On Having No Head: Zen and the Rediscovery of the Obvious [Paperback]

Douglas E. Harding (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2002

Headlessness, the experience of "no-self" that mystics of all times have aspired to, is an instantaneous way of "waking up" and becoming fully aware of one's real and abiding nature. Douglas Harding, the highly respected mystic-philosopher, describes his first experience of headlessness in "On Having No Head," the classic work first published in 1961. In this book, he conveys the immediacy, simplicity, and practicality of the "headless way," placing it within a Zen context, while also drawing parallels to practices in other spiritual traditions.If you wish to experience the freedom and clarity that results from firsthand experience of true Being, then this book will serve as a practical guide to the rediscovery of what has always been present.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Douglas Harding is a highly respected mystic/philosopher who was known for his experience of Headlessness--the experience of "seeing" our original nature. Harding spent his live expressing this abiding experience, and also developed a series of awareness exercises that enabled other to see for themselves, "who we really are" in essence.

Product Details

• Paperback: 123 pages
• Publisher: Inner Directions; Revised edition (April 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1878019198
• ISBN-13: 978-1878019196
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #193,874 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

77 of 80 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Decapitation made easy, December 14, 2002

By 

John S. Ryan "Scott Ryan" (Cuyahoga Falls, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: On Having No Head: Zen and the Rediscovery of the Obvious (Paperback)

Is the world you experience "inside" your mind or "outside" it?

Puzzle over that little question while you read this underground spiritual classic. Douglas Harding is dead serious (though far from solemn): he wants to show you that you have no head.

You see, he noticed one day while wandering in the Himalayas -- where this sort of thing is apt to happen -- that _he_ didn't have a head. And, in reflecting on the experience afterwards, he worked out a way to bring other people to the same awareness with no need for either abstruse scholarly appartus or esoteric meditation techniques.

All you have to do is turn around the arrow of attention, and try to look back to see who -- or Who -- is looking _out_ from wherever it is you're looking out from. Go ahead. Try it right now.

See?

Well, if you did, you don't technically need the book any more. But Harding is still a lot of fun to read: he has a light touch, a subtle sense of humor, and the ability to compress the keenest of insights into the simplest of prose, so you'll enjoy him even if you've already gotten his point.

And if you _haven't_ gotten it yet, he'll help you to do so. It's really the same point Alan Watts wanted to put across in _The Book: On The Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are_ (which, for my money, is his best work on the subject). Watts wants you to see that the world is your body; Harding wants you to see that the world is your mind; and they're both right.

This is just a charming book all around, and it will grow on you over the years without ever getting old. Buy a copy and keep it; when it wears out, buy another. Pass it out to your friends. Force it on your enemies (and thereby turn them into your friends). I've gone through at least a couple copies of it myself.

Of course, if you're one of those people who thinks spirituality isn't _supposed_ to be fun, and that anything this simple is somehow unworthy of God, you should probably stay away from it for a while. Read Raymond Smullyan's _The Tao Is Silent_ first and (chuckle) lighten up.

Is the world you experience "inside" your mind or "outside" it? Read Harding, and then _you_ tell _me_.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars headless, January 13, 2000

By 

lou monte (lloyd harbor, new york USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On Having No Head: Zen and the Rediscovery of the Obvious (Arkana) (Mass Market Paperback)

on having no head by d.e.harding is a book that shows you the way to the other shore while not neglecting the shore you came from. it is the only book that i have ever read that put me in touch with who i really, really am and not just intellectually but experientially.it is a wonderful gift from a wonderful writer.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Instant meditation!, May 7, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (NE, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On Having No Head: Zen and the Rediscovery of the Obvious (Arkana) (Mass Market Paperback)

The clarity of thought expressed in this book allows the reader to achieve profound meditative states even before the book is finished. This is the only book I have ever read and been able to put into practice immediately concerning meditation. Anyone who can read will be able to come away from this book with a completely different view of reality. What is also important is that no drastic lifestyle changes are necessary, however you might find yourself changing as a result of reading this book. Whether you are a beginner at meditation, or an old hand, this is an excellent resource.