Classic reading on the bus

I travelled in on the bus the other day and as usual took the opportunity to dip into The Book of Five Rings, of which I keep a copy in my bag. As regular readers know it is one of my favourites as it is written in such a modern way considering it is 450+ years old. It is also totally accessible with a little bit of thought. Musashi starts with a brief introduction of his resume and CV as a swordsman. In the Earth Scroll he then sets out his philosophy for the martial arts and military science, drawing several parallels with other skills and arts. He then gets into more specific topics in the Water Scroll, introducing his thoughts on stance, the eyes, the bearing etc. From there on in it's down into gritty specific in the Fire Scroll, talkking about how to deal with multiple opponents and terrain, instilling fear and doubt, breaking rhythm and sevreal psychological aspects such as avoiding mental stalemate and overcoing obstacles etc. In the Wind Scroll he opens a critique on other schools and their techniques, dismissing their flashiness and pretensions. As a conclusion he reveal a little of what a true master may experience in the Scroll of Emptiness or Void. Here he talks about the sense of stillness that has become the cliche of all Zen martial arts stories everywhere.
It is such a compact book considering it was his attempt at writing down his life's work but it sill has power today.
Other books I dip into include:
The Life Giving Sword (Hei-Ho-Kadensho), Yagyu Munenori. Trans. W. Scott Wilson. Munenori's treatise on sword-craft and life in general within a Zen frame of reference
The Unfettered Mind, Takuan Soho. Trans. W. Scott Wilson. Almost a companion book to the Life Giving Sword, Takuan was Munenori's friend and Zen advisorMusashi
The Lone Samurai. W. Scott Wilson. Life story of Musashi with a wealth of detail.
Sword and Brush - Dave Lowry. On the surface a book about Japanese calligraphy but contains much of interest to the old fashioned martial artist in general.
The Demon Sermon on the Martial Arts - Issai Chozanshi. Written in a narrative form and quite complex and obscure. With a little effort much can be had from this though
The Art of War - Sun Tzu. A classic of strategy and outlook. The Shambhala Press version is good but there are many translations available.
The 36 Secret Strategies of the Martial Arts - Hiroshi Moriya, trans by William Scott Wilson. A good translation and introduction to the ancient Chinese thoughts on strategy and warfare.

So, if you're ever stuck for some light reading.....