Zen In The Art Of Archery Summary

Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel is a book that examines the connection between a spiritual mindset and a physical action. There are a lot of opinions as to what “Zen” is explicitly defined as; it seems to the author that Zen is the true detachment of desire and acceptance of the present as such. This idea is very difficult to understand, especially to western culture; Herrigel’s fascination with the concept stems from his romanticized view of the East Asian culture. His interest with the mysticism of Zen led him to Kenzo Awa, a Master in the art of Japanese archery, in the hopes of learning more about Zen Buddhist principles. The Zen notion of patience is focused on very early in the book, being one of the perfections necessary

Herrigel associated the idea of detachment with all stimuli and emotion, affecting the archer’s performance. This is directly from Zen Buddhist philosophy, where all stimuli stemming from attachment such as sadness or delight hinders the ability to achieve enlightenment. What Master Awa wants Herrigel to understand is that all outside influences and attachments must be purged in order to succeed in the “art” of archery. In order to reinforce the lesson, the master disciplines his student whenever a moment of emotion appears, positive or negative. What the master archer holds internally when using the bow and arrow is a complete emotional neutrality, a state of indifference towards the outcome. This state of detachment allows master archers to focus on the practice instead of the result desired. However, detachment does not only come from outside influences; the detachment of the self is also necessary to master the art of Japanese archery. Herrigel’s (1953) example of this is how a master only mentions to a pupil that “…all right doing is accomplished only in a state of true selflessness” (p. 29). Detaching the self from the body allows the “spirit” to control all three elements: body, bow, and arrow, forming a single cohesive entity that accomplishes the “ritual” of shooting the