I recently read Zen in the Art of Archery and then came across this critique of it as a reliable account of Eastern practices. Worth reading if you’ve read the book; it seems that Herrigel is, if well-meaningly, making up a lot of stuff.

The Myth of Zen in the Art of Archery

While Herrigel struggled to understand kyðjutsu rationally, Awa responded to him with words that transcended logic. Taken by itself, this conversation between Western culture and Japanese culture is extremely interesting and is a major reason why Herrigel’s book was such a great success from a literarypoint of view. At the same time, however, it is probably more appropriate to see Herrigel not so much as a logician but as a mystic who idolized Meister Eckhart. (p. 16)