The Unfettered Mind: Writings from a Zen Master to a Master Swordsman

Excellent reading, especially if you have an interest in both swordsmanship and philosophy.

In this book, do not expect to find either enlightenment or the answer to your questions, because this is not a guide to life or spiritualism. Rather, the unfettered mind is a collection of letters, each revealing the viewpoint of the Zen master Takuan to the reciever. An amusing and deeply philosophical book, portraying a "path" long since abandoned. A must for anyone's bookshelf that contains spiritual books.

For every martial artist, it does not matter if you do karate, aikido, judo or anything else. This will strike a chord with your if you have progressed long enough for the technical aspects of your art to routine.

This books offers an insight into the unique mindset of the Japanese Samurai during an era when one was not simply expected to master the sword but to also master his own self.

My son was very happy, thank you.

Must have book

OK, but more as a curious historical document than a text that inspires. In that sense I prefer some writings of D.T. Suzuki and Eugen Herrigel etc.

Great read

Great

My review of 'The Book of Five Rings' apply to this book as well. It is among the 4 classics on strategy that I carry with me at all times. I prefer the print version because I tend to annotate the text with my observations over time. Required reading for the most refined study of strategy (business, marketing, martial art, war, politics, or anything else that can be interpreted as conflict), along with Sun Tzu's Art of War, Musashi's Book of Five Rings, and Lao Tzu's Tao-Te-Ching.

I really enjoyed this book!!! 📖 I find my ability to vitiate mental attachment to a topic without my full consent strengthened. I don’t know that I had any awareness of how much time, energy, effort, and potential was being wasted or siphoned in this one Way. I genuinely hope to keep strengthening this conscious choice of what I apply my mind towards in the future: it really is a powerful tool underpinning any conscious success.

Takuan is one of my sources for inspiration, and I value this work. He was born during the Warring States period in 1573 into a Samurai family of the Miura clan, and entered a Jodo-sect Buddhist monastery when he was 10. He joined the Zen Rinzai sect when he was 14, and made history by becoming the abbot of Daitokuji, one of the major temples in Kyoto, at the young age of only 30. He was a prolific writer who composed over 6 major volumes, of which this is but a small fragment. The three works contained here were all written to great sword masters including Yagyu Munenori, and last piece was possibly to the head of the Itto school of swordsmanship, Ono Tadaaki. The purpose of these works is to unify the spirit of Zen with the spirit of the sword. To transcend the physical duel and have unbroken awareness of everything in the moment. This is not a book to read quickly and hope to find entertainment or a lesson in history. This is deep martial philosophy written by an absolute genius and master of some of the highest arts in ancient Japan. The book contains a few images of his art and calligraphy, but unless you know what to look for it is hard to see just how great his work is. I bought a repo scroll of his calligraphy when last I was in Japan. There is a standout quality about his style in that his scripting appears three dimensional. In fact, it is almost impossible for at least my mind to follow some of the path. Never seen anything like it. I own an original Tesshu who was a great master, but there is something unique and special about Takuan's style that suggests he may have indeed been operating on a whole different level. "The unfettered Mind" is very advanced stuff. This is not a casual read, and it will appeal to experienced martial artists willing to work with it and apply deep meditation to the many concepts that may not be apparent at first glance. This is one of the greats.

This book contains *utterly profound* wisdom, that goes as deep as you can dive. If you're considering buying it, just go for it. Even if you're deep into philosophy, spirituality, martial arts, even psychology- you should find something to contemplate in this short book. If you buy it and find no use of it, you can potentially change someone's life by giving it to them. This is the real deal, no nonsense.