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Rating: 
Summary: Of course, I'm biased, but ...
Review: Dr. Fabian is my sensei, teaching a class of 15-20 students in Hontai Yoshin Ryu (mainly Jujutsu with some Bojutsu and Iaijutsu), so I have some obvious bias. I read his book mainly because of the class. However, I would recommend it to anyone interested in a westerner's journey in the way of martial arts and what they have learned from that journey. Each of the nine main chapters is similarly structured; a short introduction, then the main autobiographical narrative thread, followed by a reflection on what was learned. As I read the book, I felt both a keen interest in the autobiographical content *and* the philosophical content; each is interesting per se, and they enhance each other strongly. I usually devour books rather rapidly; in this case I found myself putting it down at the end of a chapter and thinking about the concepts and ideas. As a Christian, it afforded me a valuable insight into the connection between Christianity and eastern thought and is influencing my way of following Christ. I recommend this book for anyone concerned with living life more intentionally, and particularly someone interested in finding a 'way', even if the way of martial arts is not where you see yourself going.
Rating:
Summary: Lessons for Life, not just Martial Arts
Review: I have been studying various forms of martial arts for a long time before I found hontai yoshin ryu. Fabian Sensei is an amazing example of how one should walk the path of the true warrior. I read his book after taking a class with him and it's really helped open my eyes to what a traditional martial artist is, and how he sees the world. It's autobiographical, but he uses his own experiences to explain his steps along the path. The main thing that he stresses throughout the book is that the Nine lessons are FROM Martial Arts, not just FOR martial arts. He expresses the lessons one must learn to master things, and they can range from a study of martial arts, to tea pouring, to flower arranging. The lessons are life lessons. An amazing book!
Rating:
Summary: Lessons for Life, not just Martial Arts
Review: I have been studying various forms of martial arts for a long time before I found hontai yoshin ryu. Fabian Sensei is an amazing example of how one should walk the path of the true warrior. I read his book after taking a class with him and it's really helped open my eyes to what a traditional martial artist is, and how he sees the world. It's autobiographical, but he uses his own experiences to explain his steps along the path. The main thing that he stresses throughout the book is that the Nine lessons are FROM Martial Arts, not just FOR martial arts. He expresses the lessons one must learn to master things, and they can range from a study of martial arts, to tea pouring, to flower arranging. The lessons are life lessons. An amazing book!
Rating:
Summary: Guidelines for the Way
Review: The book "Clearing Away Clouds: Nine Lessons for
Life From the Martial Arts," by Stephen Fabian, is
written as an autobiography of Fabien sensei's
training and development as a martial artist. The
Fabian sensei takes the reader from his initial
exposure and introduction to the martial arts,
through his development to a point when the student
then becomes the teacher. Along the way you Fabian
sensei shares the trails and challenges of a young
college student, on learning to living on your own,
on the hectic, sometimes daunting demands placed on
a graduate student, to learning to function in a
foreign country. Though the book is not necessarily meant to be
instructional, at least not in a traditional sense,
Fabian sensei provides a set of nine "lessons" or
guidelines to help the aspiring martial artist
through the travels along the Way. These lessons are presented in a defined order, each
building on the previous lesson. The lessons are
presented in an abstract way, supported by
developmental stories from the author's life, which
force the reader to think about and internalize the
information. This is not a "become a martial artist in nine easy
steps" type of book; this book provides real life
experiences of someone that have used the martial
arts to help shape their life, and become a better
person for it. It several subtle ways, the author helps to
differentiate between the fast-food type of martial
art school whose primary objective is the
development of "martial athletes" and the more
traditional dojo's (dojang in Korean) that cultivate
true "martial artists". As a practitioner of Japanese martial arts, I found
the chapters of the book related to the challenges
of living in Japan particularly interesting. The book is very well written, and has a good
structure and flow to it. I highly recommend this
book to anyone that is interested in the martial
arts, particularly those that truly embrace their
training as a path along the Way.
Rating:
Summary: Guidelines for the Way
Review: The book "Clearing Away Clouds: Nine Lessons for
Life From the Martial Arts," by Stephen Fabian, is
written as an autobiography of Fabien sensei's
training and development as a martial artist. The
Fabian sensei takes the reader from his initial
exposure and introduction to the martial arts,
through his development to a point when the student
then becomes the teacher. Along the way you Fabian
sensei shares the trails and challenges of a young
college student, on learning to living on your own,
on the hectic, sometimes daunting demands placed on
a graduate student, to learning to function in a
foreign country. Though the book is not necessarily meant to be
instructional, at least not in a traditional sense,
Fabian sensei provides a set of nine "lessons" or
guidelines to help the aspiring martial artist
through the travels along the Way. These lessons are presented in a defined order, each
building on the previous lesson. The lessons are
presented in an abstract way, supported by
developmental stories from the author's life, which
force the reader to think about and internalize the
information. This is not a "become a martial artist in nine easy
steps" type of book; this book provides real life
experiences of someone that have used the martial
arts to help shape their life, and become a better
person for it. It several subtle ways, the author helps to
differentiate between the fast-food type of martial
art school whose primary objective is the
development of "martial athletes" and the more
traditional dojo's (dojang in Korean) that cultivate
true "martial artists". As a practitioner of Japanese martial arts, I found
the chapters of the book related to the challenges
of living in Japan particularly interesting. The book is very well written, and has a good
structure and flow to it. I highly recommend this
book to anyone that is interested in the martial
arts, particularly those that truly embrace their
training as a path along the Way.
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