For generations (if not millennia), people around the world have been trying to decipher the mystery that is Zen. From peace and oneness to manifold destiny, they have applied it rightly or wrongly to various states of being, and yet never fully comprehended or approached it.
Since it was originally published in the 1940’s, one of the most comprehensive and comprehensible guides has been that of Western Zen master Alan Watts. So, in this age of re-self discovery and a new wave of meditative practices, it maybe no surprise that the book has been republished in a slim and handsome format that can be held in one hand (perhaps while the other is clapping).
Illustrated with international symbols and beautiful brushwork by the author, this new edition traces the historical and spiritual roots and routes of the ancient practice in a way that can intrigue and introduce modern readers. And while the answers may not all be found herein, the questions are provocative and engaging.
While Watts suggests that, ”the harder you try to possess life, the faster it slips away from you,” this book is easy to possess and relatively easy to understand and can help even the most Western-minded meditator look to the east.
– Matt Robinson
