Zen in the Art of Archery

This book is important because it has a lot to do with self. Eugen Herrigel writes about how in his process to learning archery and also learning about the zen buddhist culture/religion/way of life, he has learned that one must be patient and one must be in tune with oneself in order to master one's craft. It is important because i think and have thought that it is one of the if not the most important thing in life to find and truly be tune with yourself. It is also important because patience and persistence are crucial for success and mastery in any field or way of life.

I have learned from Herrigel about the intricacies and difficulties of archery. In some ways it reminds me of the first time i shot a gun in terms of him holding the bow the right way and very much about the breathing part in the third chapter. I have taken in a lot about the buddhist way of life, which i cannot say that i have learned fully from this book, because i am buddhist (not zen) and i am very familiar with many of these concepts already. It is always interesting for me though, to learn about buddhism and repeat the ideas in my head. There you go, repetition.

I think that this applies to me and my work first of all because i really need patience and persistence. I am at SOME times very impatient and i am also very hard on myself. I want each shoot to go a certain way and sometimes it is difficult for me to accept that not every shoot will be perfect. However, i feel that i have gotten this far through persistence and repetition and attempt at mastery. I feel like the zen teachings are applicable to photography as an art in that me and my camera are as one and i should be one with it in its functions and also in the viewfinder and my compositions choices. I also do not think that learning how to photograph can be attained by studying. Photography never leaves my daily life, it in inescapable. Also, very importantly, it is a contest with myself (the archery concepts not so much just the zen and buddhist teachings). I do not fully agree with the thought interfering concept however, and also i don't think it applies that if i were to be fully spiritual i would not need my camera.