Training the Samurai Mind: A Bushido Sourcebook

by Thomas Cleary

Through the ages, the samurai have been associated with honor, fearlessness, calm, decisive action, strategic thinking, and martial prowess. Their ethos is known as bushido, the Way of the Warrior-Knight.

Here, premier translator Thomas Cleary presents a rich collection of writings on bushido by warriors, scholars, political advisors, and educators from the fifteenth century through the nineteenth century that provide a comprehensive, historically rich view of samurai life and philosophy. Training the Samurai Mind gives an insider's view of the samurai the moral and psychological development of the warrior, the ethical standards they were meant to uphold, their training in both martial arts and strategy, and the enormous role that the traditions of Shintoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism had in influencing samurai ideals.

The writings deal with a broad range of subjects—from military strategy and political science, to personal discipline and character development. Cleary introduces each piece, putting it into historical context, and presents biographical information about the authors. This is an essential read for anyone interested in military history and samurai history, and for martial artists who want to understand strategy.  

Genres: Philosophy, History, Martial Arts, Nonfiction, Japan, Audiobook, Psychology

277 pages, Hardcover

First published May 13, 2008

About the author

Dr. Thomas Francis Cleary, Ph.D. (East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University; J.D., Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California, Berkeley), was a prolific translator of Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, and Muslim classics, with a particular emphasis on popular translations of Mahāyāna works relevant to the Chan, Zen, and Soen systems.

Reviews

[Pat]

It's boring. Very boring. I don't think I can blame the author because he is merely translating primary source material from original samurai masters and teachers, but it dry nonetheless.

I was hoping to find some nuts and bolts descriptions of how one trained his body and mind to become a warrior of such renown that we still make movies about his lifestyle two hundred years later and half a world away. Instead, there was a bunch of pious, redundant pontificating. Real gems like "battle at night is the opposite of battle during the day" and odd stories about one-armed swordsmen in marketplaces and the courage of bees and scorpions compared to hesitating lions. I'd say roughly 60% of the book boils down to: don't be an asshole or fight battles just for the hell of it because that will get you killed. Not exactly ground-breaking stuff here.

I accept the possibility that I'm not reaching for deeper meanings or that it's fascinating to some (maybe those with more historical context) but if you are looking for something concrete, look elsewhere.

[Kilian Murphy]

An interesting book to understand the cultural mindset of imperial Japan but provides no contextualisation or analysis of the stories and philosophy which occur in each chapter. It dictates the personal writings of 22 master Samurai and is translated directly from source material. In this way it is not a guide to the Bushido philosophy, rather an insight into many master Samurai minds, lives and the world in which they lived, which is interesting, but limits its application to life today as a philosophy. Personally I think this book would have greatly been served by including an analysis of how each samurais personal philosophy helped to shape the wider understanding of Bushido and why this was important in the time. This context would aid the reader to extrapolate the lessons from 14th-18th Century Japan to the present day!

[Kai]

This book contains excerpts of the writings of twenty-two samurai from the fourteenth century through the mid-nineteenth century. While it does contain some of the well-known names such as Kaibara Ekken and Yamamoto Tsunetomo, the bulk of the text focuses on lesser-known samurai. The writings focus on both the political and technical aspects of war and approach the subject from multiple viewpoints, which are sometimes contradictory. The text assumes at least a basic understanding of Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Legalism, but it does contain a glossary of key figures and events. Cleary's translations are easy to follow. Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the different lenses through which the samurai understood warfare with the caveat that it does require some prior knowledge of East Asian religious/philosophical systems, and knowledge of major events in China and Japan during the time period is helpful, but not absolutely necessary.

[Justin Fry]

Very wise, very to the point. I enjoyed it.

[Nelson]

Cleary pieces together and translates the principal sources of the Bushido tradition. This is a good reminder to, for a lack of better words, grow a pair. Warriors who fight like they know they will die are able to face thousands of enemies. Warriors who fear for their lives generally die on the battlefield. Although the source of my courage is time spent on the streets of Queens, and not from studying the Samurai ethic, this book nonetheless reinforces.

Training the Samurai Mind contains passages written by Samurai throughout Japan's history, and often quotes earlier sources, especially Buddhist and Confucian, and military strategists like Sun Tzu. In addition to how a Samurai is to live life, it contains interesting tidbits, like the fact that the ideograph Bu in Bushido has a sword with a "stop" next to it, signifying that the Samurai should be trained in cultural refinement as well as the military arts. It also has essays about how the Samurai came to be; they were originally recruited from farmers. Other tidbits include contrasts between the slow, calculated fighting style of Chinese armies with the hog-wild crazy Samurai approach.

This is a book I would read again.

[Henry Heading]

Full of wisdom and Philosophy.
The fact that a great collection of different Bushido theorists and key people in history featured in this gives a wide overview which in turn helps understand parts of Japanese History.
Also some of the theories and rituals are generally useful.

[Attai Young]

Meditative and good knowledge to learn, but lacking a real hook. Good for instruction and general learning.

[Elham Sarikhani]

Nice collection of teachings of old Japanese Samurai thinkers.

[Gnuvolante]

Interessante raccolta delle concezioni di diversi esponenti della cultura orientale tra il 1400 ed il 1800. Seppur differenti nelle loro visioni, e critici o legati (talvolta entrambe le cose) ai vari movimenti che hanno investito la realtà orientale, tra cui taoismo e buddismo, i vari autori esprimono profonda conoscenza dei settori di loro competenza. Si spazia dall'ambito bellico a quello spirituale fino all'applicazione dei principi del bushido alla vita di tutti i giorni. Il linguaggio è come sempre immediato e diretto, senza giri di parole, grazie al quale anche i concetti più profondi sono fruibili ai più.

Insomma, una raccolta che non è solo un'antologia ma un piccolo forziere di consocenza di autori diversi, con approcci differenti alla vita e alla morte (argomento chiave del bushido, con una valenza tutta particolare) ma con un unico insegnamento di base per tutti. Vivere il presente, qui e ora.

[Deep]

Few timeless ideas. Should have been shorter.

I liked the unfettered mind much more.

[Bob Wallner]

Many people are aware of the 6th century BC Chinese general and philosopher Sun Tzu and his famous book The Art of War. Although written primarily for warrior strategy, businesspeople have been studying it for decades; however, samurai warriors have been reading it for centuries.

I picked up the book Training the Samurai Mind as it was a free offer on my audiobook subscription.

It is an amazing audiobook!

This book is a collection of translated texts from Asian warriors, generals, philosophers, and teachers. Most of the chapters are short and can be listened to within 15 to 20 minutes. Each chapter begins with a very brief biography of the writer and why he was relevant at his time. The texts are a combination of Buddhist, Confucianism, and Taoist beliefs, and the topics are primarily based on governance, war, relationships, and commerce.

These texts, more often than not, refer to Sun Tzu's teachings and "the way". It is amazing the amount of respect and admiration that he garnered through the millennia. Additionally, I found that much like The Art of War, these texts have a lot more applicability than just how to win in battle and it is simply amazing to hear how these ancient, and not so ancient, texts are relevant today.

The translator/author did an excellent job arranging these passages and the narrator did a wonderful job reading the passages.

I listen to The Art of War often and I believe this will be re-listened to as well. However, in the future rather than listen to the book quickly, I will listen to one passage and try to understand how that applies today.

[Jake]

There is an underlying spirit to the samurai. That is a belief that beyond the military that there must be a civil code of ethic.
Now in the west we may be inclined to see an image - within our minds eye - of a young officer with good posture. He is straight forward . Healthy. Always On time. Regimented in his behaviors like clock work. He is pure discipline.

The samurai were similar, but also very much of another creed. They were warriors - deeply infused with Confucian and taoist ideas - with a central belief in ideas within in the I ching. There was an orderliness and flux to their reality as they would stay firm within their beliefs. Ready. Always calm.

I am trying to decode this culture. So please see my words as where my mind is now, rather than as a permanent source.

This book has been quite useful in my development in understanding this culture. It consists of a series of original writings from samurai translated into English. Within it, if you read it, you will note the underlying character of the samurai. While many personalities of a varied sort are presented here, there is though, an underlying soul...

Recommended for those interested in :

- Martial arts
- discipline and will power
- military strategy
- Ethics
- World religions
- Japanese social history

[Randy Daugherty]

A collection of thoughts on the proper attitude for the warrior:
Through the ages, the samurai have been associated with honor, fearlessness, calm, decisive action, strategic thinking, and martial prowess. Their ethos is known as bushido, the Way of the Warrior-Knight.

Here, premier translator Thomas Cleary presents a rich collection of writings on bushido by warriors, scholars, political advisors, and educators from the fifteenth century through the nineteenth century that provide a comprehensive, historically rich view of samurai life and philosophy. Training the Samurai Mind gives an insider's view of the samurai the moral and psychological development of the warrior, the ethical standards they were meant to uphold, their training in both martial arts and strategy, and the enormous role that the traditions of Shintoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism had in influencing samurai ideals.

The writings deal with a broad range of subjects—from military strategy and political science, to personal discipline and character development. Cleary introduces each piece, putting it into historical context, and presents biographical information about the authors. This is an essential read for anyone interested in military history and samurai history, and for martial artists who want to understand strategy.

[Pinar]

Konuya olan geçmiş ilgimi de alırsak, büyük bir keyifle dinlediğim bir kitap oldu. (Yarısını dinlemişken a audible hesabımı dondurdum, dosya bozulmuş, tekrar indiremedim bilmem kaç ay sonra baştan dinledim falan, ondan bitirmem uzun sürdü, zaten bitmesin de istedim)

Kitap çeşitli dönemlerde yaşamış samurayların yazılarının derlenmesi. İçinde bildik, en azından benim okuduğum iki üç kitap ve bildiğim yazarlardan da alıntılar vardı.

Ülke nasıl yönetilir, savaşta yapılması gerekenler gibi bir sürü başlık üzerinden düşünceler.

[Helfren]

The ancient samurai has their own stand and principles that passed from generation to generation. This book hold us to the value of how the samurai warriors for example, before you get mad, make sure you are right if not others won't be scared. Always have the truth in your words and beware of ignorant people that stayed silent even when it's not a good thing.

A very old teaching that I wanted to read 2 years ago. Thumbs up.

[Leon Fowler]

2/5 audiobook. Japanese military history, strategic warfare, samurai figures, philosophy, religion, behaviour, values. Similar to the art of war, the art of manliness. However very nuanced to the time and culture and to building the warrior spirit thus more suited to someone already familiar. Gems include developing calmness for an impenetrable mind. Reduce hesitation by planning, strategy and having resolve. Develop courage to secure victories.

[Campo]

It's a weird read... Read it thinking it would be another Book of Five Rings / Art of War....

It's much more. It has a more philosophy and religion and makes me curious about buddism.

That said some of the content was great other parts not so much.

[Jan]

Nothing special to say about this one. Its a collection of teachings of samurais and broader political scenes. Very by the book presentation that will be for you, if you are really interested in this sort of thing, a little too dry for those with mild curiosity.

[mark morris]

Interesting historically

Although this book is an interesting historical adventure through the classic manuals of the Samurai caste it doesn’t work well as a guide for any applications to a 21st Century sensibility.

[WIZE FOoL]

Really enjoyable read!
An insight into the training of the Samurai mind and how the concept of Bushido came about and its influences from other philosophies.
If you have stumbled across this book, just read it! It's a easy read and enjoyable from start to finish!
Enjoy.

[Jude]

An excellent book on building mental toughness, achieving clarity of mind, seeking simplicity and austerity, and being centered. There are plenty of examples and applications to keep the reader engaged.

[Angel Torres]

This is a good, weird and peculiar book.
Half of the things here are really good, simple in nature but profound in meaning and application... but the ither half is pretty outdated and extremist in nature.

So, I'd say it's pretty cool but I wouldn't recommend it.

[Ala]

An interesting read of the way that a samurai mind should work. The author encourages the Japanese youth to keep the samurai way, and give up the soft indulgence of modern living and reminding them of the old ways.

[Ryan]

A good set of writings from Samurai scholars, but no unifying direction.

[Dan]

Great glimpse into a bygone world: samurai, swords, Bushido, ancient strategies, and the martial culture of Japan.

[Danny F.]

Insight into Samurai life and culture, the Bushido code and what it means and meant to be a samurai

[Adam Radocz]

Very informative if you like the Japanese military history. But if you want to learn more about the samurai mindset then this is not your book.

[Phillip Goodwin]

it was a long and boring read.
what may have been insight back then, seemed more like common sense now. don't look for enlightenment in this book.

[Daunte Gaiter]

To die when it is right to die, to strike when it is right to strike. This is the samurai way.

[Jafry M]

3.5 it’s zen meets art of war interesting but doesn’t flow wonderfully.