I am fond of all the books by James Austin I have acquired so far. His approach to Zen Buddhism is entirely to my liking. There is one small exemption, though. I have long noticed that he offers not a thought to all the connections between Zen and martial arts. The samurai used it to master the sword. It was used to master the bow and arrow, as well. Unable and perhaps even unwilling to carry arms, Zen monks used it to master the walking stick as a deadly weapon. Of course, such connections go way back. Yoga was not an entirely peaceful pastime, either. The same holds for shamanism, which preceded both yoga and Zen by millennia. Curiously, even the most serious students of Zen, such as Austin, push all this under the rug. Even if the connections between Zen and martial arts are mainly about self-defense, they must be brought to light. Survival in the years to come will not be only about peaceful retreat from the tumult of life.