The Archer (2020) by Paulo Coelho & The Way of the Bow

The Archer (2020) by Paulo Coelho is a short-thin motivational-Zen book (also translated as The Way of the Bow) with mostly one paragraph per page, and can be read in one or two short afternoons, but the over-arching metaphors found within are going to be deliberated for years to come.  

The primary focus of the book is that forward-moving Action (combined with the Soul) compels an individual into a life worth living — an unafraid life free of restrictions; a brave life which is capable of taking risks and overcoming challenges.

The Zen-esque advice is taught by a narrator who is a mysterious Master Archer named Tetsuya, who reached a famed & legendary status long ago only to be found now working as a lowly-unknown carpenter in his old age.

Between chapters (more like quick sectional topic breaks) & spread throughout the pages are simple yet beautiful illustrations by Christoph Niemann.

The Prologue (pgs 1-11) and the Epilogue (pgs 125-130) are primarily told as a straight forward story with Tetsuya imparting his wisdom to a young boy who wishes to learn the secrets of what it takes to be successful in life and to be a master archer. The Epilogue dives deeper into Tetsuya’s backstory relating how he first became acquainted with the skills of archery.

Organization

“The Way of the Bow” (p 7), almost prayer-like, is frequently referred to as the guiding principle of the Master Archer broken down into thirteen detailed categories as Tetsuya and the young boy descend a mountain.

The sections (which can be read as literal advice for archery or as larger metaphors with far-reaching implications) are — Allies — The Bow — The Arrow — The Target — Posture — How to Hold the Arrow — How to Hold the Bow — How to Draw the Bowstring — How to Look at the Target — The Moment of Release — Repetition — How to Observe the Flight of the Arrow — and, The Archer Without Bow, Without Arrow, Without Target.

What is a Master?

Early on, the Master Archer Tetsuya defines what a “Master” is to a young boy who has just watch Tetsuya defeat another archer in a challenge of skills.

Tetsuya explains what he thinks a “master” is: “I would say that he is not someone who teaches something, but someone who inspires the student to do his best to discover a knowledge he already has in his soul” (p 11).

Allies

Tetsuya then explains which Allies to seek out and what the true nature of an Ally can be defined as:

“They are the people who are not afraid of making mistakes and who do, therefore, make mistakes, which is why their work often goes unrecognized. Yet they are just the kind of people who transform the world and, after many mistakes, manage to do something that can make a real difference in their community…

“They are people who can’t bear to sit around waiting for things to happen in order to decide which attitude to adopt; they decide as they act, well aware that this could prove highly dangerous” (p 18).

“They are people who do not hesitate to change direction when they encounter some insuperable barrier, or when they see a better opportunity. They have the qualities of water: flowing around rocks, adapting to the course of the river, sometimes forming into a lake until the hollow fills to overflowing, and they can continue on their way, because water never forgets that the sea is its destiny and that sooner or later it must be reached” (p 25).

The Target

Continuing down the mountain, Tetsuya explains to the young boy what the Target really is and what it truly means:

“The target is the objective to be reached.

“It was chosen by the archer and though it is a long way off, we cannot blame it when we fail to hit it. In this lies the beauty of the way of the bow: you can never excuse yourself by saying that your opponent was stronger than you.

“You were the one who chose the target and you are responsible for it” (p 43).

“That is why you must choose your target, do your best to hit it, and always regard it with respect and dignity; you need to know what it means and how much effort, training, and intuition were required on your part” (p 45).

“Just as the arrow seeks the target, so the target also seeks the arrow, because it is the arrow that gives meaning to its existence; it is no longer just a piece of paper; for an archer, it is the center of the world” (p 47).

How to Hold the Arrow

Here, Tetsuya likens the “arrow” as being a person’s “intention” to achieve a specific act.

“A man’s intention should be perfect, straight, sharp, firm, precise. No one can stop it as it crosses the space separating it from its destiny” (p 65).

How to Draw the Bowstring

“The bow is a musical instrument, and its sound is made manifest in the string.

“The bowstring is a big thing, but the arrow touches only one point on it, and all the archer’s knowledge and experience should be concentrated on that one small point” (p 75).

The Moment of Release

“There are two types of shot.

“The first is the shot made with great precision, but without any soul…

“The second type of shot is the one made with soul. When the intention of the archer is transformed into the flight of the arrow, his hand opens at the right moment, the sound of the string makes the birds sing, and the gesture of shooting something over a distance provokes — paradoxically enough — a return to and an encounter with oneself” (p 91).

Repetition

“And then comes the moment when he no longer has to think about what he is doing. From then on, the archer becomes his bow, his arrow, and his target” (p 104).

How to Observe the Flight of the Arrow

“If he has practiced enough, if he has managed to develop his instinct, if he has maintained elegance and concentration throughout the whole process of shooting the arrow, he will, at that moment, feel the presence of the universe and will see that his action was just and deserved” (p 112).

“When the archer draws the bowstring, he can see the whole world in his bow…

“Each arrow flies differently. You can shoot a thousand arrows and each one will follow a different trajectory: that is the way of the bow” (p 115).

Paulo Coelho is the famed author of The Alchemist (1988).

He’s also the author of The Pilgrimage (1987), By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept (1994), Warrior of the Light: A Manual (2002), Eleven Minutes (2003), Aleph (2011), Manuscript Found in Accra (2012), Adultery (2014), The Spy (2016), and Hippie (2018), among many other wonderful books.