Zen in the Art of Archery

Zen in the Art of Archery

Rating

7.0

The Pequod Review:

Eugen Herrigel's Zen in the Art of Archery takes a spiritual and mystical approach to the game of archery:

The contest consists in the archer aiming at himself -- and yet not at himself, in hitting himself -- and yet not himself, and thus becoming simultaneously the aimer and the aim, the hitter and the hit. Or, to use some expressions which are nearest to the heart of the Masters, it is necessary for the archer to become, in spite of himself, an unmoved center. Then comes the supreme and ultimate miracle: art becomes "artless," shooting becomes not-shooting, a shooting without bow and arrow; the teacher becomes a pupil again, the Master a beginner, the end a beginning, and the beginning perfection. 

Like Tim Gallwey's The Inner Game of Tennis, this book will give you a deeper appreciation of the broader psychology of sports.