The Religion of the Samurai

A Study of Zen Philosophy and Discipline in China and Japan

By: Kaiten Nukariya

Narrated by: Nicholas Techosky

Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

Zen was uniquely suited to the Samurai of Japan. The high moral principles of Buddhism, when adopted and adapted by the Japanese warriors who became the Samurai, created an austere philosophy of singular beauty and depth. Its characteristic requirements of strict control over body and mind was exemplified by ancient warrior monks whose serene countenance, even in the face of certain death, made them much admired even by their foes.

Zen may be the most misunderstood of the world's moral philosophies. While it is often classified as a Religion, it is frequently considered by its adherents to be a utilitarian philosophy, a collection of rational moral precepts or, even more simply, as a state of being. The aim of the practice of Zen is to become Enlightened and achieve the beatitude of Nirvana.

To reach Nirvana means to achieve the state of extinction of pain and the annihilation of sin. Zen never looks for the realization of its beatitude in a place like heaven, nor believes in the realm of Reality transcendental of the phenomenal universe, nor gives countenance to the superstition of Immortality, nor does it hold the world is the best of all possible worlds, nor conceives life simply as blessing. It is in this life, full of shortcomings, misery, and sufferings, that Zen hopes to realize its beatitude. It is in this world, imperfect, changing, and moving, that Zen finds the Divine Light it worships. It is in this phenomenal universe of limitation and relativity that Zen aims to attain to highest Nirvana.

Public Domain (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

fourth listen but not my last

I'm ready to learn more even with this being my fourth or fifth listen of this book I'm not ready to put it down just yet. loved the performance and the content.

Content & Narration

Semi-typical account of Buddhism which, taken as a whole, is incoherent. Also, as with so many Audible recordings, narrator does not know proper pronunciation of foreign terms and names.

A mixed bag

Enjoyed the first few chapters. Became completely lost trying to follow the later chapters. I gave up.

Easy to understand,Kind of preachy,but still good

Any additional comments?

I've listen to it a few times now. The book gives a great history of Zen. I also like multi-cultural approach of bringing in favorable comparisons with other popular religions like Christianity. There are great object lessons, parables, and explanations of what they mean. However, it doesn't quite cover how to actively practice or grow in the religion. It says to seek out a qualified Zen teacher for such training but that why I bought the book.

the narrator has a quick inhale after each line

had to stop listening. you can hear sudden breath gasps at each sentence.... literally every sentence like they can't breath.

Factually vapid

It is historically wrong with the first two minutes. Chan is alive and well in China.

Robotic narration

What didn’t you like about Nicholas Techosky’s performance?

The voice sounds far too artificial. There is an inhaling sound every few words that is distracting to say the least. It makes punctuation more difficult to follow and nearly impossible to keep track of the storyline. It is the first time I am dissatisfied with an audiobook and I felt I lost $20 on this one.

WOW, actually quite terrible reading.

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Sorry, but I found the narration tremendously difficult to listen to. Repeated pausing and consistent hesitation throughout, made for an unpleasant experience. Sadly, I wasn't able to return the item. :(
I'm sure a different narrator would've been the key.

Would you be willing to try another one of Nicholas Techosky’s performances?

No, I would not.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

I'm quite keen on the subject matter, again the only let down for me was the narration, and my inability to return the item for an exchange or credit.

Bad History and Terrible Pronunciation

When you hear the narrator talk about the Tokugana shoguns, that tells you most of what you need to know about the book. [They were the Tokugawa Shogun.]

Much of the book is read mechanically, and with many long pauses. There are many many errors of pronunciation of both Sanskrit and Japanese words. Some words are sometimes pronounced correctly and sometimes incorrectly.

The book is full of numerous small factual errors about Japanese history, and presents exaggerations and myths as truth. Zen was not the religion of the samurai. It was popular with some samurai, and in a minority of Japanese schools of swordsmanship (kenjutsu ryu).

I will never knowingly choose a title by this narrator again.