For centuries, short stories, poems, and anecdotes have been teaching tools in Zen Buddhism. Zen Stories of the Samurai draws from a large body of literature, focusing on martial stories, all depicting Zen encounters of samurai warriors in feudal Japan. The reader is encouraged to pick up the book many times, read only one or two stories, and then reflect in terms of their personal development. Zen ink paintings by John Hrabushi offer a meditative and intellectual "cross training" throughout the collection. Foreword by noted Aikido Shihan Lorraine DiAnne.

Teaching martial arts is not merely the development of skills and techniques in others. Teaching martial arts is a life-changing transformational process for both the students and teachers. The Zen expression of "pointing at the moon" acknowledges the inherent difficulties in bringing other people to a higher level of personal understanding. This book describes the issues and considerations involved in teaching martial arts to change lives.