The Way of Zen (Vintage Edition)

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. Alan W. Watts, who held both a master’s degree in theology and a doctorate of divinity, is best known 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. He was the author of some twenty books on the philosophy and psychology of religion, including (in Vintage Books) The Way of Zen; Nature, Man, and Woman; Behold the Spirit; The Book; This Is It; Cloud Hidden, Whereabouts Unknown; and Tao. Watts died in 1973.