Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel

I found by mistake "Zen Bow, Zen Arrow - John Stevens" while killing time in Cape Town, looking for presents, and it directed me to "Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel", which I prefer from the two books.

Both of the books are about Awa Kenzo, the Japanese archery master, the big difference is that Herrigel is the one that actually took classes with the master, and recalls his history.

Other than the clear explanation of the sport itself, and the struggles to learn it, I liked a lot the explanation of the meditation while doing archery, or any another Asian art (even gardening). At the end of the day is the story of a westerner, that tries to understand the mindset of orientals through the art of archery; and as I was also arguing in this post, this is not that easy as it seems.. :)