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Searching for O-Sensei: Learning and Living the Wisdom of the Warrior
Whether or not you have an interest in martial arts, you will find your heart and mind stirred by Searching for O'Sensei: Learning and Living the Wisdom of the Warrior. With an engaging blend of honesty, humor, and compassion, author Thomas Collings shares his long journey of dramatic encounters with martial arts and Zen masters throughout Japan and China. Return with him to the "mean" streets of New York City where this most unusual Zen street cop must use the ancient wisdom of his teachers to survive violent situations, and resolve life or death conflicts. Searching for O'Sensei is both an engrossing memoir and a profound exploration of teachings by the martial arts legend and spiritual teacher Morihei Ueshiba, who infused tactical skills of the warrior with life changing spiritual insights. A lifelong fascination with mystical traditions of Asia takes Collings on adventures which offer a rare glimpse into the lives of several extraordinary 20th century Asian masters. After years immersed in Asian Zen, sword, and martial arts study, the author finds himself back in New York City as a law enforcement officer during the height of the crack cocaine epidemic. His daily encounters with addicts, drug dealers and parole violators test the depth of his warrior skills, wisdom, and commitment to the spiritual principles embodied by his teachers. Ride along with a peace officer caught in a violent world, using wisdom gained from "budo" training and the teachings of O'Sensei, to bring awareness and clarity to the "fog of war" that engulfed many drug infested neighborhoods during the 1980's and 90's. The reader shares in a wealth of examples how these principles can manage volatile situations and aggressive behavior. Collings also examines the exhibitionistic and "performance orientation" of modern martial arts, offering ways in which O'Sensei's "battlefield awareness" approach can refocus training on more practical skills for protection and defusing violent situations.
360 pages, Paperback
Published December 9, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 27, 2016
Full disclosure first: Thomas Collings and I have not met, but I think it is very possible that on numerous occasions, he walked out of a room five minutes before I entered, or vice versa. His years aikido in the 1970's, at least, and his later career are rather startling parallels to my own. So this review may be a little more personal than some. As some of the readers may be aware, I wrote a book entitled Dueling with O-sensei. I think that the similitude of the titles is fortunate, because it shows how two people can encounter the same people and situations and experience them differently. Tom's title reflects a man maybe more at ease with studying a path of knowledge than mine was. I went kicking and stomping all the way. Enough about 'us' - what of his book?
Tom is so spot on regarding the milieu of aikido training in NYC and in Japan at the Aikikai headquarters. For me, one of the highlights of the book was his character sketches of men I knew and some I studied with. Knowing these people well, I can attest to how well he portrayed them - and with such a generous spirit. He truly was on a path of learning, and therefore, he can write about even negative experiences as essential lessons that he needed. If there is any criticism I might have, the chapters on personages was a little unbalanced. There were people I wished he would have written more about. After a longer character sketch of five or six pages, a one page chapter on an equally remarkable person was a slight disappointment. Nonetheless, he was writing on how significantly the person affected him. Real life is not always balanced.
Tom has had a several decade career in law enforcement - in particular parole/probation. In many circles, PO's are the Rodney Dangerfields of law enforcement, seen as social workers with a quasi law enforcement responsibility of merely checking compliance with conditions of release. That is so far from the truth, particularly in a big city! The PO is often alone, outmanned, and often, poorly armed. They survive by a combination of wit, street smarts, respect for the offenders on their caseload and force when needed. Many PO's have seen exponentially more hand-to-hand single encounters than many police officers experience in a career. They perform one of the most essential aspects of law enforcement and corrections--one statistic I read states that for every dollar spent on parole/probation, eight dollars are saved on jails and prisons. Tom does a beautiful job on describing his work, and in particular, how he has integrated principles (and sometimes techniques) of aikido into his profession.
There is so much talk about integrating martial arts in real life. Often, people are talking about moving meditation or how studying something from another culture enhances their lives. This book directly links study of tradition with personal and practical survival. And he does this with a generous heart, and no macho posturing. This is an exemplary work.
Tom is so spot on regarding the milieu of aikido training in NYC and in Japan at the Aikikai headquarters. For me, one of the highlights of the book was his character sketches of men I knew and some I studied with. Knowing these people well, I can attest to how well he portrayed them - and with such a generous spirit. He truly was on a path of learning, and therefore, he can write about even negative experiences as essential lessons that he needed. If there is any criticism I might have, the chapters on personages was a little unbalanced. There were people I wished he would have written more about. After a longer character sketch of five or six pages, a one page chapter on an equally remarkable person was a slight disappointment. Nonetheless, he was writing on how significantly the person affected him. Real life is not always balanced.
Tom has had a several decade career in law enforcement - in particular parole/probation. In many circles, PO's are the Rodney Dangerfields of law enforcement, seen as social workers with a quasi law enforcement responsibility of merely checking compliance with conditions of release. That is so far from the truth, particularly in a big city! The PO is often alone, outmanned, and often, poorly armed. They survive by a combination of wit, street smarts, respect for the offenders on their caseload and force when needed. Many PO's have seen exponentially more hand-to-hand single encounters than many police officers experience in a career. They perform one of the most essential aspects of law enforcement and corrections--one statistic I read states that for every dollar spent on parole/probation, eight dollars are saved on jails and prisons. Tom does a beautiful job on describing his work, and in particular, how he has integrated principles (and sometimes techniques) of aikido into his profession.
There is so much talk about integrating martial arts in real life. Often, people are talking about moving meditation or how studying something from another culture enhances their lives. This book directly links study of tradition with personal and practical survival. And he does this with a generous heart, and no macho posturing. This is an exemplary work.
May 17, 2021
Amazing journey from Buddhist monk to street cop with - drama, intensity, and great compassion.
Inspiring saga of engaged Buddhism in all its power and complexity.
Inspiring saga of engaged Buddhism in all its power and complexity.
February 14, 2017
A well written book, one that captured my attention. Entirely. It is a book and a journey as well. I came away from it with more than the story offered in its pages. One sentence in particular stays with me, "O'Sensei's principal of "takemusu siki" requires that we tap into all parts of ourselves".
January 30, 2016
As someone who teaches English as well as literature I would highly recommend the book Searching for O’Sensei . Kudos to this first time author for his ability to connect with the universal concept of life’s journey in a way that can resonate with any reader. Unfortunately many books of this genre are often only purchased and truly appreciated by fellow Martial Artists. Similar to authors such as Jeannette Walls, the author of The Glass Castle, Mr. Collings does not aggrandize or simply self promote. The story teller shares the journey as a difficult one and we must go on with our imperfect selves. The shortcoming and foibles of the writer are displayed in the spirit of full disclosure. It could be said that this book is primarily about Martial Arts or law enforcement. I would submit on closer examination it is really about the journey we all must take. Which of hopefully may lead to examining the trails and tribulations of our own journey. The American scholar Joseph Cambell identified the classic pattern of narrative in classic works of this type in The hero’s Journey. I see the same template being employed in Searching for O’Sensei .The call to adventure, the tests and challenges, the mentors, etc. Whether you are a dentist, an FBI agent, or a grandparent, I think you will highly enjoy Searching for O’Sensei .
February 3, 2016
Searching for O'Sensei is a compelling story of the author's journey into the study of marshal arts and related eastern disciplines which led the author to practice in Japan with several great Masters and practice partners. However, this is not just a book on marshal arts. It is about how "Budo" (The Way of of the Warrior-the Japanese battlefield arts comprising of intensive physical, mental and spiritual disciplines) changed and guided the author's life and, more importantly, can be an integral component in the life of the reader. On a personal level, which I found especially interesting was the author's chronicle of his law enforcement career as a New York City Parole Officer. As a fellow law enforcement officer for 33 years, I greatly appreciated the author's experiences and stories which really resonated with me. I knew the parole officer, Brian Rooney, who was murdered and who the author replace at New York State Parole. Brian was a fun loving guy who loved his job. His death, indeed, was a sad day for all law enforcement. I would highly recommend this book
June 22, 2016
Reading this book is like traveling with author and martial arts expert Tom Collings through Japan and China - as well as the other fascinating parts of his life, dealing with the less fortunate. When he explains how ‘beaten up’ he becomes, during his ‘studies' of the marital arts (ouch!), I’m amazed at how he keeps going. Which to me, is maybe the most important part of his message. That life takes us to many different places, giving us experiences we could never have dreamed of. Which is why we must all continue learning and living. I’m so enjoying Tom's journey (still have a few pages to go !).
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews