books — Blog — Little Creek Monastery

Bookstore Coffee

I stop by the Barnes and Noble Starbucks coffee bar nearly every night. It’s a bit of a ritual. After a while you notice the regulars. Some are students, or maybe the occasional tutor sneaking in to claim her piece of camouflaged chalkboard. But being a bookstore, many of the regulars tend to be quiet folks. Studious, contemplative, polite. Some, like me, are older.

The older ones tend to notice. They see who comes in night after night, or who is considerate or respectful. Things like that. They go about their way quietly, but they’re noticing along the way. That’s their way.

HUMORMark WalterNovember 8, 2022books, sayings, mark walter

Martial arts and three classes of books

When we look at books that typically emerge from the martial arts, one type dominates: books about techniques. They are full of pictures and illustrations depicting how to counter, throw or pin the attacker.

A second class of books include histories and anthologies, generally focused on the development of various arts or weapons. We’ll also find detailed lineages depicting the emergence of various schools, branches and sects.

The rarest class of books discuss principles, philosophy and strategy. These are topics that are relevant to either warfare or to daily life, because whether in war or life we are having to face things within ourselves. Sometimes books in this third classification are written in the guise of fables, heroic adventures or poignant morality tales.

Wandering Komusō

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