Zen and the Art of Chivalry

I have been slowly putting together pieces for a small book or essay about Buddhism and Chivalry, and I thought I might bounce a few ideas off of the community here.

The topic "Zen and the Art of Chivalry" is catchy, and pulls on recognizable titles such as Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and Zen in the Art of Archery. It's a fun addition to the "Zen and the Art of . . ." category. The heart of the work is really inclusive of all iterations of Buddhism though, so it is a bit misleading. I am focusing on Buddhism as a whole, and how it generates morals, ethics, and people indicative of our expression of Chivalry, so a more accurate summation of the topic would probably be "Chivalry and the Art of Being Human: An Eastern Approach to a Western Ideal."

One cannot address Eastern Chivalry without bringing up the code of Bushido, and that certainly is part of my topic, since it is almost universally understood to be the equivalent of Western Chivalry. However, I feel my aim is much more towards outlining how Buddhist practices can (and do) generate the kind of men that members of the Chivalry Now community would be proud of.

Does the topic seem too far fetched? Should it just be another Bushido book? Is our culture willing to read something like this?

Any thoughts are welcome.

In Service,
Michael G.

Sounds like an interesting challenge. I encourage you to do it.

I'm not overly familiar with Buddhism. My original hope was to provide a western approach in order to answer western questions. A lot of people do prefer a more eastern approach, so if you do this we will be able to reach even more people. I like your title.

I think you have to begin it by explaining what modern chivalry is, since most people have a poor understanding.

Perhaps you could modernize Bushido, like we did CN? I'm not sure how a Japanese audience will welcome it from a non-Japanese, but that should not stop you.

I look forward to placing another book choice on our website.

Dean, KCN

Current topic/chapter include:
1.Chivalry
2. Buddhism
3. Common Ground
4. Misconceptions
5. Desperate Times
6. Practicum

Chapter 1, Chivalry, would detail a basic outline of what Chivalry was and currently now is.

Chapter 2, Buddhism, would detail a basic outline of what Buddhism was and currently now is.

Chapter 3, Common Ground, would detail the common goals, ethics, beliefs, mythology, morals, and practices which the two share.

Chapter 4, Misconceptions, would discuss the varying perceptions and public view of both systems.

Chapter 5, Desperate Times, will outline why the West is desperate for people of moral integrity, and how each individual is responsible for their own contribution.

And finally, Chapter 6 would offer a basic practicum of exercises which would help an individual integrate both systems into their daily life.

That's kind of a rough sketch right now.

In Service,
Michael G.

Sounds good. I look forward to reading Chapters 5 and 6.

I hope you are ready for the process of writing a book. As good as you make it, you still have to go over it again and again for wording choices, grammar, etc. You should also get someone reliable who has the time to edit it it, and maybe a couple friends as well, in order to get their honest impressions. If the publisher is good, they will also go through it and suggest changes.

And there is no guarantee of making much money from it. You are competing with a million other yearly publications. Try to find something catchy to make yours stand out.

Dean, KCN

Please keep me informed.