The Moon in the River the Bud Path to the Empty Mind

By Antonio Terrone

In The Moon in the River: The Bud Path to Empty Mind, Dr. Antonio Terrone has found a way to write about bud, the “Way of War,” avoiding the trap of over intellectualization. The poems in this collection are meant to guide a practitioner along the life-long path of bud, training to unify mind and body, thought and action. The writing style is straightforward and sincere; natural and without artifice; all admirable qualities in a practitioner of both bud and Zen. This is a collection that should be savored slowly, poem by poem, again and again over a long time.
Ken Kushner, Roshi and Abbot, Daikozen-ji, author of One Arrow, One Life: Zen, Archery, and Enlightenment.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 7, 2020
• ISBN: 9781796095326

Book preview

The Moon in the River

The Budō Path to the Empty Mind

Antonio Terrone

Copyright © 2020 by Antonio Terrone.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 07/07/2020

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Contents

Acknowledgements

Dedication

Illustrations

Preface

Introduction

The Moon in the River

Epilogue

About the Author

故曰：知彼知己，百戰不殆

不知彼而知己，一勝一負

不知彼，不知己，每戰必殆。

Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.

If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.

(Master Sun’s Art of War, 5th BCE, Ch. 3)

Acknowledgements

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Although writing a book is a long and complex project, composing these poems has been a fascinating and surprisingly enjoyable journey. Nevertheless, despite the enjoyment, this book was made possible by the positive support and encouragement of family and friends.

I am eternally grateful to Sarah, my wife, my friend, loving mother of our two children, and great source of inspiration, for believing in my ideas and supporting my work with patience and encouragement. Her wisdom, understanding, and love are foundational to my life.

Art Wise Shihan welcomed me into his Aikidō community and his dojo in Evanston, IL, many years ago. Since the very beginning, he has shown not only interest in my Aikidō advancement, but strong support for my writings on budō. It is thanks to him and to several dojo members and fellow Aikidōkas that I could afford financing this project for publication.

It would be impossible to remember the specifics of each Aikidō sensei and shihan to whom I am indebted for his or her insights, teachings, advice, and instructions that inspired my practice and deepened my understanding of Aikidō waza over many years. In accordance with the chronological order I have met them, these Aikidō masters include Tada Hiroshi Shihan, Hosokawa Hideki Shihan, Brunello Esposito Sensei during my years in Italy; Christian Tissier Shihan, Patrick Bénézi Shihan, Bruno Gonzales sensei and Pascal Guillemin sensei, as well as Yamaguchi Seigo Shihan in France; and Wilko Vriesman Shihan in the Netherlands. My respect and gratitude go also to Endo Seishiro Shihan, Yokota Yoshiaki Shihan, Miyamoto Tsuruzo Shihan, and Yamada Yoshimitsu Shihan, with whom I studied in Japan, Europe, and in the United States. I feel honored and privileged to have had the chance to study directly under the direction of these experts in the art of Aikidō.

I am very grateful to the Roshis of the Chozen-ji tradition of Rinzai Zen at the Daikozen-ji dōjo in Spring Green, WI, especially Kenneth Setsuzan Kushner Roshi, who kindly offered to write a praise for this collection, Gordon Haku’un Greene Roshi, whose masterful calligraphy I have the privilege to include in this book, and Ginny Whitelaw Roshi, for their kind encouragement, valuable teachings, and unconditional support. My conversations with them over the past two years, their insights into Buddhist experience, spirituality and science, as well as their knowledge of the human mind have not only enriched me but