To be happier embrace change (instead of fighting it)
- sciart0
- Apr 4
- 2 min read
Excerpt: "In 1924, a German professor named Eugen Herrigel set out to learn about Zen Buddhism, which was starting to penetrate the West. He found a teaching position in Japan, where he hoped to locate someone who could instruct him in the philosophy. Rather than the sort of course he had in mind, he was informed that because he lacked proficiency in Japanese, he would be required instead to learn a skill—namely, kyūdō (the way of the bow)—and this would indirectly impart the Zen truths that he sought. To this end, Herrigel took up his archery studies with the master Awa Kenzō, which he later chronicled in his 1948 book, Zen in the Art of Archery.
Herrigel’s archery program was arduous and frustrating. “Drawing the bow caused my hands to start trembling after a few moments, and my breathing became more and more laboured,” he wrote. “Nor did this get any better during the weeks that followed.” Indeed, the weeks became months, and the months wound up becoming five years. At long last, Herrigel learned how to loose an arrow and hit his mark. When he finally acquired the skill, he also realized that he now understood the Zen attitude. “The shot will only go smoothly when it takes the archer himself by surprise,” he wrote—when you “let go of yourself.”
In short, Herrigel learned that the secret to archery—and the approach to life he was seeking—is to know when to stop resisting change and simply let it occur. Fortunately, you don’t have to spend half a decade studying archery in Japan to benefit from this central insight. To figure out what sources of resistance are holding you back, and discover how to find release from them and live better, read on.