Zen and the art of interstellar genocide.

geoschmo · #1 August 29th, 2001, 05:17 PM

quote:
Originally posted by dogscoff:
That's a great read. Is that really it though? I'm into chapter 6 already, I thought the famous Art of War would be a huge, 10,000 page tome which takes 6 months to read and 12 years to understand.

I'm not belittling it because (according to that website) it can be read in 45 minutes, I'm just surprised.

I believe it is complete. I think I know what Suz Tzu would say...Do not confuse a quantity of words with a quality of wisdom.

Geo

geoschmo · #2 August 29th, 2001, 05:40 PM

Just for grins I looked at copies for sale on some book sites. Some were as small as 130 pages, and that's with pictures and other annotations, examples etc. I don't know exactly how much of that is Sun Tzu's words...

Geo

Rich04 · #3 August 29th, 2001, 05:43 PM

Trivia question. How many people on this list know that The Art of War was only one volume of a larger number studied by ancient Chinese generals?

CW · #4 August 29th, 2001, 05:49 PM

I do.

And I wonder how they memorised so much! (yes I MEAN memorising!)

Sean92 · #5 August 29th, 2001, 07:40 PM

Another good book on strategy is "A Book of Five Rings" by Miyamoto Musashi.

dmm · #6 August 29th, 2001, 08:17 PM

Not Zen or anything, but "The Prince" by Machiavelli is also great Evil Emperor strategy guide, and also short.

More on-topic would be "Jonathan Livingstone Seagull." Also short. I don't agree with its underlying philosophy (reincarnation), but I liked how JLS kept striving to be better. Supposedly Winnie the Pooh is Zen-like, at least according to "The Tao of Pooh." And physics is Zen-like, according to "The Tao of Physics." Personally, I think you'd be better served by just reading the Pooh books and studying physics.

dmm · #7 August 29th, 2001, 09:28 PM

quote:
Originally posted by dogscoff:
I'm particularly interested in any kind of speed meditation, which could be practised in periods of, say 6 or 7 minutes spaced 15- 40 minutes apart, with occasional short breaks for tactical combat.

"Speed meditation??!!" LOL! That is SO typically American. This reminds me of one of the few Zen stories that I know:
A young man goes to a monastery and says he wants to achieve oneness with the universe (or enlightenment, or something like that), and asks how long that will take. "10 years," says the head guy (priest or lama or something). The young man is dismayed; he has a life to lead, things to accomplish. "That's too long," he says. "What if I work at it day and night, much harder than anyone else here?" "Ah, in that case," replies the head guy, "it will take you 50 years."

Also reminds me of the "I'd like a half a cup of God, please" email that gets circulated periodically.