What Is 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.

"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

Alan W. Watts, who held both a master’s degree in

theology and a doctorate of divinity, is best remembered as an

interpreter of Zen Buddhism in particular, and of Indian and Chinese

philosophy in general. Standing apart, however, from sectarian

membership, he has earned the reputation of being one of the most

original and “unrutted” philosophers of the twentieth century. Watts was

the author of some twenty books on the philosophy and psychology of

religion that have been published in many languages throughout the

world, including the bestselling The Way of Zen. An avid lecturer, Watts appeared regularly on the radio and hosted the popular television series, Eastern Wisdom and Modern Life,in the 1960s. He died in 1973.