Meditation and the Martial Arts

This book provides an approach to understanding the connection between martial arts and spirituality in such diverse disciplines as Japanese aikido, Chinese tai chi chuan, Hindu yoga, Christian asceticism, Zen Buddhism and Islamic Jihad. The relationship between meditation and martial arts is a multifaceted one: meditation is one of the practices in which martial artists engage in order to prepare for combat, while the physical exercises constituting much of the discipline might be considered meditative practices. This book suggests there is a sense in which meditation might also be considered a form of combat, citing a variety of spiritual disciplines that employ the heavy use of martial arts images and categories as part of their self-description. It provides an approach to understanding the connection between martial arts and spirituality in such diverse disciplines as Japanese alkido, Chinese tsi chi chuan, Hindu yoga, Christian ascetism, Zen Buddhism and Islamic Jihad.