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Going to be starting "Asian Fighting Arts" by Donn Draeger and Robert Smith. Have had it on my shelf for a long time, curious to see how it is.
What Are You Reading?
- Thread starter Tames D
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Flying Crane
Sr. Grandmaster
Witchcraft in the Middle Ages by Jeffery Burton Russell.
Same Trick110 11
Master of Arts
Is that the book title ?
I google it but nothing as that comes up
The book is in Chinese only.
Same Trick110 11
Master of Arts
Thanks, Iāll see if I find it, the topic is interesting.
Becker tackles the problem of the vital lie - man's refusal to acknowledge his own mortality.
The book argues that human civilisation is a defence against the knowledge that we are mortal beings. Becker states that humans live in both the physical world and a symbolic world of meaning, which is where our 'immortality project' resides. We create in order to become immortal - to become part of something we believe will last forever; offspring, a successful business, important laws, a Space programme! In this way we hope to give our lives meaning and āimmortalityā.
In The Denial of Death, Becker sheds new light on the nature of humanity and issues a call to life and its living that still resonates decades after it was written.
A class member recommended this book.
It is not the sort of book I would usually read, but my classmate is an experienced martial artist and his previous suggestions have been good. There are a number of different martial artists interviewed and they come from various styles. Reading their thoughts is getting my brain thinking in new ways - I would certainly recommend this to open-minded martial artists and instructors.
It is not the sort of book I would usually read, but my classmate is an experienced martial artist and his previous suggestions have been good. There are a number of different martial artists interviewed and they come from various styles. Reading their thoughts is getting my brain thinking in new ways - I would certainly recommend this to open-minded martial artists and instructors.
My Amazon reviewā¦
Steven Pressfieldās slim volume sets out to distill the values that have driven warriors from ancient Sparta to the modern battlefield. Itās an appealing premise, and Pressfield, author of the excellent Gates of Fire, certainly knows his material. Unfortunately, the book never quite figures out what it wants to be.
Is it a history lesson? A philosophical treatise? A motivational pamphlet? The answer seems to shift from page to page. Pressfield dips into Spartan and Greek anecdotes, gestures at themes like honor, brotherhood, and shame, then drifts toward a more general reverence for the fighting man, without ever building a clear argument about what the āethosā actually is or why it matters. The reader finishes with plenty of impressions but little in the way of a thesis.
What emerges instead is something closer to tribute. The final stretch in particular tips into a rather gushing adulation of todayās soldiers, written in a register that can feel uncomfortably breathless. Admiration for military service is understandable, but the tone here is so reverent, and so uncritical, that it starts to read as hero-worship rather than insight. Thereās little interrogation of the warrior idealās darker edges, and the romanticism can grate, bordering on cringe in places.
At roughly 100 pages, itās a quick read, and fans of Pressfieldās prose will find moments of genuine eloquence. Itās a great jumping off point to learn about the Spartans and Alexander the Great, but those hoping for rigorous reflection on martial culture will likely come away wanting more substance and less sentimentality.
I thought this sounded a bit like a European, Knightās answer to Hagakure!
On the great influence of a valiant lord: "The companions, who see that good warriors are honored by the great lords for their prowess, become more determined to attain this level of prowess."
On the lady who sees her knight honored: "All of this makes the noble lady rejoice greatly within herself at the fact that she has set her mind and heart on loving and helping to make such a good knight or good man-at-arms."
On the worthiest amusements: "The best pastime of all is to be often in good company, far from unworthy men and from unworthy activities from which no good can come."
Enter the real world of knights and their code of ethics and behavior. Read how an aspiring knight of the fourteenth century would conduct himself and learn what he would have needed to know when traveling, fighting, appearing in court, and engaging fellow knights.
Composed at the height of the Hundred Years War by Geoffroi de Charny, one of the most respected knights of his age, A Knight's Own Book of Chivalry was designed as a guide for members of the Company of the Star, an order created by Jean II of France in 1352 to rival the English Order of the Garter.
This is the most authentic and complete manual on the day-to-day life of the knight that has survived the centuries, and this edition contains a specially commissioned introduction from historian Richard W. Kaeuper that gives the history of both the book and its author, who, among his other achievements, was the original owner of the Shroud of Turin.
This collection of ancient accounts, with Xenophon as its biggest fan, is a manual for turning children into warriors by making them as uncomfortable as possible. Boys are enrolled in military training at seven, given one cloak for the entire year, and deliberately underfed so they learn to steal food. The twist is that they are punished for getting caught, not for stealing. Dinner is a legendary black broth that even other Greeks found revolting. Money is made of heavy iron bars, so hoarding wealth requires an ox cart. Their humor is ālaconic,ā meaning they insult you in as few words as possible, and their mothers allegedly send sons off to war with ācome back with your shield or on it.ā
Xenophon writes like a devoted fan who also canāt quite hide his worry that his heroes have started going soft.
Spartans vs. samurai: Both were warrior cultures obsessed with discipline and a good death, but their personalities differ. The samurai ideal was a warrior who also wrote poetry, practiced calligraphy, and sipped tea with great ceremony, then peacefully shared a final lesson with his disciples. The Spartan ideal was a warrior who also... did more push-ups, and whose final words were a sharp one-liner. One culture composed a farewell haiku, while the other would have called the haiku ātoo long.ā!
Informative, bizarre, and oddly motivating. Just donāt try the broth.
Wing Woo Gar99 2
Grandmaster
Thanks for this!
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