The Way of Zen by Alan W. Watts Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Way of Zen
Book Review: Explaining the Unexplainable
Summary: 5 Stars
I've read a few books on Zen and they all seemed to be a bunch of cutsey phrases. This book, on the other hand, is amazing. I bought it yesterday and my concecption of Zen, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucionism and Hinduism has already radically changed.Before yesterday, Zen to me seemed a bunch of people playing word games and sitting cross-legged avoiding the world. Buddhism seemed hypocritical metaphysics and ethics by special people who spent their lifetime (or many lifetimes) in the absurd pursuit of desiring not to desire.
I'll reread this book a few more times and post another review ... but this is one of the best books I've ever read (...P>I've already begun, not to 'convert' to Zen Buddhism, but to incorporate it in my way of thinking. Get this book.
Book Review: Great book!
Summary: 5 Stars
This book clearly outlines the history of taoism, buddhism and hinduism. It uses the culmination to explain the foundations of Zen and its 'meaning.' great informative book.Book Review: Great translation for Western thinkers.
Summary: 4 Stars
I read this book in 1983 and still consider it one of the most important books I've read. Zen is a difficult concept for Western thinkers. I'm not into ritualistic behaviors. I don't sit in certain positions to do my contemplation. I don't feel a need for religious repetition of phrases, sounds, ideas, or postures. This is why I was and still am attracted to the way of zen. If you want to get a grasp on letting go and enjoying the art and possibility of being human, read this book.Book Review: High voltage stuff from Watts!
Summary: 5 Stars
Over a period of time, we have mistaken the map for the territory as depicted in the sciences(Aristotle, Newton, Euclid did a great disservice to the human intellect through their mechanistic/ geometric interpretation of God and reality), in Psychology(skinner and his behaviourist crowd would have us believe that we live like rats, or rather, like they think rats live), anthropology(which sees us as a linear improvement from amoeba to ape to man), nuclear sciences(sending guys to the moon after blowing millions of dollars for some dirty slag/ nuclear weapons that could blow the world off) and in almost all other pursuits.Some of this is also due to our warped interpretation of religion. Fundamentally, it has been a mass-based, irrelevant pursuit where the believers are the cherished and get to sack in heaven with angels and the damned will be burnt in hell. I mean, even religion is based on what happens to one's senses which has proven time and again to be misleading. All great wars have been fought over religion and the heap of dead from time-immemorial has had generous contributions from the business of religious warfare. And all this is supposedly presided over by a monarch(read God) who sits in the heavens and is neatly using a double accounting system to be sure of his assets(believers) and liabilities(the pagans).
It is in this background that an experience like Zen is extremely critical so that we just get up, see that the emperor is not wearing any clothes and get on with our lives. Watts is simply the best as far as Zen is concerned.
Zen or Dhyana Budhhism is against the use of words/ symbols to describe enlightenment but believes in going for the state of pure bliss itself. This point has been brought about in this brilliant book by Alan Watts. The gist of the message is One doesn't and cannot have a map(read words and other symbols here)to know oneself. Just imagine feeling ourselves not as human beings but as skull+nerves+tendons+bones+muscles+ ego. It is impossible to get any kind of coherent picture. The same analogy applies to reaching god through prayers(more words), sacrifices(symbols), idols, magic(more symbols)etc. Definitely,reading this book is one of the most important experiences in my life.
Book Review: High voltage stuff from Watts!
Summary: 5 Stars
Over a period of time, we have mistaken the map for the territory as depicted in the sciences(Aristotle, Newton, Euclid did a great disservice to the human intellect through their mechanistic/ geometric interpretation of God and reality), in Psychology(skinner and his behaviourist crowd would have us believe that we live like rats, or rather, like they think rats live), anthropology(which sees us as a linear improvement from amoeba to ape to man), nuclear sciences(sending guys to moon after blowing millions of dollars for some dirty slag/ nuclear weapons that could blow the world off) and in almost all other pursuits.Some of this is also due to our warped interpretation of religion. Fundamentally, it has been a mass-based, irrelevant pursuit where the believers are the cherished and get to sack in heaven with angels and the damned will be burnt in hell. I mean, even religion is based on what happens to one's senses which has proven time and again to be misleading. All great wars have been fought over religion and the heap of dead from time-immemorial has had generous contributions from the business of religious warfare. And all this is supposedly presided over by a monarch(read God) who sits in the heavens and is neatly using a double accounting system to be sure of his assets(believers) and liabilities(the pagans).
It is in this background that an experience like Zen is extremely critical so that we just get up, see that the emperor is not wearing any clothes and get on with our lives. Watts is simply the best as far as Zen is concerned.
Zen or Dhyana Budhhism is against the use of words/ symbols to describe enlightenment but believes in going for the state of pure bliss itself. This point has been brought about in this brilliant book by Alan Watts. The gist of the message is One doesn't and cannot have a map(read words and other symbols here)to know oneself. Just imagine feeling ourselves not as human beings but as skull+nerves+tendons+bones+muscles+ ego. It is impossible to get any kind of coherent picture. The same analogy applies to reaching god through prayers(more words), sacrifices(symbols), idols, magic(more symbols)etc. Definitely,reading this book is one of the most important experiences in my life.