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The Religion of the Samurai: A Study of Zen Philosophy and Discipline in China and Japan
"The Religion of the Samurai" is a classic religious text by Kaiten Nukariya published in 1913.
Zen was uniquely suited to the Samurai of Japan. The high moral principles of Buddhism, when adopted and adapted by the Japanese warriors who became the Samurai, created an austere philosophy of singular beauty and depth. Its characteristic requirements of strict control over body and mind was exemplified by ancient warrior monks whose serene countenance, even in the face of certain death, made them much admired even by their foes.
Zen may be the most misunderstood of the world's moral philosophies. While it is often classified as a Religion, it is frequently considered by its adherents to be a utilitarian philosophy, a collection of rational moral precepts or, even more simply, as a state of being. The aim of the practice of Zen is to become Enlightened and achieve the beatitude of Nirvana.
Zen was uniquely suited to the Samurai of Japan. The high moral principles of Buddhism, when adopted and adapted by the Japanese warriors who became the Samurai, created an austere philosophy of singular beauty and depth. Its characteristic requirements of strict control over body and mind was exemplified by ancient warrior monks whose serene countenance, even in the face of certain death, made them much admired even by their foes.
Zen may be the most misunderstood of the world's moral philosophies. While it is often classified as a Religion, it is frequently considered by its adherents to be a utilitarian philosophy, a collection of rational moral precepts or, even more simply, as a state of being. The aim of the practice of Zen is to become Enlightened and achieve the beatitude of Nirvana.
198 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1913
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
May 24, 2021
No matter what, the Zen-samurai can endure anything and everything. Because “…he can enjoy everything” . That’s how the book ends. The self must have authority “over all the body”. Zen IS the religion of the samurai.
The book starts with a historical perspective of the two main currents of Zen: the Rinzei and the Soto traditions. It proceeds highlighting the parallels between a Zen monk and a samurai warrior. Many, indeed, acknowledges the author.
Then, the steps for mental training are exposed. Ideal places for meditation, adequate sitting positions, foods etc are approached.
I’ve found some irony [?] when the author compared the learning of Zen to the burglar and the son, who wanted to learn the tricks of the trade of his father. So his father took him to a place he was stealing from, at night. It happens, somehow, they were spotted; the father managed to escape but left the son locked inside a box.
Zen is like that: you’ve got to figure it out, how to get out of the box; you’re (like) the son, trying to escape, unscathed; un-resentful.
The superpowers issue is touched. It seems not that important in Zen, as they are in certain Chinese traditions. Suffice to say: life WITHIN is “divine”.
You're really boxed.
By the way, the son started scratching the box like a cat....
March 4, 2015
There is a LOT of vocabulary pertaining to Buddhism and Zen, which just makes you be lost in all that. There's really little about the relationship between Zen and Samurais and the whole Bushido philosophy. It builds the difference between Himayanism and Mahayanism, with the different approaches it has as a whole, but even then you get lost with all the sutras, mantras, and weird hindu names.
This book was a dissapointment to be honest, and i only finished it because of my obsession that makes me finish all books once i start them.
This book was a dissapointment to be honest, and i only finished it because of my obsession that makes me finish all books once i start them.
August 26, 2022
Veldig lite samurai-snakk for en bok som- helt åpenbart -skal fortelle noe om samuraier. Litt snork, utenom når det faktisk handler om samuraier smh.
January 24, 2011
This is one of those free books on the Kindle (and the web), by the way.
If the first 150 or so pages are any indication of the rest of the book, then the title may be a little misleading. If you are interested mainly in the Samurai class and your interest in their religion is mainly due to this, you will be disappointed. If you are interested in Zen Buddhism, this might be more your cup of tea.
I was of the first kind of reader, but the introduction to the Zen school at the beginning of the book was well-written enough to convert me into the second. I learned of the distinctions between Mahayana and Theravada, and of the Zen definition of good and evil (the best one I've heard of so far). By far the most enjoyable parts of the book are the anecdotes about Zen monks and their cryptic behavior.
One of my problems with the text is that it begins to read as a sort of extended pamphlet for the religion. My guess is that Nukariya drank the kool-aid, so most of the facts given are positively biased (i.e. Mahayana Buddhism is the one "for grown-ups"). The other problem is that, as you go further into the book, the narrative turns more and more into a sort of almanac of Bodhisattvas, monks and schools. This is not the bird's eye view that you may want as an introduction.
If the first 150 or so pages are any indication of the rest of the book, then the title may be a little misleading. If you are interested mainly in the Samurai class and your interest in their religion is mainly due to this, you will be disappointed. If you are interested in Zen Buddhism, this might be more your cup of tea.
I was of the first kind of reader, but the introduction to the Zen school at the beginning of the book was well-written enough to convert me into the second. I learned of the distinctions between Mahayana and Theravada, and of the Zen definition of good and evil (the best one I've heard of so far). By far the most enjoyable parts of the book are the anecdotes about Zen monks and their cryptic behavior.
One of my problems with the text is that it begins to read as a sort of extended pamphlet for the religion. My guess is that Nukariya drank the kool-aid, so most of the facts given are positively biased (i.e. Mahayana Buddhism is the one "for grown-ups"). The other problem is that, as you go further into the book, the narrative turns more and more into a sort of almanac of Bodhisattvas, monks and schools. This is not the bird's eye view that you may want as an introduction.
March 26, 2013
WOW ... what a struggle!
The version that I read was a freebie e-book version from Amazon. The way the book was digitized made for a very aggravating read, and it took me well over half way through the book before I realized that my confusion was being caused by the way the footnotes appeared. Once I figured out how this was done I was able to set a good pace with it and it was almost enjoyable ... almost!
As with most books that you read originating from the Far East, the first part of the book is dedicated to the history and lineages ... which can be quite complicated and cumbersome. The book was further hampered by the seemingly endless redundancy that seems to accompany this subject matter.
If you are interested in this topic, I this this book would be a good source for you ... just DON'T do this version ... stick with a physical book for this one.
The version that I read was a freebie e-book version from Amazon. The way the book was digitized made for a very aggravating read, and it took me well over half way through the book before I realized that my confusion was being caused by the way the footnotes appeared. Once I figured out how this was done I was able to set a good pace with it and it was almost enjoyable ... almost!
As with most books that you read originating from the Far East, the first part of the book is dedicated to the history and lineages ... which can be quite complicated and cumbersome. The book was further hampered by the seemingly endless redundancy that seems to accompany this subject matter.
If you are interested in this topic, I this this book would be a good source for you ... just DON'T do this version ... stick with a physical book for this one.
March 9, 2017
I found this to be a hard read. Long confusing and difficult to understand. It is probably due to the book being translations and the author's attempt to help make scene of the subject. I will probably go back and read it a second time, just because the subject matter is interesting to me, but it will be a while before I will have the patience to attempt a second reading.
December 13, 2010
Very thought provoking book with essays on the mind, morality, nature and origins of man.
July 15, 2017
(Audiobook) The title is so misleading...... this has nothing to do with Samurai or Japanese history. However it does focus on Zen Buddhism.
July 20, 2024
"Zen: The Religion of the Samurai" by Kaiten Nukariya provides an insightful look into Zen Buddhism's influence on the samurai. The book effectively blends historical context and philosophical insights, highlighting the principles of discipline, mindfulness, and direct experience. It's a compelling read for those interested in Zen, samurai culture, and Japanese history.
December 28, 2019
This book was particularly hard work because the footnotes had been transcribed as part of the main text. It was also difficult to follow the many names and terms mentioned in the book without a glossary. Not recommended unless you know far more about Buddhism than i do.
November 5, 2022
Hard to read, but a lot to think about.
More of a philosophy book than a religious one
More of a philosophy book than a religious one
May 4, 2024
Zenmuria!
August 19, 2022
Perhaps sit outside in your backyard or peaceful park when you read this book.
May 13, 2013
I have recently read a book called The Religion of the Samurai by Kaiten Nukariya. This book was about where the religion of the Samurai came from. I think this is a boring book and I didn’t enjoy reading it.
The point of this book was to inform us about what the religion of the Samurai was and how it came to be the way it is now. The author was trying to tell us about a religion called Zen. I felt that it was good to know about other religions, but I didn’t understand much of the book.
I didn’t like this book because it had too many words that I didn’t understand, which made it boring to me. So, since I barely understood what I was reading, I couldn’t enjoy the book. If I could change one thing about the book, it would be that they would explain some of the words, and stuff like that.
I would recommend this book to someone who likes to read about different religions, or about asian culture. You would need to have a pretty big vocabulary to understand the book.
The point of this book was to inform us about what the religion of the Samurai was and how it came to be the way it is now. The author was trying to tell us about a religion called Zen. I felt that it was good to know about other religions, but I didn’t understand much of the book.
I didn’t like this book because it had too many words that I didn’t understand, which made it boring to me. So, since I barely understood what I was reading, I couldn’t enjoy the book. If I could change one thing about the book, it would be that they would explain some of the words, and stuff like that.
I would recommend this book to someone who likes to read about different religions, or about asian culture. You would need to have a pretty big vocabulary to understand the book.
March 20, 2011
This will be the first book I read on my new iPad. Finally finished this snoozer. It was filled with names (Chinese and Japanese) and was very hard to read. I thought it would be an explanation of the philosophy, but if you go by the information here, the philosophy is that there is no philosophy. The author's view on the religion is offered near the end of the book, but by then I was so confused about Buddhism, Confucianism and Zen that I didn't want to add his opinions to the muddle. I'm still interested in understanding it, but I might hunt up another book on it. On the positive side, I love reading on my iPad.
August 6, 2011
i read 3% of this book and stopped after i realized i would never understand it. i became so tripped up in trying to pronounce the names and terms that i often forgot the premise of the present sentence i was reading. maybe i just don't know as much about buddhism as i thought i did, and need to take a crash course on it before i could understand this book. perhaps actual buddhists would find this to be a good read. not for le, though..
January 20, 2016
I have read a free version available for the Kindle, which could be a better experience: the footnotes were intertwined with actual text.
Overall, I expected more historical context, or more in depth exploration of parallels between Zen, and samurai culture. It turned out to be a lot more about Zen itself.
The explanation of its tenets was an interesting one, albeit quite technical and heavy on terminology straight out of sutras.
Overall, I expected more historical context, or more in depth exploration of parallels between Zen, and samurai culture. It turned out to be a lot more about Zen itself.
The explanation of its tenets was an interesting one, albeit quite technical and heavy on terminology straight out of sutras.
June 7, 2013
This book is quite a good overview of Zen Buddhism, although it has nothing to do with Samurai.
The first chapter is very heavy going, with lots of names and footnotes, but also isn't especially necessary for the remainder of the book. The remaining chapters are easier to read and give some good insights into the principles of Zen Buddhism such as the view on mindfulness and meditation.
The first chapter is very heavy going, with lots of names and footnotes, but also isn't especially necessary for the remainder of the book. The remaining chapters are easier to read and give some good insights into the principles of Zen Buddhism such as the view on mindfulness and meditation.
January 2, 2015
Needs a cleanup
As happens with a lot of these free Amazon ebooks, there are lots of typos and major disorganization. The book itself is quite fascinating if a bit confusing about just what Zen is. But a part of that confusion is because of the poor layout, with footnotes thrown in right after sections of text. It's messy.
As happens with a lot of these free Amazon ebooks, there are lots of typos and major disorganization. The book itself is quite fascinating if a bit confusing about just what Zen is. But a part of that confusion is because of the poor layout, with footnotes thrown in right after sections of text. It's messy.
April 7, 2015
True, not an easy read for the light reader. It has a lot of Indian/Hindu references, names, and vocabulary. However, if you have the capacity to absorb it, the book is full of the complexities and nuance of the history and pholosophy of zen.
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November 14, 2011research for first novel
January 3, 2015
N.M.R.K.
July 26, 2017
This is a great overview of Zen!
True to say it doesn't go into great depth. Yet it's so well structured and shows the progression of Zen over the ages with examples from Zen to pin point each chapters meaning.
It was a joyous read from start to finish!
Enjoy!!!
True to say it doesn't go into great depth. Yet it's so well structured and shows the progression of Zen over the ages with examples from Zen to pin point each chapters meaning.
It was a joyous read from start to finish!
Enjoy!!!
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews