<DIV>Thomas Cleary's translation of <i>Code of the Samurai</i> introduced the social, political, and organizational principles of samurai culture, including loyalty to family, a sense of service and duty, and the rules for dealing with allies and enemies.<br>In <i>Soul of the Samurai</i>, Cleary delves into the key influence of Zen on the samurai's combat style, from its emphasis on detachment-meaning a willingness to sacrifice life (including one's own)-to the attempt to clear the mind and "be in the moment," which freed the swordsman's mind from distractions and allowed him to act in an instant.<br>Including translations of Yagyu Munenori's <i>Book of the Sword</i>, and Takuan Soho's <i>Inscrutable Subtlety of Immovable Wisdom</i> and <i>The Peerless Sword</i>, the teachings in <i>Soul of the Samurai</i> represent the recording and codification of these beliefs in the seventeenth century.</div>