[.ca] Moving Toward Stillness (ISBN 0804831602)

Useful collection of essays:
This books brings together a number of Lowry's columns over the years on Zen and the martial arts, and you can learn a lot that is worthwhile about Zen and how a Zen master would apply these principles in everyday life from reading this book. There is no doubt in my mind that many martial artists and westerners in general could benefit from adopting certain Zen principles in their lives, especially in regard to the West's dysfunctional obsession with the individual ego and individual consciousness. That having been said, I have a problem with books like this. The problem is the same one I had with Alan Watts's famous work, The Book, On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are, back in the 60's and 70's, which I saw as catering to that segment of the western readership who are perennially eastern-obsessed and therefore too naive and uncritical of their philosophy. Back then, there were just too many young people, who, having rejected whatever western culture they were brought up in, simply accepted, lock, stock, and barrel, Zen, Tao, Vedanta, and/or Buddhism after having read one or two books and therefore having finally discovered "the truth." Well, looking back, that is perhaps too harsh an assessment, and as I said, you can learn a lot that is important and worthwhile from reading Lowry's books about Zen and eastern philosophy. But having studied many of the world's philosophies and religions, I would have to point out that no one philosophy, whether eastern or western, has a monopoly on the truth. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, and no one philosophy or system has all the answers. But overall, I think Lowry has done an important service by writing so clearly and articulately for the westerner who may be at a loss for how to approach a subject as esoteric as Zen philosophy. I had one more comment, by way of leaving you with a little more perspective perhaps on the relationship between east and west. The great philosopher of history and culture, Frederick Northrop, in his comparison of eastern and western modes of thinking, once pointed out that at the highest levels western epistemology and Zen both become theories of perception, although they take different approaches. The western approach is to look "hard" at something, trying to analyze every possible facet of the perceived object. The Zen master's approach is just the opposite. His approach is more passive, but also more reflective and receptive. He sees more by "looking softer," and letting the object reflect its qualities to him by emptying his mind of all preconceived thoughts. This is the principle of "mind like the moon," and it is one of the most interesting Zen principles, and a useful one for the martial artist too (at least Mas Oyama thought so, which is good enough for me). Lowry discusses many other Zen principles in his book and how a true master might apply them in his everyday life, and that you may also find useful in your own life.

Though-provoking articles...:
Lowry's book, a collection of his articles, is surprisingly consistent in theme. His outlook reminds of Merzel's "Beyond Sanity and Madness" for his fairly stern reminders that the Path lies within simplicity and that the early lessons in any of the martial arts (and many other Eastern disciplines such as Qigong and Zen) contain the essence that you, as a beginner, are unfortunately unlikely to recognize for a long time. I also enjoy his viewpoint regarding the the 'need' for less ego and posturing; instead he consistently points out that 'Master' depends upon what is deep inside and is displayed through consistent behaviour at all times. Certainly this viewpoint is sorely lacking in many so-called 'Masters' at this time. Lowry also gives some valuable insight into aspects of Japanese culture that are quite fascinating including Noh and the tea ceremony. He also includes many tidbits about visiting Masters that I found very informative. Even if you are not that interested in martial arts I believe there are many lessons in this book that make it worthwhile to read.

Enlightening in Unexpected Ways:
The author is literally the first to admit (via his introduction) that some of his essays sound a bit "curmudgeonly", however please don't miss out on a good thing by letting that stop you from reading these very insightful and interesting essays. I initially found Lowry's extreme veneration of traditional (Japanese) martial ways, and his shots at those who choose to ignore them in their martial training, to be annoying. In fact, I still strongly disagree with many of the positions that he takes on these subjects. Having said that, I have to admit that by the time I finished these essays, I did have a new appreciation for many traditions and skills that I previously took lightly or simply thought to be blatantly ridiculous. I now plan to learn a bit more about some of them ! Therefore, the book had the unexpected benefit of opening my mind and making me rethink my opinions. It also gave me a better appreciation of Japanese culture in different periods in history. Each essay is brief (a couple pages), but often contains a wealth of history, philosophy and psychology. Lowry's analysis of these areas is applied specifically to the martial "Ways", however there are clearly broader applications to much of what he is saying. In fact, as with other books of this nature, there is really so much content that it is nearly impossible to absorb or apply all of it once (although it is relatively easy to read the book in a short period of time). Therefore I plan to occasionally bring it along with me on my train ride to work, read an essay and perhaps give it a little additional thought. To my mind, that is the best type of endorsement that someone can give to a book of this nature !

Delightfully Absorbing:
I was first introduced to Mr. Lowry through "Autumn Lightning", and have been a fan ever since. It is very rare to find martial arts texts that go beyond the monotony of Lists of techniques, even more so to find a martial artist who can humble himself in his writing. Mr. Lowry puts all those self proclaimed masters to shame. Although he writes specifically about the Budo, the ideals in these pages can be applied to anyone with a craft or skill that absorbs them, that helps them find insight in their lives. Particular favorite essays in this book are "Catching Catfish in a Gourd" "What Shape are Your Morals in?" and "Sabi Shiori: the Art of Being Alone"

Another great book from a great author...:
Having read Lowry's other titles, I didn't hesitate in picking this one up. At this point, I would read anything he puts out. This is an excellent book, and not only for martial artists, since, although it does obviously deal with MA, many of Lowry's points can be integrated into the daily lives of non-practitioners as well. In addition to interesting subject matter, the writing style is superb. I'm anxiously awaiting his next title.