Describe Of 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 |
Alan W. Watts
Paperback | Pages: 236 pages Rating: 4.18 | 14985 Users | 558 Reviews
Explanation In Pursuance Of 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.Itemize Books To The Way of Zen
| Original Title: | The Way of Zen |
| ISBN: | 0375705104 (ISBN13: 9780375705106) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Rating Of Books The Way of Zen
Ratings: 4.18 From 14985 Users | 558 ReviewsEvaluation Of Books The Way of Zen
Not going to lie, a lot of it was over my head. I still thoroughly enjoyed it.I picked this up on a whim whilst searching for books on Buddhism at the library. Actually, an online friend years ago had mentioned Watts among several other recommendations on the subject of Buddhism, so as I was searching this one immediately popped out. I wasn't interested in reading about Zen specifically, but then it's not something I know a ton about and the book was a pretty reasonable length, so why not?I'm glad I got this book, because now I feel much more knowledgeable and conversant
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.
The historical overview of Zen's origins was immensely helpful. I've never been clear on how the various strains of Buddhist thought interrelatethe cultural forms/expressions of it in India, China, and Japan are each so nuancedbut Watts makes the puzzle pieces easier to see, even if scholars may still disagree on how exactly they fit together during certain time periods.
My impression of Watts before reading this book was he was sort of this weird guy who just said deep-sounding things that appealed to stoners. Maybe he is, but in this book I didn't really get that feeling. This is a fairly serious scholarly work, it seems, on Zen Buddhism, both theoretically and practically. I felt like the first part was better than the second part, but both parts are good and worth reading.Very interesting stuff, and helped re-ignite an interest for Buddhism and Eastern
I have read this book in the hopes of gaining some background knowledge on Zen Buddhism, to help me in my studies of Japanese Art. Although the book is indeed very thorough and supplies a wealth of knowledge of the origin of Zen and of Buddhism as a whole, before moving on to the specifics of its appliance to the arts in China and Japan, it is written in such a way that is often hard for the uninitiated to follow and understand. Buddhism being as it is foreign to most Westerners, the Indian
I see the Way of Zen not so much as an exposition of a secularized version of Zen Buddhism (or Eastern thought more generally), explained in a manner easily understood by Westerners (which it is), but more as an accoutrement to Eastern spiritual practices like meditation and other numinous experiences derived from Eastern thought. This book is easily as good as anything I've read on spirituality, and probably the very best. It is important to read between the lines in this book if the full
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