During his junior year at the University of California, while training to become a world-champion gymnast, Dan Millman stumbled on a 94-year-old mentor nicknamed Socrates, a powerful, unpredictable, and elusive character. He taught a way to maximize performance using a unique blend of Eastern philosophy and Western fitness to cultivate the true essence of a champion – the “way of the peaceful warrior.” Millman’s first-person account of his odyssey into realms of light, darkness, mind, body, and spirit has since become an international bestseller about the universal quest for happiness.
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249 of 258 people found the following review helpful.
My two cents
By A Customer
So here’s my experience with the book: I first purchased this book when I was 15. And to tell you the truth I don’t recall why. And I read it in one sitting. I came away from the reading with a sense of “Wow, that’s really amazing. That was a really cool book.” However I did NOT feel that the book lived up to it’s subtitle “The Book that Changes Lives” In fact I thought it was a practice in pretension to label it as Millman did. And I put the book away and forgot about it…(dramatic pause)… or so I thought (BUM BUM BUM). You see it wasn’t until I was 17 or so that I began to realize that the book had made a grand impact on my life. I realized that I was seeing the world in a completely different way… that I was learning to “let things go” to have fewer expectations from life and enjoying more what life was giving me. And through practice (which probably will continue for the rest of my life, these changes have continued and refined themselves in the years following this revelation. Of course a portion of these changes are due to me simply maturing and evolving as a person from age 15 to present. The book however set me on the right path for who I am and who I am to become as time goes on. My path may be differnt than yours- and I think that’s the point and the reason that the reviews on this site are either very high or very low. For some this book resonates on a deep level and for others they see only the words. This is not to put value judgements on “getting it” or “not getting it”. This bok is only one of the paths that leads to wherever it is that we are all headed as humanity. Each of us, (if i may be allowed a new age moment), is a person “becoming” and at different rates. It is not a question of is this book is right or wrong, it is a question of whether this book is right or wrong for whom. In this case that “whom” is you… and there is only one way to find out and that is to read it for yourself.
126 of 146 people found the following review helpful.
Everything Has a Purpose
By NatureGirl
I cannot give any book that gives useful life messages less than five stars, because I don’t want to discourage anyone from reading it, however, the story in this book can drag at times. Although, the messages that it contains are necessary for the journey of the soul and it is definitely on my list of must reads. What I personally got out of the book is the importance of living in the NOW, not the past or future. What am I doing with myself right now? If you ask yourself this question often, you will find yourself being more productive. There are plenty of wonderful and inspiring passages in this book that will change your life, for example, “There are no accidents, everything has a purpose.” Another key message from the warrior may be: Don’t ever think you have learned enough – or life will throw you some hard lessons. Just when you think the character understands something, he gets thrown a hardball, similar to the course of life. At times you feel sorry for him, but he can be so cocky! Learning to be humble is one of life’s greatest lessons as well.
87 of 100 people found the following review helpful.
A Westerner’s Guide to Zen Buddhism
By theblackrabbitofinle
This book is not new material. I wouldn’t say it is groundbreaking or that it changed my life. Probably because I am already acquainted with the principles of Buddhism and Eastern thinking. So I didn’t find anything new here that would give me a “wow” factor like all the other reviews claim. What I did find is that it presents the ideology in a down-to-earth, real-life format, thus making it easy for one to understand how to apply the principles to one’s own life. The character of Socrates, the teacher, is lovable and so well done that you really feel he’s there with you. The storyline is well put together. Parts of it were taken from the author’s own life and some were created, but they are seamlessly intertwined. The story flows and the book is a quick read. Millman also incorporates Plato’s allegory of the cave and some zen koans within the plot to help enlighten you on some of the points that are presented. I already knew about Plato’s allegory and some of the zen koans from before, they are classics, so they were not new to me but I did enjoy seeing how they were applied to the main storyline.And now for the criticism. There were two things I didn’t like about this book.1. How little time or explanation Millman incorporates about his failed marriage and daughter. It just seems like a hiccup in his life. And that is why I believe Zen can only take you so far. I believe there is more to life than just letting everything go. What about forming relationships? What about atoning for your actions? If you hurt someone, it is not enough for you to realize it and let it go, you have to take action. At least seek forgiveness, let the person know you made a mistake and that you are sorry. Zen just seems to put you in a bubble and the truth is, we all are not solitary monks. We constantly interact with people, which brings me to point #2.2. The author tries to breeze through the subject of altruism by making a couple of statements here and there. Apparently, learning to be a happy person by not wanting anything makes you care for others. I didn’t buy it. The author doesn’t really explain or give examples as to how achieving enlightenment will make you care for others. As a matter of fact, he even relates an anecdote in which he got upset when a homeless man asked him for money. He justifies his reaction buy just saying that all one has to do is just let it go. What about realizing that the anger was a result of the guilt of not giving the man any money? Again, the problem with Zen. It’s great for learning how to be happy if you live in a bubble, but it doesn’t give you guidelines on how your relationship to others should be. It only focuses on the self. That’s kinda selfish when you think about it. There has to be more to life than just attaining your own enlightenment. What about putting that enlightenment into action by helping others and being a compassionate person?Overall, this is a good quick read. It might be beneficial for unenlightened souls. But for those who are already on the path, it’s nothing to rave about.
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