The Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives

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I feel like the book gives an overview of spiritual line of thought, but is really skimpy on the details. I think I need to go and find some stories about women achieving enlightenment through everyday means, women awakening through being mothers - finding their divinity through piles of dirty nappies and sleepless nights with sick children. At the time I was so absorbed in my own little world that I had minimal awareness of other people and my environment. So I decided I would read that book he gave me; after all, he had previously introduced me to The Alchemist, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and Shantaram, so I figured he was a on a roll with good books.

A book that could change your When Dan Millman was a young man, he expected that hard work would eventually bring a life of comfort, wisdom, and happiness. He is living in the Sierra Nevada mountains when Socrates suddenly appears and offers his final lessons. In rare moments, you may even feel the heart of a warrior, loving everything and everyone who appears before you.No amount of knowledge will nourish or sustain your spirit, it can never bring you ultimate happiness or peace.

This protégé, a woman of Dan's own age named Joy, has learned and integrated Socrates' philosophy into her life, to the extent that she seems as wise as Socrates himself. Dan is unsettled by Socrates' knowledge; by the fact that Socrates had appeared in a nightmare as a faceless janitor, clad in mismatched shoes (by which he is identified in waking life), who sweeps up the pieces of Dan's shattered leg; and by the old man's extraordinary speed, agility, and coordination. I read a couple of pages a day or two later, and deciding I wasn't interested in the story, put it back in the bookshelf where it collected dust for a while. But there are two ways to be rich: You can earn, inherit, borrow, beg, or steal enough money to meet expensive desires; or, you can cultivate a simple lifestyle of few desires; that way you always have more than enough money. Regardless of how successful he seems on the outside, on the inside, his world is crumbling with each passing moment.

It all happens in the 1960s; Dan is a college gymnastics star, who continues to do well in all fields except one. Because of that, it's impossible to maintain any semblance of belief that this could be real or actually happen, and as a book that says it's nonfiction, that makes it impossible for me as the reader to take it seriously. There are teachings here that I hope to carry with me forever (even though I had already learned them in my own experiences). The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.

Socrates explains that each setback and disaster has a deeper meaning than the one appearing on the surface. This title was on the recommended reading list for my dojo, and my Sensei had spoken highly of it, so I was expecting better, but in the end I was just forcing myself to keep turning the pages and cross this one off the list. I was outraged at the sheer idiocy of the protagonist as I watched him abandon in the first available moment all of the wisdom he had gathered in the previous 75% of the book.After an intensive, twenty-year spiritual quest, Dan's teaching found its form as the Peaceful Warrior's Way, expressed fully in his books and lectures. Now, imagine my face as I hit page 20 and realize that this book isn't going to get any better, doesn't contain deep life secrets, and that I will now have to power through this flaming heap of garbage for the sake of my book club.

Publisher; "Is it a Bereavement book, an autobiography, an inspirational book, a spiritual journey book, a travel book, a self-discovery book or what? Dan, hurt by this lack of faith, recovers from the injury and resumes his training under Socrates' tutelage. Everyone should take the path of the peaceful warrior, and oppose the egoic sensations which seem to gain momentum. Surprisingly, Dan somehow knew that he would bump into Socrates, he felt it, it was the only option one can think of.The central concept of "Soc's" philosophy is this: that one must live entirely in the present moment. I read this book in French so maybe it's a translation problem, but I just couldn't get past Millman's seemingly boastful tone.