After D.T. Suzuki, Alan Watts stands as the godfather of Zen in America. Often taken to task for inspiring the flimsy spontaneity of Beat Zen, Watts had an undeniably keen understanding of his subject. Nowhere is this more evident than in his 1957 classic The Way of Zen, which has been reissued. Watts takes the reader back to the philosophical foundations of Zen in the conceptual world of Hinduism, follows Buddhism's course through the development of the early Mahayana school, the birth of Zen from Buddhism's marriage with Chinese Taoism, and on to Zen's unique expression in Japanese art and life. As a Westerner, Watts anticipates the stumbling blocks encountered with such concepts as emptiness and no-mind, then illustrates with flawlessly apt examples. Many popular books have been written on Zen since Watts' time, but few have been able to muster the rare combination of erudition and clarity that have kept The Way of Zen in readers' hands decade after decade. --Brian Bruya
Way of Zen ANNOTATION
Divided in two parts: the first provides the history and background of Zen; the second deals with its principles and practices.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
The Way of Zen presents an understandable, inspirational and spiritually rewarding exploration of Zen Buddhism - "a way of liberation" that may be one of the most precious gifts of Asia to the world.
For the first time on audio tape, The Way of Zen presents readings of carefully-chosen selections from Alan Watts' classic bestseller, illuminated by rare recordings of the author personally commenting on some of the concepts and ideas in the book.
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