Review of The Warrior's Meditation
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Sarvesh J Yadav
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Review of The Warrior's Meditation
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Warrior's Meditation" by Richard L Haight.]
It seems like Richard Haight’s “The Warrior’s Meditation” is an attempt to draw a line distinctive from conventional meditation books. Replacing the calm, gentle mindset typically packaged with meditation, Haight employs the warrior-like mindfulness of the samurai, providing a program that is more intellectual and more in tune with the now.
It is hence refreshing to find Haight’s ‘Total Embodiment Method’ commonly referred to as ‘TEM’. It is arguably the most comprehensive and detailed outline of how to meditate, keeping a sharp focus on the process of developing a ‘spherical awareness.’ Compared to most methods, it feels much less like an attempt at achieving ‘no thought’ and much more like honing your thoughts. It is a welcome change for those who find the passive approach of most meditation rather boring. The dishes, the walk, the charade—any activity can become a form of meditation by being mindful of the particular task. It is especially useful for those who do not have specific time slots in their schedule for practicing traditional meditation. Haight teaches us to be warriors at heart even when doing household chores, dashing in the streets, or having a disagreement with a friend or a partner.
The focus on regulating one’s awareness might be antithetical to the essence of meditation—sacrifice. In some ways, this preoccupation with control could feel like an internal power struggle. While relating TEM to the historical aspect of samurais, Haight is partly correct, though he could have provided some historical discrepancies. It has been asked if samurai truly did meditate in the manner so portrayed. The exploration of the historical context could definitely benefit from a more critical angle being applied to it. For the editing aspect, it was decent; there was nothing much to be disliked. The book could be more useful in addressing how people may dismiss some or all of how samurai truly applied meditation. Despite the effectiveness of the given metaphor, some readers might hesitate to expect a more elaborated degree of separation between history and the author.
In my opinion, I will give this book 5 out of 5 stars. The Warrior’s Meditation is quite enlightening, and it is rather appealing to anyone who wants an active and productive kind of meditation. Widely sharing Haight’s distinct mix of archaic knowledge and pragmatic methods makes the book especially useful to anyone desiring to improve their concentration, awareness, and clear-headedness in the present moment. It is true that the “warrior” concept is not going to appeal to every person, but the book does present a different approach to personal fulfillment, getting people out of their comfort zones and into an active form of meditation.
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The Warrior's Meditation
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
It seems like Richard Haight’s “The Warrior’s Meditation” is an attempt to draw a line distinctive from conventional meditation books. Replacing the calm, gentle mindset typically packaged with meditation, Haight employs the warrior-like mindfulness of the samurai, providing a program that is more intellectual and more in tune with the now.
It is hence refreshing to find Haight’s ‘Total Embodiment Method’ commonly referred to as ‘TEM’. It is arguably the most comprehensive and detailed outline of how to meditate, keeping a sharp focus on the process of developing a ‘spherical awareness.’ Compared to most methods, it feels much less like an attempt at achieving ‘no thought’ and much more like honing your thoughts. It is a welcome change for those who find the passive approach of most meditation rather boring. The dishes, the walk, the charade—any activity can become a form of meditation by being mindful of the particular task. It is especially useful for those who do not have specific time slots in their schedule for practicing traditional meditation. Haight teaches us to be warriors at heart even when doing household chores, dashing in the streets, or having a disagreement with a friend or a partner.
The focus on regulating one’s awareness might be antithetical to the essence of meditation—sacrifice. In some ways, this preoccupation with control could feel like an internal power struggle. While relating TEM to the historical aspect of samurais, Haight is partly correct, though he could have provided some historical discrepancies. It has been asked if samurai truly did meditate in the manner so portrayed. The exploration of the historical context could definitely benefit from a more critical angle being applied to it. For the editing aspect, it was decent; there was nothing much to be disliked. The book could be more useful in addressing how people may dismiss some or all of how samurai truly applied meditation. Despite the effectiveness of the given metaphor, some readers might hesitate to expect a more elaborated degree of separation between history and the author.
In my opinion, I will give this book 5 out of 5 stars. The Warrior’s Meditation is quite enlightening, and it is rather appealing to anyone who wants an active and productive kind of meditation. Widely sharing Haight’s distinct mix of archaic knowledge and pragmatic methods makes the book especially useful to anyone desiring to improve their concentration, awareness, and clear-headedness in the present moment. It is true that the “warrior” concept is not going to appeal to every person, but the book does present a different approach to personal fulfillment, getting people out of their comfort zones and into an active form of meditation.
******
The Warrior's Meditation
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
