The Book of Five Rings (Shambhala Library) Summary and Reviews

The Book of Five Rings (Shambhala Library)
by Miyamoto Musashi

The Book of Five Rings (Shambhala Library)
List Price: $18.95
Our Price: $8.98
You Save: $9.97 (53%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $4.45 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


or

Book Summary Information

Author: Miyamoto Musashi
Translator: Thomas Cleary
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2003-06-24
ISBN: 1590300408
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: Shambhala

Book Reviews of The Book of Five Rings (Shambhala Library)

Book Review: Old Wisdom with New Lessons
Summary: 5 Stars

The Book of Five Rings (Go Rin No Sho) is a GREAT book, if you take time to properly absorb and understand ALL of its teachings. It's not a very long book and so would be easy to read a few times over so that you get a proper flavour of the important message being presented.

A better and easier to digest version (IMHO) of this small book is "Samurai Strategies: 42 Martial Secrets" by by Boye De Lafayette Mente, who very cleverly summarises this book into 42 easy to digest and understand and apply chapters.

The ideas in this book are NOT dangerous to anyone in the least, IF you balance and apply ALL of the lessons within it - that's the idea that the great undefeated warrior Musashi was trying to put across. The life saving principles he expounds here are designed to help us all have a better, easier and more fulfilled life, Martial Artist or not. His strategies can be applied and used by anyone.

"A knife is dangerous for anyone - you just have to learn how to use is safely & intelligently"

We are all so lucky & truly blessed that, nearly 400 years ago, someone called Lord Hosokawa had the foresight to ask the ageing Musashi to write down his secrets of success. Musashi himself was not only extremely talented but must have been a very intelligent man for his time to write such a treatise.

The comment (else ware) about this book not being for beginners is misleading I think, it isn't that hard to understand and extrapolate the true meaning and intentions that Musashi was trying to put across.

Don't be put off by ANY of the negative criticisms (in other reviews), it's only because they've missed the point or just quickly scanned & glossed over the book.

Although we are not entirely certain of Musashi's religious bent, Musashi bases his book [loosely] on the Zen Buddhist philosophies of the Five Elements - Earth, Water, Fire, Wind & Emptiness. One of his close associates was Takuan Soho, author of "The Unfettered Mind".

Business & Investing Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in MJK Recommended Reading List
Freakonomics [Revised and Expanded]: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything ImageFreakonomics [Revised and Expanded]: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
by Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner
William Morrow; Published: 2006-10-02; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.33
Price in other shops: $27.95
A Manual of Acupuncture (2nd Edition) ImageA Manual of Acupuncture (2nd Edition)
by Peter Deadman, Mazin Al-Khafaji, Kevin Baker
Journal of Chinese Medicine Publications; Published: 2007-06-25; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $144.49
Price in other shops: $150.00
The Book of Jhereg ImageThe Book of Jhereg
by Steven Brust
Ace Trade; Published: 1999-08-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.97
Price in other shops: $16.00
Cordelia's Honor ImageCordelia's Honor
by Lois McMaster Bujold
Baen; Published: 1999-09-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.95
Price in other shops: $7.99
Trail Guide to the Body: How to Locate Muscles, Bones, and More (3rd Edition) ImageTrail Guide to the Body: How to Locate Muscles, Bones, and More (3rd Edition)
by Andrew R. Biel
Books of Discovery; Published: 2005-07-15; Spiral-bound; Book
Best price: $46.30
Price in other shops: $52.95
Anatomy Coloring Book, The (3rd Edition) ImageAnatomy Coloring Book, The (3rd Edition)
by Wynn Kapit, Lawrence M. Elson
Benjamin Cummings; Published: 2001-07-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $13.63
Price in other shops: $21.80
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a Curious Character) ImageSurely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a Curious Character)
by Richard P. Feynman, Ralph Leighton
W. W. Norton & Company; Published: 1997-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.04
Price in other shops: $15.95
Small Gods ImageSmall Gods
by Terry Pratchett
HarperTorch; Published: 1994-11-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.56
Price in other shops: $7.99
The Body Has a Mind of Its Own: How Body Maps in Your Brain Help You Do (Almost) Everything Better ImageThe Body Has a Mind of Its Own: How Body Maps in Your Brain Help You Do (Almost) Everything Better
by Sandra Blakeslee, Matthew Blakeslee
Random House; Published: 2007-09-11; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.50
Price in other shops: $24.95
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal ImageLamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
by Christopher Moore
Harper Paperbacks; Published: 2003-02-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.75
Price in other shops: $13.95
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
Musashi ImageMusashi
by Eiji Yoshikawa
Kodansha International; Published: 1995-07-14; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $20.11
Price in other shops: $35.00
The Art of War by Sun Tzu - Special Edition ImageThe Art of War by Sun Tzu - Special Edition
by Sun Tzu
El Paso Norte Press; Published: 2005-03-21; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.49
Price in other shops: $19.95
The Prince (Bantam Classics) ImageThe Prince (Bantam Classics)
by Niccolo Machiavelli
Bantam Classics; Published: 1984-09-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.42
Price in other shops: $4.50
Bushido: The Way of the Samurai (Square One Classics) ImageBushido: The Way of the Samurai (Square One Classics)
by Tsunetomo Yamamoto
Square One Publishers; Published: 2001-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.33
Price in other shops: $9.95
The Art of War: The Denma Translation (Shambhala Library) ImageThe Art of War: The Denma Translation (Shambhala Library)
by Sun Tzu
Shambhala; Published: 2002-09-17; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $9.98
Price in other shops: $18.95
The Art of War (Shambhala Classics) ImageThe Art of War (Shambhala Classics)
by Sun Tzu
Dover Publications; Published: 2002-11-13; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.98
Price in other shops: $4.95
Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai ImageHagakure: The Book of the Samurai
by Yamamoto Tsunetomo
Kodansha International; Published: 2002-08-30; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $11.25
Price in other shops: $19.95
The Art of War by Sun Tzu - Special Edition ImageThe Art of War by Sun Tzu - Special Edition
by Sun Tzu
El Paso Norte Press; Published: 2007-06-22; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $19.42
Price in other shops: $29.95
The Illustrated Art of War ImageThe Illustrated Art of War
by Sun Tzu
Oxford University Press; Published: 2005-10-15; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $17.99
Price in other shops: $29.95
The Unfettered Mind: Writings from a Zen Master to a Master Swordsman ImageThe Unfettered Mind: Writings from a Zen Master to a Master Swordsman
by Takuan Soho
Kodansha International; Published: 2003-01-17; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $11.08
Price in other shops: $19.00