The Tao of Zen

by Ray Grigg

The premise of The Tao of Zen is that Zen is really Taoism in the disguise of Buddhism—an assumption being made by more and more Zen scholars. The author traces the evolution of Ch'an (Zen) in China and later in Japan, where the "Way" was a term used interchangeably to describe the essence of both Taoism & Zen. These and other points are argued both historically & philosophically. A fascinating book.

Genres: Zen, Buddhism, Taoism, Philosophy, Religion, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Dimitris Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

My copy of The Tao of Zen has a bit of a story. When writing my paper on Heidegger and Haiku I was looking everywhere on the Web for Taoism, Zen, and pages that would help me understand Eastern Philosophy. It wasn't that I had no idea about what Taoism or Zen were. My interest has been long-lived to say the least; I've owned the I Ching and Tao Te Ching (or Lao Tzu) a few years now. That doesn't mean however that I necessarily understood the point these books were trying to make.

Then I found The Tao of Zen. "Zen is Taoism disguised as Buddhism. When twelve hundred years of Buddhist accretions are removed from Zen, it is revealed to be a direct evolution of the spirit and philosophy of Taoism." I had felt at times that dogmatic Buddhism was somehow foreign to the Chinese environment but I couldn't really put my finger on it. This sounded perfect!

I found a single used copy of The Tao of Zen on eBay and promptly bought it. It came all the way from the US, complete with underlining and side-notes in Chinese! I wonder who might have owned it previously and might have decided to give it away to some online bookshop, or whatever its trip might have been.

This book did everything I thought it would and more. It finally cleared the different concepts and beliefs of the various "Eastern Philosophies". It's obvious that while yes, Buddhism does have a strong religious element in it that is sometimes not attributed to it by us Westerners, Taoism and especially Zen have only had such an element implemented by contemporary oversight. This book shows that, at their core, not only Tao and Zen are speaking of the same things, they ARE, more or less, the same thing.

The first part of the book shows the cultural and historical connections of Tao and Zen throughout the millennia, linking the traditions using citations and alternative readings of classic texts. To be honest I could not follow it very much, though it inspired confidence in me that Mr. Ray Griggs knows his stuff. The second part was a whole different story. It, too, inspired me. But the kind of inspiration you find when you read things you feel are essentially true, that have shed the veil off your eyes, that are, even though Taoism rejects the insignificant truth that can be conveyed through language it, words that ARE connected to some greater truth.

The Tao of Zen, by connecting the two, has taught me the fundamentals of both: Wordlessness, Selflessness, Softness, Oneness, Emptiness, Nothingness, Balance, Paradox, Non-Doing, Spontaneity, Ordinariness, Playfulness, Suchness. Each a concept and a chapter of the book filled with wisdom. Now I know what I must un-know. Now I can say with all honesty that this philosophy is something very wonderful and special that sounds true to my heart, a worldview that is fully compatible but totally absent from the Western world and, sadly, by extension, the lands that gave birth to it.

This book is so dense in deep meanings I could not grasp it all at once, so I'm sure I'm going to read it again, and again, and again, if only as a reference to Tao and Zen. It's a rare book and one that I definitely want to keep. Whoever might want to read it however -- and I think that everyone might find some kind of worldly connection in it -- is free to borrow it from me. I'll be more than happy to share the deep and elusive stuff cramped in this beautiful little tome!

[Jeremy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is exactly twice as long as it needs to be. The first half is a painful sludge through the history of Buddhism, Taoism, and Zen. The author painstakingly shows that Zen Buddhism is really Taoism with a “Buddhist accent.” In the second half, he shows that Zen and Taoism have much more in common philosophically than Zen and Buddhism. I guess the first half has its place in the world, in that it’s a comprehensive study of the lineage of Zen, but for the casual reader, go ahead and skip to Part II.

Quotes:

The personality of Buddhism is essentially pessimistic and laborious rather than light and playful. The inherent wisdom of a natural simplemindedness is a Taoist notion founded on the trusting attitude that life is worth living and that Nature is inherently wise and generous. Life creates death for a Taoist; the incomparable experience of being alive requires an end that enhances that value of living. Bliss and suffering are the inevitable opposites of the same whole process. To declare life to be suffering is a perspective too narrow and bleak for the Chinese.

In the West, Zen without Buddhism is beginning to function like Taoism. The more there is of it, the less apparent it is. The more it is practiced, the more ordinary it becomes.

The way can be entered only without words. But it cannot be approached without words. Both words and silence are required.

A system of thought that deliberately self-destructs by contradicting itself cannot be understood or explained by any consistent intellectual system. Consequently, Taoism and Zen defy definition… Contradiction eventually creates the experience of oneness. So, Taoism and Zen happily contradict themselves. They have a profound sense of empathy and caring for everything, and, at the same time, they have a detached indifference.

Nothingness is the defining background that gives meaning and perspective to the foreground of all experience… Like emptiness gives context to fullness, nothingness gives context to awareness.

The essence of Taoism and Zen is the art of living rather than the philosophy of life. This essence is felt rather than understood.

“When we look for things there is nothing but mind, and when we look for mind there is nothing but things.” Alan Watts, The Way of Zen

[Rick Waugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book. First, the history of Taoism and Zen we interesting, if you have not heard them before. I enjoy the fact that he laid out how little we actually know, and how some of the main figures in history either didn't exist, or were considerably enhanced for various reasons. The second half, the discussion of what Taoism and Zen are, was excellent. It goes through the mental gymnastics required to truly compendium the message.

[Keven Wang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introductory readings on zen, Chan and Buddhism

[Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book got me through some rough times in Peace Corps

[Lori Tian Sailiata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice to see what I've always thought in print by someone else. Also nice to see the scholarship that backed up my gut feelings.

[Al Maki]

My interpretation of Grigg's argument is that Chan and Zen are Buddhism wrapped in a Taoist robe.

[Arthur Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mostly presented from a historical standpoint, but for those who study Zen and are attracted to Taoism, or vice versa,this book shows it's pretty much the same thing

[John Croall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Makes a very good case for the first 80% of the book but then the links becomes less convincing. But a fascinating book