The Demon's Sermon on the Martial Arts

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View books by Issai Chozansi, William Scott Wilson.

Definitely one of the greats - Rated
If you can keep your mind unbiased while reading this book, then you will recognise this book as a non-biased book. A book which opens up the mind, re-develops/re-established thought and discovery of the individual path. Each line has a 1000 meanings but the seeming reality is that each meaning concludes in simplicity. A really excellent book for those who require refreshment and confirmation beyond the sweat and pain.

Accessible and very worthwhile read - Rated
Firstly, I recommend you check out the review on the US amazon site as its very comprehensive.

The main subject being covered is the idea of No-Mind and its applications to martial arts (as well as other things). The simplest way I can explain it is by giving the example of the reflex of breathing - if you imagine you had to think about every expansion and relaxation of your lung muscles in order to breath and compare that with the efficiency of non-conscious breathing then you may understand some small part of the much more subtle idea which this book discusses.

I'm not sure whether its the translation or the original source material but this book is very easy to read and there are no unnecessarily convoluted sentences that attempt to create meaning by being too cryptic or obscure. Still, this book does require some intellectual effort in order to appreciate some of the finer points and returning to previous chapters can produce further insight which was missed the first time round.

It is a good read and I would recommend it to anyone.