The Way of Zen
by Alan Watts
Watts' 1957 history and explanation of Zen for Western readers: its Taoist and Buddhist roots, the key teachers, koans, zazen and Zen in art and life. It is intellectual rather than practical, elegantly written, and still the best introduction to what Zen is as opposed to how to practice it.
Read it if…
you want to understand Zen's ideas and history clearly before or alongside practice.
Skip it if…
you want instruction; Watts explains, he does not teach sitting.
Three things you will actually use
- The Way cannot be grasped by grasping.
- Spontaneity is the fruit of discipline, not its opposite.
- Life is not a problem to be solved.
Do this first
Read Part One for background, then Part Two for the practice sections.
Our verdict
Elegant and illuminating.
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