Define Books During The Way of Zen
Original Title: | The Way of Zen |
ISBN: | 0375705104 (ISBN13: 9780375705106) |
Edition Language: | English |
Alan W. Watts
Paperback | Pages: 236 pages Rating: 4.18 | 14985 Users | 558 Reviews
Present About Books The Way of Zen
Title | : | The Way of Zen |
Author | : | Alan W. Watts |
Book Format | : | Paperback |
Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 236 pages |
Published | : | January 26th 1999 by Vintage (first published 1957) |
Categories | : | Philosophy. Religion. Buddhism. Spirituality. Nonfiction. Zen. Eastern Philosophy |
Commentary To Books The Way of Zen
In his definitive introduction to Zen Buddhism, Alan Watts explains the principles and practices of this ancient religion to Western readers. With a rare combination of freshness and lucidity, he delves into the origins and history of Zen to explain what it means for the world today with incredible clarity. Watts saw Zen as “one of the most precious gifts of Asia to the world,” and in The Way of Zen he gives this gift to readers everywhere.Rating About Books The Way of Zen
Ratings: 4.18 From 14985 Users | 558 ReviewsNotice About Books The Way of Zen
Great book for an introduction to Zen.Every now and then, I feel guilty about reading so many comic books, so I throw myself into something hard. And this one is freaking hard! Written in the mid-1950s by a man who would become a bit of a guru in the 1960s, this book is about the philosophical and historical origins of Zen Buddhism. There are a lot of words in Hindi, Chinese, and Japanese, as well as in-depth discussions of philosophical musings on the self in cultures that are alien to me, where people spoke and wrote in languages
In terms of immediate perception, when we look for things there is nothing but mind, and when we look for mind there is nothing but things. For a moment we are paralyzed, because it seems that we have no basis for action, no ground under foot from which to take a jump. But this is the way it always was, and in the next moment we find ourselves as free to act, speak, and think as ever, yet in a strange and miraculous new world from which self and other, mind and things have vanished. In the
Although some people have criticised Watts' take on Buddhism -specifically his understanding of the role of zazen, "The Way of Zen" is still an excellent overview for the Western reader. Concepts in Buddhism such as karma, emptiness and rebirth are notoriously elusive for those used to the Judeo-Christian black-white good-bad dichotomies, and Alan Watts has a true gift for coming up with clear, concise illustrations to explain these ideas.The book is divided into two sections: The first is
Great insights can be obtained while reading this book which is why I think it is worth a lot. The beginning of the book I found a little hard to get trough because I had a hard time reconstructing the historical narative of Watts in my own mind, but fortunately it is sprinkled with clear toughts and great lessons. The rest of the book was very readable to me. A great many points of pause to reflect upon the given information or on the experience the words evoke makes me value this book very
Took me a long time to finish but it was worth it.
There ought to be a special star (green? purple?) for books that meant something to you a long time ago, but which you know you would hate today.
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