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Ron Tisdale wrote:
a) How strong is the actual link of 'Zen' to a class known as 'the samurai'? There has been some spirited debate about this...I tend to think that the connection to zen is overrated, though not entirely absent.
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For starters, books like this provide you with resources about koans particularly created on behalf of samurai in the past.
"Samurai Zen: The Warrior Koans," by Trevor Leggett.
"Zen and the Ways," by Trevor Leggett.
Other books of a more recent bent speak directly to the involvement of notable martial arts individuals with Zen and Buddhism, such as:
"The Sword of No-Sword : Life of the Master Warrior Tesshu," by John Stevens
I'd have to reread my Munenori or my Musashi to judge that again, but my memory has them at least talking the talk.
Even recent people are very strongly influence by Zen and Buddhism.
"The Spiritual Foundations of Aikido," by Bill Gleason
As someone who is not a scholar in this area, but who merely reads what is written, I'd love to know if there was any reason why I should specifically doubt this connection. Do you have any resources available on the lack of linkage between the two?
Rob