The Way of Zen

Those who know do not speak;
Those who speak do not know.

In spite of its growing popularity in the west, it is unfortunately still easier to say what Zen Buddhism is not than to define what it is. For it is not a religion, or a philosophy; not psychology or science.

Perhaps it is best described as what is known in India and China as ‘a way of liberation’. Simple in its directness, Zen would seem to offer its devotees, through enjoyment of life and acceptance of mortality, a state of total integration in the universe. But words are futile to describe an experience beyond their reach.

In this scholarly account of an esoteric doctrine, the late Alan Watts describes the history and apparent nature of Zen Buddhism within the context of oriental religions.