The Craft of the Warrior

by Robert L. Spencer; Frog Ltd., 1993 (201 pgs)

The Craft of the Warrior is categorized as a "Personal Growth/Psychology" book, and is a concise analysis of contemporary "Warrior literature." Since it quoted extensively from the works of Casteneda and Millman (and even made reference to A Course in Miracles), we reasonably expected this book to be a load of delusional "New Age" fluff directed at suburban drum pounders. However, we were taken by surprise. This actually turned out to be an excellent book.

Even though Castenada and Millman lack credibility due to the fact that they apparently like to portray fiction as fact, their books do contain a few valid concepts, which Mister Spencer has incorporated into his own system. Other authors he has quoted from include: Gurdjieff, Ouspensky, and Trungpa (among others), and he cites the methodology of processes such as Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and the Feldenkrais Method. This is an impressive compilation of fact, philosophy, and mysticism.

Some of the concepts in this book are a bit advanced, but most of them can be readily understood (and applied) by anyone of average intelligence after re-reading them. At the end of this book, the reader in encouraged to contact various specific individuals and groups for further "enlightenment" (through courses and seminars), but we feel that such "training" is unnecessary unless you’re truly motivated to spend a lot of money delving into esoteric studies of questionable value (these systems are not for everyone).

Although we do not fully agree with everything presented in this work, a lot of very good points were made, and we highly recommend The Craft of the Warrior to anyone interested in learning more about what is to be expected from those who choose to walk the path. A few significant excerpts follow:

"We will talk about what it means to be a warrior and how one’s life and character change when the warrior’s path is taken. Not everyone will have the gumption to take it. The warrior’s path is demanding and calls for its travelers to reorganize their actions, thoughts, feelings, and perceptions in ways that will make them different from most of the people around them. This is not because warriors are required to enter a monastery or live as recluses on mountaintops. On the contrary, they are highly skilled at living among the masses, but their ways of understanding the world and bases for decisions will guide warriors away from indulging in many of the feelings and behaviors of their neighbors and colleagues." (p. 21)

"Being keenly aware of his death does not make the warrior morbid, obsessed, or depressed. Instead of becoming preoccupied with death, the warrior regards it with detachment and uses it to his advantage. Death puts the warrior’s life and actions into the perspective of a mortal being. The warrior, being aware of his mortality, knows he can waste neither time nor energy . . . Since he may have no time left, he must live impeccably in each moment. Knowledge of his death also helps the warrior to feel courageous and free. Trungpa defined cowardice as "trying to live our lives as if death were unknown." In contrast, having death as a nearby presence gives the warrior courage to face anything." (p. 27)

"Society, culture, and government are constantly involved in the setting of boundaries and limits. They take as their primary task the creation of order, and go about doing so by drawing lines and putting things in their assigned places. This kind of imposed order is anathema to the warrior. In seeking the unknown, the warrior must transcend imposed boundaries. To adopt the determined order of society is to close out everything that is not already included in that order. Society’s determination to maintain the status quo, if successful, would forever banish the unknown. It would exile the mysterious, and in such a climate we would come to know more and more about less and less." (P. 30)

"A warrior’s strategy is designed to bring his commitment into action, develop his being, and enhance his knowledge. Living strategically requires the warrior to eliminate impulsive, whimsical actions and cease being a slave to his likes and dislikes. Actions and decisions are to be based on the warrior’s strategy and have a well-considered quality to them, even when undertaken with lightning speed. To abandon one’s strategy is to abandon the path itself." (p. 33)

"Without a strong sense of the present moment even the grandest vision is weak. If you have insufficient power to take care of your personal domestic situation, and if you cannot apply your vision in your life right now, there is little chance you can effect some positive change in the larger social, political, or economic spheres. In fact you may, without intending to do so, make things worse." (p. 37)

"Warriors are flexible in their beliefs rather than rigid. They adopt beliefs by choice and can become free of the ones programmed in by other people. Robert Dilts, writing in the NLP book Beliefs, points out, "Many of the beliefs we have acquired were installed by the time we were five years old by your parents, significant other people and possibly by the media." Warriors know this and distinguish between programmed beliefs and reality." (p. 61)

"Warriors gain a sense of detachment whether the object of attachment feels good or bad. The warrior also must detach from the opinions of other people. Trungpa tells of how warriors have abandoned gain, victory, and fame, and that as a warrior, "You are not dependant on feedback from others, because you have no doubt about yourself. You do not rely on encouragement or discouragement; therefore, you also have no need to display your valor to others." To accept information from others without allowing their opinions to bind you, or to feel you have to impress them, is an ability the warrior acquires from detachment." (p. 174)