Sorry, but this book REEKS. Although I'm sure the author spent considerable time writing this ponderous volume (most of it in a delusional state, probably), it is an enormous, overpriced collection of disjointed, preachy, and largely irrelevant thoughts. There was just no understanding it. It's the worst Aikido book I have ever seen, and the only reason I gave it 1 star was because Amazon wouldn't let me give it a ZERO.