BA degrees from Dartmouth College and the Monterey Institute of Foreign Studies, and an MA in Japanese literary studies from the University of Washington. His best-selling books include The Book of Five Rings, The Unfettered Mind, and The Lone Samurai, a biography of Miyamoto Musashi.Yagyu Munenori (1571–1646) was a renowned swordsman, military instructor, political advisor to shoguns, dedicated student of Zen Buddhism, and rival to Miyamoto Musashi (author of The Book of Five Rings).Selected Reader Reviews