"The Book of Five Rings" by Miyamoto Musashi

(A) "The Book of Five Rings" by Miyamoto Musashi is a little book of 160 pages which is a classic.

It is written by two legendary samurai of 17th century  Japan - Miyamoto Musashi and Yagyu Munenori. 

The book is translated from simple Japanese at that time but is full of sword fighting, duel and martial arts terminology that can make it difficult to relate to and understand. 

Miyamoto Musashi was an exceptional person because he never lost a battle. He wrote that there is a certain state of mind that lets him win and this state of mind is a "normal state of mind" (not hateful or agitated but just calm and regular). 

He said that one should train and be the same in war and in daily life. He mentions rigidity being a bad habit vs the flexibility. 

From the first sight, this book is strictly for martial artists and sword fighters. If you have never been in a fight, it's probably going to be hard to even visualize you being in one and understand what these two legends are talking about.

However later you notice, you can apply the same strategies in your own life while dealing with people (especially if you see them as your enemies). At that time in Japan the warrior class was the leading class and to win battles one had to train one's mind. 

Warriors like Yagyu Munenori, studied Zen Bhuddism, Taoism and Confucianism and his writings seem to be more "educated" but not very easy to understand. Miyamoto Musashi was known as a brute and his writings are more straightforward and raw. 

I personally struggled reading the book, because it seemed too archaic and I couldn't visualize myself easily in a sword fight or even a battle. I could understand some of the mind wisdom shared in the book, but, of course that will not be easy to achieve. 

This book does have some good ideas such as about practice and training, flexibility, stance and how to think to succeed and many of these ideas are influenced by the Buddhist teachings.

I think the modern spiritual alternative for the book are Eckart Tolle books that talk a lot about mind and I think I will need to reread this book to understand it better.

I would definitely recommend this book because it's a very famous book and a part of fun is to discover what makes it so great. I think those who are into martial arts could take some of the advice literally, leaders and business people about leadership, historians about history, anthropologists about culture and theologists about the influence of various philosophies and religions at the time.