Description
The term "judoka" refers to one who does judo, the modern martial art with origins in 19th century Japan, a fighting art with a particular emphasis on the use of an opponent's own strengths to effect his defeat. This book is an account of the adventures of such a man, a judoka, but it is not just about this man, or the martial art he practices. Rather, it is about the "way" of judo, as both a fighting art and an approach to living ("a way"), and what this way might be able to tell us about who we are and who we might choose to become. The book does not prescribe "a way" for others to follow; that is, it does not simply offer advice about what to believe or how to behave, or point out the faults in other ways of being. It simply describes the way of one particular man, with commentary explaining, or rather reasoning through, the choices he has made, with the story presenting the consequences that these choices have for him. Reviews for the 1st edition: "This extraordinary little novella is reminiscent of Castaneda but far more intelligible." -Alan Watts "His direct writing about judo is clear and quietly restrained, hard to match in the literature of the subject." -New York Times… (more)
Library's review
The Judoka lives the Way
In this book, W.D. Norwood, Jr., tells the story of this man-and explains the simple yet ennobling philosophy that nourishes his life. In brief narratives, we are shown moments in the days of the Judoka-fighting, hunting, making, knowing, loving-and we begin to understand the spirit that moves him, and how he uses it to bring balance and harmony to his life. Then, in commentaries on the narrative, we are invited into that spirit, into its meaning and consequence for modern man; we learn to comprehend the apparent paradox of a philosophy of fighting that is predicated on the most deeply human of ideals.
Bill Norwood, who teaches at the New College in Sausalito, Californai, shares with us a philosophy that speaks directly out of the wisdom of the east, in a book that speaks directly to the anxieties and needs of the West. Grounding his work in his living familiarity with the Way, and his deep understanding of its analogues and derivatives in Western philosophy, he has given us a book that exalts, that informs, that most of all allows us to see.
Contents
Fighting
Hunting
Making
Knowing
Loving