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Lo Zen. Un modo di vita, lavoro e arte in Estremo Oriente
La concentrazione, l' "economia di forza", la mente controllata nell'affrontare i fatti, anche minori, della vita, sono i punti fondamentali dello zen. Questa filosofia orientale che contiene al suo interno la quiete del Culto del Tè, la vita semplice a contatto con la natura o con le cose disadorne, non ingombranti, diventa feroce e tempestosa quando si esprime nel Ju-Jutsu o nel Kenjutsu, che pure hanno una loro calma fondamentale. Quest'opera di Alan Watts vuole introdurre al vero spirito del buddismo zen, ormai diffuso da anni in Occidente e che si è rivelato stimolante non solo per rivivificare il nostro mondo culturale, ma anche per proporre all'individuo un itinerario di trasformazione dei rapporti umani.
125 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1936
44 people are currently reading
1339 people want to read
About the author
Alan W. Watts
255 books8,021 followersAlan Wilson Watts was a British philosopher, writer and speaker, who held both a Master's in Theology and a Doctorate of Divinity. Famous for his research on comparative religion, he was best known as an interpreter and popularizer of Asian philosophies for a Western audience. He wrote over 25 books and numerous articles on subjects such as personal identity, the true nature of reality, higher consciousness, the meaning of life, concepts and images of God and the non-material pursuit of happiness. In his books he relates his experience to scientific knowledge and to the teachings of Eastern and Western religion and philosophy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
February 22, 2021
A very basic (and yet worthwhile and informative) introduction to Zen and Buddhism, recommended for those with some curiosity and little knowledge on the subject.
January 14, 2020
Alan Watts is always a joy to read. He has a way of elucidating any subject he puts forth and Zen is one of them, thankfully. I'd previously read The Way of Zen, and Tao: The Watercourse Way and this book fits in very well with those two. Having said that, it's been several years since I read those (it's time for a revisit), so this was a good refresher on the subject!
This book gave a good overview of Zen's origins, how it's influenced Eastern society, and of course its basic philosophy. Lots of examples are used, as well as quotes, which are fitting because Zen isn't something that can really be explained but is rather something that is lived, as Watts described. It's an interesting path and relevant to a lot of subjects that are becoming popularized in the West, such as mindfulness, the KonMari Method, etc. etc. Basically, it's good to have a solid grounding in some of the roots of these practices in order to appreciate how they developed and to avoid seeing them as bits and pieces separate from a whole.
Anyway, I'm hoping to continue my refamiliarization with Zen and Buddhism more generally (and with Watts's work) this year. ^^
This book gave a good overview of Zen's origins, how it's influenced Eastern society, and of course its basic philosophy. Lots of examples are used, as well as quotes, which are fitting because Zen isn't something that can really be explained but is rather something that is lived, as Watts described. It's an interesting path and relevant to a lot of subjects that are becoming popularized in the West, such as mindfulness, the KonMari Method, etc. etc. Basically, it's good to have a solid grounding in some of the roots of these practices in order to appreciate how they developed and to avoid seeing them as bits and pieces separate from a whole.
Anyway, I'm hoping to continue my refamiliarization with Zen and Buddhism more generally (and with Watts's work) this year. ^^
October 20, 2025
If you do not get it from yourself, Where will you go for it ?????
October 17, 2014
This introduction to Zen Buddhism is Alan Watts' first of many books on Eastern religion. It's a very satisfying read, written in the eloquent and lucid style that Watts would come to be known for. Watts had a way of simplifying the most complex concepts, as well as capturing the elusive. Here, he captures the elusive spirit of Zen.
The book itself is elegantly designed and a pleasure to hold in one's hands.
The book itself is elegantly designed and a pleasure to hold in one's hands.
April 20, 2025
Wir haben keinen Besitzanspruch in dieser Welt. Somit müssen wir uns von allem lösen, um die Schönheit ihrer Dinge in Gänze betrachten zu können. Wir müssen loslassen, um etwas zu greifen.
Ein sehr schön geschriebenes Buch über das Ungreifbare. Mit einleuchtenden Vergleichen und interessanten Anekdoten über Leute, die sich auf der Suche nach Wissen ihren Arm abhacken, die Schönheit des Alltags, die Relevanz des Tees auf der Suche nach Erlösung und die Notwendigkeit von Kampfsport als Lebensprinzip.
Die Erleuchtung wird dabei immer im Blick behalten, obwohl man am Ende des Buchs noch immer im Dunkeln tappt. Aber vielleicht ist das der Sinn des Ganzen.
Ein sehr schön geschriebenes Buch über das Ungreifbare. Mit einleuchtenden Vergleichen und interessanten Anekdoten über Leute, die sich auf der Suche nach Wissen ihren Arm abhacken, die Schönheit des Alltags, die Relevanz des Tees auf der Suche nach Erlösung und die Notwendigkeit von Kampfsport als Lebensprinzip.
Die Erleuchtung wird dabei immer im Blick behalten, obwohl man am Ende des Buchs noch immer im Dunkeln tappt. Aber vielleicht ist das der Sinn des Ganzen.
August 7, 2022
Hinweise anstatt Erklärungen - weckt die Neugier selbst nachzusehen, ohne sich auf die Erfahrung anderer verlassen zu müssen. Lesen ist also empfehlenswert.
February 4, 2025
more of an introduction to Zen Buddhism than a deep philosophical exploration. an enriching read. his presentation of koans and unique insights offers a thought-provoking perspective on Zen.
November 19, 2025
„Vor langer Zeit hielt ein Mann eine Gans in einer Flasche. Sie wuchs und wuchs, und zuletzt kam sie aus der Flasche nicht mehr heraus. Der Mann wollte weder die Flasche zertrümmern noch die Gans verletzen. Wie würdest du sie herauskriegen?“
September 2, 2019
Precocious and very readable
The Spirit of Zen, written in the early thirties by Watts when he was still a teenager, is not to be mistaken for his strikingly accomplished The Way of Zen, written some years later. It is to be treasured however for those who admire Watts and his unique and highly influential body of work because it was his first published book on Zen Buddhism.
It is clearly a young man's book. When it was reissued some twenty-four years later, Watts was asked to revise it, but he declined, saying that it would require a rewriting of the book. He allowed that his expression herein of the philosophy of Mahayana was flawed, but I think the real shortcoming--if we can call it that--in The Spirit of Zen is simply the fact that the very young author did not understand Zen in the way he would in years to come. For an older man to rewrite a younger man's book, even though that younger man be himself, is to create another book, by another person. Watts knew this, and that is undoubtedly the real reason he declined. So he let it stand as it is with its flaws, but also with its strengths.
From my point of view those strengths are the felicitous prose, the clear expression, the fresh enthusiasm and the ground-breaking insights from a Western point of view. The weakness is in the young man's misunderstanding of the role of the koan and of the experience of enlightenment. Quite frankly, Watts dove in and wrote what he knew, but what he knew was not yet enlightenment. We can see this in his expression about what he calls "trance" in meditation where he is discussing the use of the koan and zazen in Zen practice. He remarks that "the aims of Yoga and Za-zen appear to be rather different." (p. 80) He was wise to quality with "appears" because most people today would say that the goals are identical, that is, freedom from the delusion and restraint of ordinary conditioned consciousness. On the same page he describes "trance" which he then associated with the yogic practice, as "static and other-worldly" adding that "the Chinese mind [meaning the early Zen mind] required something altogether more vital and practical." Although I am not an authority on Watts, having read only a handful of his books, I would bet that he seldom if ever used "trance" in this sense again. The word has become almost pejorative in this usage mainly because practitioners know from personal experience that meditation involves any number of states of mind, and to reduce the experience to "being in a trance" is misleading. Meditation (which really is zazen--"just sitting") is an experience unique to each individual, not translatable, while being as "vital and practical" as you can get, whether the approach be yogic, Christian mystic, whirling dervish, koan-inspired or whatever.
One can also see Watts's struggle toward an understanding of the use of the koan. He writes that the disciple "arrives at a state where the dilemma of life [is] enshrined in the Koan...," missing the "is." (p. 49) While the koan is central to the Rinzai school of Zen, the real essential is zazen. My personal feeling is that the koan is for young aspirants, especially those with a strong intellectual bent. What Watts apparently doesn't quite see here, as all the ancients insist, and as Watts himself writes, is that Zen IS meditation. Indeed, the word comes from the Chinese "ch'an" which comes from the Sanskrit "dhyana," both words meaning, right in front of our faces, "meditation" (which Watts knew, of course). The truth--a truth seldom expressed--is that teenagers do not meditate except willy-nilly (unless of course they are saints or geniuses). So Watts still did not know.
Regardless of these imperfections; indeed in light of them, we can see the precocious nature of Alan Watts's understanding. Certainly he got the essence right. He recalls on page 49 an old Zen saying, "Do not linger about where the Buddha is, and as to where he is not, pass swiftly on." Also "The only difference between a Buddha and an ordinary man is that one realizes it while the other does not." (pp. 48-49) This last expression (from Hui Neng) reminds me of the idea of bliss in yoga and Vedanta. We ARE bliss. What we have to do is realize it. That makes all the difference.
Watts also shows here a mature understanding of the psychology of religion, noting, for example, on page 61 that "morality should not be confused with religion..." In the chapter, "Life in a Zen Community," he also acknowledges the "evils of monasticism" without dwelling on them. In general he shows a clear groking of the central idea of Zen, which is, be concrete, be here now and in every moment, and do not mistake the pointing finger for the moon.
More than anything perhaps we can see in this book the beginnings of Watts's great scholarship, a scholarship that made him one of American's foremost authorities on Eastern religions. This is particularly evident in his emphasis on the debt that Zen owes to Taoism expressed in the chapter, "The Origins of Zen," which would become a full blown exposition in his celebrated The Way of Zen, which I recommend the reader read after this volume.
Incidentally, I should like to say that it was this book that allowed me to really appreciate the allegory of the herding of the ox (mentioned here, but completely expounded in other books, especially Suzuki's Manual of Zen Buddhism). But I will save my "understanding" for another time. Suffice it to say, as Watts writes on page 60, recalling the Buddha's dictum, that the raft of Buddhism is only for getting across the river. Once on the other side, it can be left behind.
--Dennis Littrell, author of “Understanding Religion: Reviews, Essays and Commentary”
The Spirit of Zen, written in the early thirties by Watts when he was still a teenager, is not to be mistaken for his strikingly accomplished The Way of Zen, written some years later. It is to be treasured however for those who admire Watts and his unique and highly influential body of work because it was his first published book on Zen Buddhism.
It is clearly a young man's book. When it was reissued some twenty-four years later, Watts was asked to revise it, but he declined, saying that it would require a rewriting of the book. He allowed that his expression herein of the philosophy of Mahayana was flawed, but I think the real shortcoming--if we can call it that--in The Spirit of Zen is simply the fact that the very young author did not understand Zen in the way he would in years to come. For an older man to rewrite a younger man's book, even though that younger man be himself, is to create another book, by another person. Watts knew this, and that is undoubtedly the real reason he declined. So he let it stand as it is with its flaws, but also with its strengths.
From my point of view those strengths are the felicitous prose, the clear expression, the fresh enthusiasm and the ground-breaking insights from a Western point of view. The weakness is in the young man's misunderstanding of the role of the koan and of the experience of enlightenment. Quite frankly, Watts dove in and wrote what he knew, but what he knew was not yet enlightenment. We can see this in his expression about what he calls "trance" in meditation where he is discussing the use of the koan and zazen in Zen practice. He remarks that "the aims of Yoga and Za-zen appear to be rather different." (p. 80) He was wise to quality with "appears" because most people today would say that the goals are identical, that is, freedom from the delusion and restraint of ordinary conditioned consciousness. On the same page he describes "trance" which he then associated with the yogic practice, as "static and other-worldly" adding that "the Chinese mind [meaning the early Zen mind] required something altogether more vital and practical." Although I am not an authority on Watts, having read only a handful of his books, I would bet that he seldom if ever used "trance" in this sense again. The word has become almost pejorative in this usage mainly because practitioners know from personal experience that meditation involves any number of states of mind, and to reduce the experience to "being in a trance" is misleading. Meditation (which really is zazen--"just sitting") is an experience unique to each individual, not translatable, while being as "vital and practical" as you can get, whether the approach be yogic, Christian mystic, whirling dervish, koan-inspired or whatever.
One can also see Watts's struggle toward an understanding of the use of the koan. He writes that the disciple "arrives at a state where the dilemma of life [is] enshrined in the Koan...," missing the "is." (p. 49) While the koan is central to the Rinzai school of Zen, the real essential is zazen. My personal feeling is that the koan is for young aspirants, especially those with a strong intellectual bent. What Watts apparently doesn't quite see here, as all the ancients insist, and as Watts himself writes, is that Zen IS meditation. Indeed, the word comes from the Chinese "ch'an" which comes from the Sanskrit "dhyana," both words meaning, right in front of our faces, "meditation" (which Watts knew, of course). The truth--a truth seldom expressed--is that teenagers do not meditate except willy-nilly (unless of course they are saints or geniuses). So Watts still did not know.
Regardless of these imperfections; indeed in light of them, we can see the precocious nature of Alan Watts's understanding. Certainly he got the essence right. He recalls on page 49 an old Zen saying, "Do not linger about where the Buddha is, and as to where he is not, pass swiftly on." Also "The only difference between a Buddha and an ordinary man is that one realizes it while the other does not." (pp. 48-49) This last expression (from Hui Neng) reminds me of the idea of bliss in yoga and Vedanta. We ARE bliss. What we have to do is realize it. That makes all the difference.
Watts also shows here a mature understanding of the psychology of religion, noting, for example, on page 61 that "morality should not be confused with religion..." In the chapter, "Life in a Zen Community," he also acknowledges the "evils of monasticism" without dwelling on them. In general he shows a clear groking of the central idea of Zen, which is, be concrete, be here now and in every moment, and do not mistake the pointing finger for the moon.
More than anything perhaps we can see in this book the beginnings of Watts's great scholarship, a scholarship that made him one of American's foremost authorities on Eastern religions. This is particularly evident in his emphasis on the debt that Zen owes to Taoism expressed in the chapter, "The Origins of Zen," which would become a full blown exposition in his celebrated The Way of Zen, which I recommend the reader read after this volume.
Incidentally, I should like to say that it was this book that allowed me to really appreciate the allegory of the herding of the ox (mentioned here, but completely expounded in other books, especially Suzuki's Manual of Zen Buddhism). But I will save my "understanding" for another time. Suffice it to say, as Watts writes on page 60, recalling the Buddha's dictum, that the raft of Buddhism is only for getting across the river. Once on the other side, it can be left behind.
--Dennis Littrell, author of “Understanding Religion: Reviews, Essays and Commentary”
April 3, 2008
AMAZING. My copy is not from 2006, more like 1966. It's tattered and sections are falling apart. I keep it together pushed together by other books. It's a BIBLE. It's a better codex than the bible!! Although it's not really a code to live by, it explains Buddhism SO SIMPLY that it exemplifies the philosophy of buddhism in the explaining of it. BRILLIANT. And truly underrated--READ IT!...just don't try and borrow my copy. Sorry.
July 16, 2015
A wonderfully written introduction to the world of Zen, covering everything from the history of Zen, to the Tea Ceremony, the arts of Ju-Jutsu and Kenjutsu, and the ancient code of Bushido. This book gives a lot of information while giving very little, which is perfect when trying to describe the art of Zen, for Zen is life, and so it can never be truly described or contained, even on paper.
September 13, 2025
🧘♂️ Short Summary:
Alan Watts explores the spirit of Zen — not as a rigid belief system, but as a way of being that emphasizes direct experience, simplicity, and inner freedom. Zen is presented as both profoundly spiritual and deeply rooted in everyday life as nothing something to be strived for just as wu-wei.
🔑 Key Takeaways:
1. Zen is not a philosophy — it is an experience.
– Zen bypasses logic and doctrine, pointing to “suchness” or direct reality, beyond words and labels. Zen is a lifestyle, not something to be described in words
2. The goal is no-goal - wu-wei
– Zen teaches non-striving — awakening (satori) comes not through effort, but through presence and letting go.
3. Meditation (Zazen) is central.
– Not to get anywhere, but to sit and be, observing the mind without clinging or resisting.
4. Koans and paradoxes train the mind.
– Zen uses riddles (koans) not to confuse, but to break the grip of dualistic thinking.
5. Everyday life is the path.
– Zen is lived in ordinary acts — drinking tea, arranging flowers, walking — performed with full awareness. Don't force moments and life, complete acceptance of reality
6. Art and spontaneity express Zen.
– Painting, and martial arts are not "artistic" in the Western sense, but embodiments of the Zen spirit: unforced, direct, and flowing.
7. Zen is not something to be achieved but realized — here and now. Watts shows that freedom, clarity, and beauty arise when we stop chasing and start seeing the world as it truly is.
💬 Quotes:
Intro
- From Zenrin Kushu: If you do not get it from yourself, Where do you get it from?
- In short, the aim of Zen is to focus the attention on reality itself, instead of on our intellectual and emotional reactions to reality — reality being that ever-changing, ever-growing, indefinable something known as “life,” which will never stop for a moment for us to fit it satisfactorily into any rigid system of pigeon-holes and ideas.
The origins of Zen
- Nirvana is here and now. A wise man will see Nirvana at once in the ordinary things in life; a fool will philosophize about it and think of it as something else.
- The Tao which can be described in words is not the true Tao and it is best to leave it untranslated.
- For coupled with the doctrine of Tao is the teaching of wu-wei, the secret of mastering circumstances without asserting oneself against them.
- Thus thee highest form of man makes himself a vacuum so that all things are drawn to him; he accepts everything until by including all things he becomes their master.
The secret of Zen
- The truth is so hard to understand, just because it is so obvious, and we miss it time and time again because we are looking for something obscure; with our eyes on the horizon we do not see what lies at our feet
- Master Po-chang said that Zen meant simply "eat when you are hungry, sleep when you are tired"
- Zen does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is just to peel the potatoes.
- The difference between a Buddha and an ordinary man is that one realize it while the other does not
- The harder we try to catch hold of the moment, to seize a pleasant sensation, or to define something in a way which will be satisfactory for all time, the more elusive it becomes
- Fir whether we are content without illusions or frightened of them, we are equally possessed by them, and hence the non-attachment of Buddhism and Taoism means not running away from life but running with it, for freedom comes through complete complete acceptance of reality
The technique of Zen
- The mind is the key to life, the essential task is to master the mind -->
- Za-zen. The aim of za-zen is simply to release the mind from having to think about the body, and to reduce all distractions so that its whole attention may be directed to a particular task.
Life in a Zen community
- What then, is your way?
- Four great vows:
○ Living beings are incalculable, I vow to deliver them all Afflictions are infinite,
○ I vow to eliminate them all The Dharma doors are innumerable,
○ I vow to master them all Buddhahood is supreme,
○ I vow to attain it The first vow is the vow to deliver all living beings.
- Man stands in his own shadow and wonders why it darks.
Zen and the civilization of the far east
- Value wisdom above all other things
- The skillful traveler leaves no tracks; the skillful speaker makes no blunder
- Wu-wei, of arriving at action through non-action
- Ju-jutsu or judo, means literally the gentle art, and is founded on the two principles of wu-ei and going right ahead or immediacy of attack and defense
- Bushido - the Way of the Warrior
- The samurai's creed
Conclusion
- Zen is an immediate contact with life, a joining of self and life into so close a unity and rhythm that the distinction between the two is forgotten, that the desire to possess is abandoned because there is nothing that can be possess and nothing that can be possessed.
- For the truth is that in Zen as in life there is nothing at all which one can hold on to and say "This is it; I have got it". Therefore any book about Zen is rather like a mystery story with the last chapter missing; there is always something which escapes definition, which can never be expressed in words, and however hard we may try to catch up with it, it is always one pace ahead...for Zen is life: to chase after Zen is like chasing one's one shadow, and all the time one is running away from the sun. When at last it is realized that the shadow can never be caught, there is a sudden "turning about", a flash of satori, and in the light of the sun the dualism of self and its shadow vanishes; whereat man perceives that what he was chasing was only the unreal image of the one true Self - of that which he ever was, is and shall be. At last he has found Enlightenment.
Alan Watts explores the spirit of Zen — not as a rigid belief system, but as a way of being that emphasizes direct experience, simplicity, and inner freedom. Zen is presented as both profoundly spiritual and deeply rooted in everyday life as nothing something to be strived for just as wu-wei.
🔑 Key Takeaways:
1. Zen is not a philosophy — it is an experience.
– Zen bypasses logic and doctrine, pointing to “suchness” or direct reality, beyond words and labels. Zen is a lifestyle, not something to be described in words
2. The goal is no-goal - wu-wei
– Zen teaches non-striving — awakening (satori) comes not through effort, but through presence and letting go.
3. Meditation (Zazen) is central.
– Not to get anywhere, but to sit and be, observing the mind without clinging or resisting.
4. Koans and paradoxes train the mind.
– Zen uses riddles (koans) not to confuse, but to break the grip of dualistic thinking.
5. Everyday life is the path.
– Zen is lived in ordinary acts — drinking tea, arranging flowers, walking — performed with full awareness. Don't force moments and life, complete acceptance of reality
6. Art and spontaneity express Zen.
– Painting, and martial arts are not "artistic" in the Western sense, but embodiments of the Zen spirit: unforced, direct, and flowing.
7. Zen is not something to be achieved but realized — here and now. Watts shows that freedom, clarity, and beauty arise when we stop chasing and start seeing the world as it truly is.
💬 Quotes:
Intro
- From Zenrin Kushu: If you do not get it from yourself, Where do you get it from?
- In short, the aim of Zen is to focus the attention on reality itself, instead of on our intellectual and emotional reactions to reality — reality being that ever-changing, ever-growing, indefinable something known as “life,” which will never stop for a moment for us to fit it satisfactorily into any rigid system of pigeon-holes and ideas.
The origins of Zen
- Nirvana is here and now. A wise man will see Nirvana at once in the ordinary things in life; a fool will philosophize about it and think of it as something else.
- The Tao which can be described in words is not the true Tao and it is best to leave it untranslated.
- For coupled with the doctrine of Tao is the teaching of wu-wei, the secret of mastering circumstances without asserting oneself against them.
- Thus thee highest form of man makes himself a vacuum so that all things are drawn to him; he accepts everything until by including all things he becomes their master.
The secret of Zen
- The truth is so hard to understand, just because it is so obvious, and we miss it time and time again because we are looking for something obscure; with our eyes on the horizon we do not see what lies at our feet
- Master Po-chang said that Zen meant simply "eat when you are hungry, sleep when you are tired"
- Zen does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is just to peel the potatoes.
- The difference between a Buddha and an ordinary man is that one realize it while the other does not
- The harder we try to catch hold of the moment, to seize a pleasant sensation, or to define something in a way which will be satisfactory for all time, the more elusive it becomes
- Fir whether we are content without illusions or frightened of them, we are equally possessed by them, and hence the non-attachment of Buddhism and Taoism means not running away from life but running with it, for freedom comes through complete complete acceptance of reality
The technique of Zen
- The mind is the key to life, the essential task is to master the mind -->
- Za-zen. The aim of za-zen is simply to release the mind from having to think about the body, and to reduce all distractions so that its whole attention may be directed to a particular task.
Life in a Zen community
- What then, is your way?
- Four great vows:
○ Living beings are incalculable, I vow to deliver them all Afflictions are infinite,
○ I vow to eliminate them all The Dharma doors are innumerable,
○ I vow to master them all Buddhahood is supreme,
○ I vow to attain it The first vow is the vow to deliver all living beings.
- Man stands in his own shadow and wonders why it darks.
Zen and the civilization of the far east
- Value wisdom above all other things
- The skillful traveler leaves no tracks; the skillful speaker makes no blunder
- Wu-wei, of arriving at action through non-action
- Ju-jutsu or judo, means literally the gentle art, and is founded on the two principles of wu-ei and going right ahead or immediacy of attack and defense
- Bushido - the Way of the Warrior
- The samurai's creed
Conclusion
- Zen is an immediate contact with life, a joining of self and life into so close a unity and rhythm that the distinction between the two is forgotten, that the desire to possess is abandoned because there is nothing that can be possess and nothing that can be possessed.
- For the truth is that in Zen as in life there is nothing at all which one can hold on to and say "This is it; I have got it". Therefore any book about Zen is rather like a mystery story with the last chapter missing; there is always something which escapes definition, which can never be expressed in words, and however hard we may try to catch up with it, it is always one pace ahead...for Zen is life: to chase after Zen is like chasing one's one shadow, and all the time one is running away from the sun. When at last it is realized that the shadow can never be caught, there is a sudden "turning about", a flash of satori, and in the light of the sun the dualism of self and its shadow vanishes; whereat man perceives that what he was chasing was only the unreal image of the one true Self - of that which he ever was, is and shall be. At last he has found Enlightenment.
May 30, 2017
More history/academic than I like
October 4, 2020
Le livre est divisé en 5 parties: les origines du zen, le secret du zen, la technique du zen, la vie dans une communauté zen, le zen et la civilisation de l'Extrême-Orient.
Cette philosophie est élusive et réfractaire à toute définition. Ce mot n'a pas d'équivalent dans la langue française, mais veut dire méditation ou mieux illumination. La tradition zen provient du bouddhisme, du Mahayana et du Hinayana. le zen est une forme de pensée qui consiste à pousser la réflexion hors des frontières de l'intellectualisation des concepts et de la morale traditionnelle.
Le zen a été introduit en Chine par Bodhidharma en 527 et s'est trouvé en contact avec le taoïsme. Il donne préséance à l'intuition sur la pensée discursive.
L'illumination est à trouver en toute chose dans la simplicité de la vie et des pensées quotidiennes. le soi n'est pas séparé, isolé du reste de la vie. Vivre et agir dans l'instant en se laissant emporter par le mouvement même de la vie sans s'abstraire par la pensée fait partie de l'essence du zen. Les concepts figent toutes choses en les tuant du même coup, tout n'est que perpétuel devenir vivant. Plus encore, si tu crois contrôler ou posséder, cette illusion te possède puisque tu es l'esclave des illusions que tu nourris à l'égard de la vie. La liberté naît d'une totale acceptation de la réalité. Comprendre le caractère fugitif du monde extérieur et la vacuité de l'ego mène à cesser de convoiter ces formes évanescentes. Cette philosophie est au-delà de la morale en phase avec une forte autodiscipline personnelle.
Le Satori et le Koan. le satori est une expérience subite d'effondrement des structures rigides de l'interprétation habituelle des choses. le Koan est un énoncé que l'on ne peut résoudre par l'intellect et qui sert à vérifier l'authenticité de l'expérience de Satori.
L'esprit s'arc-boute pour trouver une réponse à l'énigme du Koan jusqu'à ce qu'il lâche prise et comprenne qu'il n'y a pas de solution logique. Ce lâcher prise coïncide avec la compréhension de donner aux choses leur droit de vivre. le Satori implique la compréhension de ta propre nature intérieure. L'esprit est la clé de la vie, dans l'illusion il crée la confusion, dans la nature-de-Bouddha, il sera limpide.
Les communautés bouddhistes zen s'organisèrent peu à peu jusqu'au VIe siècle. Elles devinrent très bien organisées et très riches. Les moines s'occupent de toutes les tâches domestiques, dans une stricte discipline et la bonne humeur. Dans un environnement d'une grande sobriété, ils vivent en communauté avec des règles, une discipline et un emploi du temps réglé à la minute près.
En Orient, les philosophies ne sont pas enseignées à tous, ils sont réservés à une minorité. L'influence du zen est donc limitée. le principe des économies d'énergie stipule qu'il faut se concentrer sur une tâche sans s'éparpiller ni gaspiller de l'énergie inutilement dans toutes sortes de directions futiles.
Le zen investi l'art, la cérémonie du thé, la peinture, le judo, le kendo, l'escrime, le bushido, etc.
Point de rencontre entre soi et la vie, en une unité et un rythme parfait, le désir de possession disparaît du fait de l'absence de tout sujet voulant posséder. le soi n'éprouve plus le désir de posséder étant emporté par le torrent des événements avec en plus un élément éludant toute définition.
Ce livre donne une bonne idée, la plus claire possible dans les circonstances de ce que peut être le zen, j'ai bien apprécié la lecture de ce livre.
Cette philosophie est élusive et réfractaire à toute définition. Ce mot n'a pas d'équivalent dans la langue française, mais veut dire méditation ou mieux illumination. La tradition zen provient du bouddhisme, du Mahayana et du Hinayana. le zen est une forme de pensée qui consiste à pousser la réflexion hors des frontières de l'intellectualisation des concepts et de la morale traditionnelle.
Le zen a été introduit en Chine par Bodhidharma en 527 et s'est trouvé en contact avec le taoïsme. Il donne préséance à l'intuition sur la pensée discursive.
L'illumination est à trouver en toute chose dans la simplicité de la vie et des pensées quotidiennes. le soi n'est pas séparé, isolé du reste de la vie. Vivre et agir dans l'instant en se laissant emporter par le mouvement même de la vie sans s'abstraire par la pensée fait partie de l'essence du zen. Les concepts figent toutes choses en les tuant du même coup, tout n'est que perpétuel devenir vivant. Plus encore, si tu crois contrôler ou posséder, cette illusion te possède puisque tu es l'esclave des illusions que tu nourris à l'égard de la vie. La liberté naît d'une totale acceptation de la réalité. Comprendre le caractère fugitif du monde extérieur et la vacuité de l'ego mène à cesser de convoiter ces formes évanescentes. Cette philosophie est au-delà de la morale en phase avec une forte autodiscipline personnelle.
Le Satori et le Koan. le satori est une expérience subite d'effondrement des structures rigides de l'interprétation habituelle des choses. le Koan est un énoncé que l'on ne peut résoudre par l'intellect et qui sert à vérifier l'authenticité de l'expérience de Satori.
L'esprit s'arc-boute pour trouver une réponse à l'énigme du Koan jusqu'à ce qu'il lâche prise et comprenne qu'il n'y a pas de solution logique. Ce lâcher prise coïncide avec la compréhension de donner aux choses leur droit de vivre. le Satori implique la compréhension de ta propre nature intérieure. L'esprit est la clé de la vie, dans l'illusion il crée la confusion, dans la nature-de-Bouddha, il sera limpide.
Les communautés bouddhistes zen s'organisèrent peu à peu jusqu'au VIe siècle. Elles devinrent très bien organisées et très riches. Les moines s'occupent de toutes les tâches domestiques, dans une stricte discipline et la bonne humeur. Dans un environnement d'une grande sobriété, ils vivent en communauté avec des règles, une discipline et un emploi du temps réglé à la minute près.
En Orient, les philosophies ne sont pas enseignées à tous, ils sont réservés à une minorité. L'influence du zen est donc limitée. le principe des économies d'énergie stipule qu'il faut se concentrer sur une tâche sans s'éparpiller ni gaspiller de l'énergie inutilement dans toutes sortes de directions futiles.
Le zen investi l'art, la cérémonie du thé, la peinture, le judo, le kendo, l'escrime, le bushido, etc.
Point de rencontre entre soi et la vie, en une unité et un rythme parfait, le désir de possession disparaît du fait de l'absence de tout sujet voulant posséder. le soi n'éprouve plus le désir de posséder étant emporté par le torrent des événements avec en plus un élément éludant toute définition.
Ce livre donne une bonne idée, la plus claire possible dans les circonstances de ce que peut être le zen, j'ai bien apprécié la lecture de ce livre.
September 5, 2021
Alan Watts war der Guru der 60er, zumindest in den USA. Er schrieb vieles, was sich im Zwischenraum von Philosophie und Spiritualität verorten lässt. Dies passt der Mentalität der ersten psychedelischen Generation ganz gut. Dieses Buch stellt Watts’ ersten Versuch dar, und es ist in vielen Hinsichten das Sachlichste seiner Bücher. Es verspricht eine Einführung in die Religion Zen. Aber ist Zen eine Religion? Hat es feste Lehre? Doch, aber das Zen entkommt in anderen Hinsichten die abendlandischen Erwartungen von Religion. Das Zen entkommt ebenso die ostlichen, d.h. haupsachlich buddhistische, Erwartungen. Das Zen fokkusiert sich an das Jetzt, ans Leben, und steht der Verwesung wider, die öfters vorkommt, wenn eine Religion kodifiziert wird und eine feste Hierarchie erzeugt. Der Kern des Zens lässt sich kaum in Wörter erfassen, daher bedient es sich der paradoxalen Sprüche, den Koane. Man mag fragen, wenn es kaum durch Wörter zu verstehen ist, dann wieso dieses Buch überhaupt schreiben? Trotz dieser Paradoxe kann man sich, glaube ich, zumindest teilweise der Sache nähern. Die primäre Säule des Zens sind wohl vorübergehend und westlichen Menschen unerfassbar, aber sie zu überlegen kann uns immerhin von unseren schlechten starren Denkmuster lösen. Wer das Buch liest und glaubt dass er alles verstand, hat es wohl verpasst. Das Zen ist immer anders, es fordert uns heraus und zeigt uns die eigene Eitelkeit.
April 30, 2022
This book has provided me with a great introduction to Zen and how it came to be.
Starting with Buddha, it presents a timeline throughout which the ideas of consciousness and "being in touch with the present moment" have evolved and made their way east, all the way to Japan. Many references are made to Taoism and other contemporary practices from that time. The Japanese tea drinking habit and the origins of the Bushido (samurai/warrior code) are also described.
It was interesting to see how professionally and open-mindedly the people in 1936 approached this foreign subject.
While almost every religion has a theory behind it and sets out a path for the individual to follow, Zen makes it its mission to keep its practitioners awake and not let them mistake their thoughts for reality. It puts forward a view on life that individuals can follow if they feel stuck in either living in the past or the future - ignoring their current wellbeing.
Starting with Buddha, it presents a timeline throughout which the ideas of consciousness and "being in touch with the present moment" have evolved and made their way east, all the way to Japan. Many references are made to Taoism and other contemporary practices from that time. The Japanese tea drinking habit and the origins of the Bushido (samurai/warrior code) are also described.
It was interesting to see how professionally and open-mindedly the people in 1936 approached this foreign subject.
While almost every religion has a theory behind it and sets out a path for the individual to follow, Zen makes it its mission to keep its practitioners awake and not let them mistake their thoughts for reality. It puts forward a view on life that individuals can follow if they feel stuck in either living in the past or the future - ignoring their current wellbeing.
April 5, 2021
There's a funny story behind why I read this book... I ordered a completely different book called "The Room Lit by Roses" by Carole Maso, and I received a book that had the cover of the Maso book, but it had both Maso's book and Watts's book bound together in their entirety within that cover. The books are from different publishers, so I really don't know how it happened. Very bizarre. But of course I had to read this unexpected bonus book. I thought it was a clear, good introduction to Zen Buddhism.
February 13, 2018
Libro introduttivo allo Zen disciplina complessa nella sua apparente semplicità, ma forse proprio ciò che è semplice e sotto gli occhi di tutti i giorni non viene mai preso nella giusta considerazione e ci neghiamo volontariamente tanta parte di bellezza che ci circonda.
Un modo di approcciarsi alla vita molto lontano dall'ottica occidentale.
Un modo di approcciarsi alla vita molto lontano dall'ottica occidentale.
January 22, 2020
4.1 stars!
Watts the young man delves into The Spirit of Zen. Spirit as art.
“The heaven and earth afford me no shelter at all; I’m glad, unreal are body and soul. Welcome thy weapon, O warrior of Yuen! Thy trusty steel, That flashes lightning, cuts the wind of Spring, I feel.”
― Alan W. Watts
Welcome addition to any mystical quest.
Watts the young man delves into The Spirit of Zen. Spirit as art.
“The heaven and earth afford me no shelter at all; I’m glad, unreal are body and soul. Welcome thy weapon, O warrior of Yuen! Thy trusty steel, That flashes lightning, cuts the wind of Spring, I feel.”
― Alan W. Watts
Welcome addition to any mystical quest.
February 10, 2023
Of course, like with most Alan Watts books, this one is fun, fascinating and so enlightening. This would be a good Watts book to start with if you’re interested in reading through his works. I’d recommend reading this before reading The Way of Zen as it may help make some of the concepts easier to understand. Very good introductory book on eastern philosophy.
April 2, 2023
I really liked learning about zen and all it’s different ways and interpretations about being zen but at times the book was repeating some things but overall a good read on zen all the things that felt left out I feel like are you the interpretation of the reader so is zen and being one with everything. A good read but could’ve been more story like to help it it was a 3.6
October 30, 2025
This is likely my third or fourth reading - roughly every five or ten years. It’s interesting to note my highlighted strokes from college class, and dog ears to remember. But like Zen itself, I move forward, unencumbered by past inspirations, chasing my own shadow that can never be obtained or fully understood.
July 13, 2017
What it points at is fantastic. But the paragraphs are overly long and the explanations overly academic. Can't help but feel he's taken short of the task. Still, I got a ton out of this book and an really glad I bought an old used copy on a whim.
February 5, 2025
One of the most succinctly elegant pieces of writing I've ever come across. I wish I could have stayed lost in it forever and constantly be discovering myself inside the pages. Will re read many times in this life
June 15, 2025
Watts was an incredible writer and his introduction to Zen Buddhism is one of my most cherished books. For something that really cannot be explained through words he does an admirable job of doing just that.
September 2, 2017
The most clear explanation of zen that I've heard.
January 11, 2018
Helpful for any westerner who would like to see where to start with eastern philosophy. I knew most already so it was just refreshing
April 21, 2020
More like 3.5. Kind of academic, but still quite good.
January 13, 2021
Short and sweet
May 14, 2021
A simple and concise introduction to The Spirit of Zen. I read this book probably 30 years ago and it was a joy to return to it again before I pass it along.
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