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On Having No Head: Zen and the Rediscovery of the Obvious

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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_.

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.

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.

Douglas Harding, in this "underground" classic, reveals a way of looking at the obvious in everyday perception that is so powerful and so potent that it should not be missed. Make certain that you're in a "good" space when you open it; the first chapter is one of the best in print in this genre and the first reading is potentially one of the most important ones you will make. Highly recommended.

This little book can be read in an hour. It's affects on the reader could well last a lifetime. The author will lead you thru a few simple exercises and ideas with a result that may surprise you. If and when you "get it", i.e. his point, its much more than a philosophical concept. There is an actual dawning in the mind of the world and life and conciousness being something more and other than we first thought. You can see and feel that indeed all things manifest in that clear light pure space above your shoulders, between your ears, behind your eyes. When i first read it, the result was a feeling of freedom and lightness that was unexpected but quite joyful. If you have trouble wading thru the maze of modern books on Zen and "spiritual experience", give this little book an hour of your undivided attention. It has the power to enlighten and at the very least its an entertaining direct experience of conciousness. "Headlessness" has been an ongoing and true aid in my own spiritual journey. Try it, you'll like it.

I purchased the book in part due to its good reviews here and elsewhere, and because of the author's interesting website. I can appreciate the obvious but original slant of the author's views. (There is no self, only Self) While I can comprehend the essential message of the book, I feel its presentation somewhat lacking. If you don't "get it" within the first few pages, then you probably won't get it at all, as the explanation of the message appears (to this reader) to be more murky than the message itself. Some might believe that it's only problematic of a murky reading. I can pretty much agree with the previous reader who wrote: "This book lacks clarity. If you are familiar with Zen I don't think he has much to add." That's the bad news. The good news is, you don't need to buy the book! Fortunately, the essence of the message presented here has been clarified in the author's later works as well as on his excellent website. In addition, the experiments offered on the website are enlightening in themselves.

'On Having No Head : Zen and the Re-Discovery of the Obvious' by D. E. Harding, is astonishingly wonderful soul food. Most books on Zen leave the reader more lost than before the reading, but this is a profound exception. It starts with an "Ahah!" that on the surface seems quite absurd, carries you immediately to understand the 'situation' of having no head, and leaves the reader with a lasting appreciation of what we 'headless ones' can look forward to :) It is a lot of fun!

Harding shows us how to reverse the arrow of attention and, in so doing, aim directly at our true nature

Douglas Harding's On Having No Head: Zen And The Rediscovery Of The Obvious is a philosophical look at "headlessness", or the psychological state of "no-self" of mysticism that opens one's mind and senses to the workings of internal and external nature. Harding places "the headless way" within a Zen context, as well as comparing it to other spiritual traditions in this insightful and thought-provoking treatise. On Having No Head is a highly recommended contribution to Buddhist and Eastern Philosophy supplemental reading lists.

we all must rediscover the obvious things in life. this is similar to the saying "stop and smell the roses." there are so many things, very important and essential things, that we regularly take for granted. it is of vast importance that we take the time to erase our minds of the things we have learned to relearn the things we have forgotten