What do you think?
Rate this book
Herding the Ox: The Martial Arts As Moral Metaphor
"Herding The Ox" uses the ancient Ten Oxherding Pictures of Zen as a springboard to discuss the spiritual and ethical dimensions of the martial arts. By combining historical vignettes about Japan's greatest warriors with thought provoking analysis, it illuminates the relationship between Zen concepts and real-life experiences in the martial arts.
141 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1998
16 people want to read
About the author
John Donohue
36 books88 followersJohn Donohue is a novelist and martial artist whose novels in the Burke Yamashita series, Sensei, Deshi, Tengu and the forthcoming (July 2011) Kage all explore the world of elite martial arts training and the implications of a life of action
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 12, 2017
ALTHOUGH IT SEEMS TO BE ABOUT AN INTENSE KIND OF FOCUS ON THE HERE AND NOW ITS REALLY ABOUT LOSING ALL CONCERN WITH YOURSELF AND REDIRECTING YOUR FOCUS ONTO THE REST OF THE WORLD.
Both Zen and martial arts are concerned with the creation of an unclouded vision of the here and now.
Both acknowledge the fact that somehow human culture has impaired our perception of the world. They both maintain that through; training, persistence and effort this faulty perception may be rectified.
For all the years when he has grasped his weapons so tightly, so intent on winning, on proving himself, he had in fact been overlooking the most essential lesson : letting go.
You have to let go. Of pride. Of concern for your reputation. Of the fear of losing.
Only be extending the insights gained through training to the rest of our lives, however, will we become better people.
By concentrating totally on the action, by continuing the action up to and beyond the point of exhaustion, its thought that the trainee will lose himself in the movement. This will make the action a natural one, and invests it with a speed, grace and focus which is absent as long as the trainee maintains the distinction between thinking and doing, between himself and the art.
Things worth knowing and doing are rarely easily acquired, that they require hard work, discipline, honesty and a focus that is frequently absent from our day to day experience.
The virtue of training is not that it leads us anywhere, but that it eventually helps us forget our obsessions with getting anywhere in the first place.
Both Zen and martial arts are concerned with the creation of an unclouded vision of the here and now.
Both acknowledge the fact that somehow human culture has impaired our perception of the world. They both maintain that through; training, persistence and effort this faulty perception may be rectified.
For all the years when he has grasped his weapons so tightly, so intent on winning, on proving himself, he had in fact been overlooking the most essential lesson : letting go.
You have to let go. Of pride. Of concern for your reputation. Of the fear of losing.
Only be extending the insights gained through training to the rest of our lives, however, will we become better people.
By concentrating totally on the action, by continuing the action up to and beyond the point of exhaustion, its thought that the trainee will lose himself in the movement. This will make the action a natural one, and invests it with a speed, grace and focus which is absent as long as the trainee maintains the distinction between thinking and doing, between himself and the art.
Things worth knowing and doing are rarely easily acquired, that they require hard work, discipline, honesty and a focus that is frequently absent from our day to day experience.
The virtue of training is not that it leads us anywhere, but that it eventually helps us forget our obsessions with getting anywhere in the first place.
August 26, 2011
In a society where morality and ethics are not always popular topics, Dr. John Donohue pulls from his knowledge of Social Science, anthropology, and his study and experience of the martial arts, to provide an enlightening perspective on how the study of martial arts can provide an opportunity for spiritual as well a physical development. With the increased interest of martial arts in adults and youth alike, Herding the Ox, is an excellent resource to aid those who are seeking a true and deeper meaning of the martial arts. While the book is centered around the Ten Oxherding pictures of Zen, it is also filled with stories of past warriors who were confronted with various challenges along their path and the ways in which they faced them. As a marital artist and someone entering the educational work force, I have found this book a wonderful resource when explaining to others the importance, relevance, and positive influence that a sincere practice of martial arts can have in the lives of those who follow their chosen path with honor, dignity, and compassion. It is a testament that the training we receive is not only physical and for the dojo, but is carried out in the actions of our daily lives and our relationship with life.
October 29, 2013
Herding the Ox is, as it says on the cover a moral metaphor for the Martial Arts. It so aptly describes the journey through the Martial Arts from beginning to the mature Martial Artist. The book walks through the story of herding the Ox, and then Mr. Donohue adds his insights following. This book will delight the martial artist no matter your rank and it will give insight to what is behind or before you.
The book offers a metaphor for all readers in which to assess personal growth in an introspective manner, which is something we all need to do on a regular basis.
The book offers a metaphor for all readers in which to assess personal growth in an introspective manner, which is something we all need to do on a regular basis.
November 19, 2014
A very good treatment of the history and context of spiritual aspects of modern martial arts practice, and probably a must-read if you are in the admittedly small audience interested in that. Or if you just want a coherent answer to the hulking friend who keeps wondering aloud why you keep going to karate and iai when the UFC "settled that MMA was the only real martial art years ago." One issue is that the ebook version suffers from some egregious (and sometimes funny) OCR errors on Japanese terms. It needs a competent editor to fix them.
April 15, 2008
Easily accessible basic martial arts philosophy for beginners
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews