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zachlittrell 's review for:
The Way of Zen
by Alan Watts
I think it's hard to find a better introduction to Zen Buddhism for Westerners than the first half of this. First of all, Watts is a darn good writer and great at explaining some pretty heady concepts. I found it easy to follow his train of thought as he presented Zen as the natural evolution of Chinese Taoism and Mahayana Buddhism. Something that borrowed concepts from both, but created something newer and in many ways free from either's hang-ups. I liked that Watts doesn't hide his bias or affection for Zen. As he describes the Zen line of thought that we're already capable of reaching nirvana, we're already in buddhahood, and that reality is the void and the void is reality -- I could feel the sense of relief and release this thought provides him. You are already free, if you want to be.
Unfortunately a few warts and a sluggishly unfocused second half slows the momentum. Firstly, while he does his best to not make Eastern philosophy seem too exotic, he sure can't help himself to imply Western philosophy is just so inadequate and ill-equipped to handle problems. He also leans too hard into Taoism and Zen's love for nonsense. I love Taoism nonsense! I think it's a wonderful feature, poking holes in everyday logic and encouraging deeper thinking than rationalism might enable. But...it can be a little alienating, which is a sharp change from his very concrete, informative, and welcoming first half.
Unfortunately a few warts and a sluggishly unfocused second half slows the momentum. Firstly, while he does his best to not make Eastern philosophy seem too exotic, he sure can't help himself to imply Western philosophy is just so inadequate and ill-equipped to handle problems. He also leans too hard into Taoism and Zen's love for nonsense. I love Taoism nonsense! I think it's a wonderful feature, poking holes in everyday logic and encouraging deeper thinking than rationalism might enable. But...it can be a little alienating, which is a sharp change from his very concrete, informative, and welcoming first half.