One of my favorite western authors of eastern thought is Alan Watts.  His book The Way of Zen, written in 1957 was widely popular, and still as interesting and educational today. Getting this book as an audio book is even better, as many of Watts original lectures form the book. Watts is an enigmatic and engaging speaker that commands your attention.

Who was Alan Watts?

Alan Watts was a famous philosopher, author and speaker who brought Eastern thought to Western audiences in the 60s.  Although he was born in Britain and went to theology school and even became an Episcopalian minister, he became famous for his later life teaching Westerners the concepts of Buddhism, Taoism and Zen. He left his ministry in the early 50s and turned to Eastern thought. He hung out with folks like Joseph Campbell (The Power of Myth, The Hero with a Thousand Faces).  I discovered Alan Watts after reading more and more about Zen Buddhism.  When I discovered some of his lectures on Youtube, books and audio books were soon to follow.  Although Alan Watts died before his time in 1973 at age 58, his works live on.

When listening to him, I find him to be both entertaining, humorous and completely fascinating.   His words of wisdom are also timeless. Although his lectures were recorded in the 60s, they could just as easily been recorded today. 

What is Zen?

To really understand Zen, read this book. However, in short Zen is a philosophy that takes Buddhism and blends Taoist principles.  

The Way of Zen - Audio Book

The Way of Zen was the book that put Alan Watts on the map as well as the then fledgling concept of Zen.  The counterculture of the sixties hadn't quite arrived, and most of America wasn't too receptive to any religion outside of Christianity.   Watts book not only explained Zen in a way that anyone could understand, he also opened up American awareness of it.

The audio book is a treat. Ralph Blum is the voice over narrator, and he has a good speaking voice. He reads part of the book, however, most of the book is narrated by Alan Watts himself. His original lectures from the book are incorporated for all the parts of the book that they were available.  Watts has one of those hypnotic voices that draws you in and keeps you at attention. He punctuates some of his finer points of Zen with a little inside joke and his infectious all knowing laugh.

The book gives the reader (listener) a history of Zen from Buddha to Bodhidharma to Suzuki.  He also explains the concepts of Zen, which as anyone who has studied Zen can tell you is no easy task. Watts uses stories, antidotes, and history to explain.   Watts then explains Zen traditions, from the oral teachings, passing of the torch and the tradition of Ko-ans. Ko-ans are a sort of Zen riddle that can only be answered by instinct and not intellectual thought. He even discusses things like Chinese brush painting and Zen poetry.  Watts explains how the concepts of Zen can be applied to everyday life.

Some of the things I loved about this book were his simple Western explanations of Zen thought. He doesn't overload his writing with Pali or Sanskrit terms that you need to look up to understand. When Watts does use Indian or Chinese terms, he explains them very clearly.  I also liked the way Watts manages to make this book timeless. He uses many examples and stories to make the Eastern thought available to Western minds, but doesn't use examples only relevant to 1957. In fact, I was quite surprised to learn that the book was written in 1957. 

Availability

You could order this in bookstores or simply download the audio from any number of sites.  You can download all 3 discs from iTunes for less than twelve dollars.  First, check out a few youtubes of Alan Watts and hear for yourself what a fascinating speaker he is. Read some of his books or listen to them, they are worth it.

Summary.

If you've ever been interested in Zen, this is THE book that I would recommend to introduce the concepts of Zen to the beginner.  Alan Watts really cuts to the chase on the concepts of Zen and really describes it in a way that makes Zen very accessible without dumbing it down. I've read a lot of books about Zen, and for explaining Zen, you won't find any better than Alan Watts.  I would also highly recommend other works by Watts in which he explores many ideas of philosophy.   The Way of Zen gets five stars.

More Zen

Hakuin - The Essential Teachings of Zen Master Hakuin
Hanshan - The Collected Stories of Cold Mountain
The Platform Sutra - The Zen Teaching of Hui Neng
The Zen Teachings of Bodhidharma
Sky Above, Great Wind : The Life and Poetry of Zen Master Ryokan
Red Pine - The Clouds Should Know Me By Now : Buddhist Poet Monks of China
Zen Flesh, Zen Bones - A Collection of Zen and Pre-Zen Writings

Recommended: Yes