Reviewed by the Journal of Asian Martial Arts

"It is most helpful that Davey is a competent and well-organized writer, as no one of lesser ability could take on this massive subject in such a meaningful way…Living the Japanese Arts and Ways serves as a reminder to seasoned marital artists of what originally led them to study a particular "way" in the first place, and of its importance in their daily lives."

Journal of Asian Martial Arts, Volume 12, Number 3, 2003

Living the Japanese Arts & Ways: 45 Paths to Meditation & Beauty is out of print, but the entire book was recently included in the new anthology The Japanese Way of the Artist. The Japanese Way of the Artist can be purchased at www.amazon.com.

Reviewed by Publishers Weekly

Practitioner and teacher of a number of traditional Japanese arts, Davey, author of Brush Meditation and The Japanese Way of the Flower, tackles a meta-question: what do the traditional Japanese arts have to do with living? The answer is: everything. Demonstrating the Japanese aesthetic of elegance (shibumi), Davey uses words with clarity and simplicity to describe the non-word realm of practicing these arts-calligraphy, martial arts, tea ceremonies, painting-and the spiritual meaning of such practice. The arts are disciplined, particular ways of expressing and living the great universal Way-the Chinese Tao, or natural order of the universe, which historically influenced the development of Japanese arts and spiritual understanding. Davey is thoroughly steeped in Japanese culture and able to respectfully introduce and explain how those sensibilities are inextricably woven through the arts. As an American who has been accepted within traditional Japanese arts realms, he can offer a helpful cross-cultural lens on what terms and behaviors mean. The book does not offer instruction in any of the arts, but it does contain interesting exercises that call attention to the essential role of the body, and its relationship to mind, in any Japanese arts practice. The subtitle is confusing; it's hard to figure out what those 45 paths are. However, this book is a wonderful complement for practitioners of meditation, especially Zen. It provides illustrations of meditation in action beyond the cushion. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Living the Japanese Arts & Ways: 45 Paths to Meditation & Beauty is out of print, but the entire book was recently included in the new anthology The Japanese Way of the Artist. The Japanese Way of the Artist can be purchased at www.amazon.com.

Synopsis of "Living the Japanese Arts & Ways"

Synopsis
Ikebana and tea, karate and calligraphy-what do these traditional Japanese arts have in common? All represent different forms of training and practice, but all stem from shared principles of spiritual practice, moving meditation, and beauty. With practical examples and easy-to-follow exercises, this book concisely introduces 45 living concepts of the Way, from "wabi" and the "immovable mind" to "respect" and "duty," explaining their traditional Japanese roots and also how to incorporate them into our daily lives for greater serenity, concentration, and creativity.

H. E. Davey is Director of the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts (http://www.senninfoundation.com/).

Living the Japanese Arts & Ways: 45 Paths to Meditation & Beauty is out of print, but the entire book was recently included in the new anthology The Japanese Way of the Artist. The Japanese Way of the Artist can be purchased at www.amazon.com.