Matters of Life and Death (Paperback)

Peter Barus

ISBN 10: 1481204432 / ISBN 13: 9781481204439

Published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013

About this Item

Paperback. The Way handed down across the centuries is not subject to popular consensus or notions of what is reasonable. If one aspires - and that word refers to breathing - to training in Budo, one gives up rights, including the right to an ego. This does not mean Ego will not have something to say about it; each moment, Ego appears anew, in the familiar guise of "myself." This is normal. When crossing swords, however, we soon discover that normal is worse than useless. The challenge is only whether to engage fully with life, or be driven by previous behavioral patterns. There is no ultimate victory here: the previous moment has no bearing on the present. We are alive, or not, moment by moment, until there are no more moments. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781481204439

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Matters of Life and Death (Paperback)
• Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication Date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1481204432
• ISBN 13: 9781481204439
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

The Way handed down across the centuries is not subject to popular consensus or notions of what is reasonable. If one aspires - and that word refers to breathing - to training in Budô, one gives up rights, including the right to an ego. This does not mean Ego will not have something to say about it; each moment, Ego appears anew, in the familiar guise of "myself." This is normal. When crossing swords, however, we soon discover that normal is worse than useless. The challenge is only whether to engage fully with life, or be driven by previous behavioral patterns. There is no ultimate victory here: the previous moment has no bearing on the present. We are alive, or not, moment by moment, until there are no more moments.

About the Author

The author has trained in Japanese swordsmanship since 1984 in a tradition several centuries old. He lives in Vermont, where he conducts regular classes and the occasional seminar.