Share <Embed>

Buy New

$13.53

List Price: $16.00
Save: $2.47 (15%)

In Stock.

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

This item ships to France. Want it Wednesday, Aug. 22? Order within and choose AmazonGlobal Priority Shipping at checkout. Learn more

Select delivery location

Buy Used

$10.98

FREE Shipping on orders over $25.

Select delivery location

Used: Good | Details

Sold by Kent Inc

Fulfilled by Amazon

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

Added to

Unable to add item to List. Please try again.

Other Sellers on Amazon

Add to Cart

$12.22

Sold by: Inetrade Books

Add to Cart

$8.81
+ $16.95 shipping

Sold by: Plus_deals

Add to Cart

$13.03
+ $6.99 shipping

Sold by: Qualityy_Seller

Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 2 images

The Way of Zen Paperback – January 26, 1999

by Alan W. Watts (Author)

212 customer reviews

See all 42 formats and editions Hide other formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$11.43

—

—

"Please retry"

—

Paperback

"Please retry"

$13.53

Audible Audiobook, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$0.00

Free with your Audible trial

Mass Market Paperback

"Please retry"

$24.45

Audio CD, Audiobook, CD, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$32.00

In his definitive introduction to Zen Buddhism, Alan Watts explains the principles and practices of this ancient religion to Western readers. With a rare combination of freshness and lucidity, he delves into the origins and history of Zen to explain what it means for the world today with incredible clarity. Watts saw Zen as “one of the most precious gifts of Asia to the world,” and in The Way of Zen he gives this gift to readers everywhere.

Frequently bought together

+
+

Total price: $38.86

Buy the selected items together

This item:The Way of Zen by Alan W. Watts Paperback $13.53
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
The Wisdom of Insecurity: A Message for an Age of Anxiety by Alan W. Watts Paperback $12.66
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are by Alan Watts Paperback $12.67
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details

Customers who bought this item also bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

Alan W. Watts

422

Paperback
$12.66
Alan Watts

78

Paperback
$12.46
Alan W. Watts

109

Paperback
$12.45
Alan Watts

368

Paperback
$12.67
Alan Watts

32

Paperback
$11.52
Alan W. Watts

51

Mass Market Paperback
$10.20

Sponsored products related to this item (What's this?)

Page 1 of 1Start overPage 1 of 1

Feedback

Jill Eng

This book shows you why you can only act as you do. It relieves the mental pressures you assume necessary to carry out all your choices and actions.

Kindle Edition
$6.99
Feedback

Solomon Katz

“A beautiful piece of literature, a masterpiece.” Winner of multiple book awards, selected as the very best in spiritual and self help writing.

29

Kindle Edition
$7.95
Feedback

Jevan Pradas

What secrets do lost tribes and enlightened monks know about health and happiness?

61

Kindle Edition
$3.99
Feedback

Susan Mori

Start learning everything you need to know about Chakras.

24

Paperback
$14.00
Feedback

Josh Burnette

Adulting (verb): To do grown-up things and have responsibilities such as a working full time, paying rent, or owning a car.

69

Hardcover
$11.59
Feedback

John R. Mabry

Echoes between Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching and the teachings of Jesus are startling and many. Explore the resonances between these two mystical teachers.

13

Kindle Edition
$6.99
Feedback

Ian Morgan Cron

311

Hardcover
$18.13

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

After D.T. Suzuki, Alan Watts stands as the godfather of Zen in America. Often taken to task for inspiring the flimsy spontaneity of Beat Zen, Watts had an undeniably keen understanding of his subject. Nowhere is this more evident than in his 1957 classic The Way of Zen, which has been reissued. Watts takes the reader back to the philosophical foundations of Zen in the conceptual world of Hinduism, follows Buddhism's course through the development of the early Mahayana school, the birth of Zen from Buddhism's marriage with Chinese Taoism, and on to Zen's unique expression in Japanese art and life. As a Westerner, Watts anticipates the stumbling blocks encountered with such concepts as emptiness and no-mind, then illustrates with flawlessly apt examples. Many popular books have been written on Zen since Watts' time, but few have been able to muster the rare combination of erudition and clarity that have kept The Way of Zen in readers' hands decade after decade. --Brian Bruya

About the Author

Alan W. Watts, who held both a master’s degree in theology and a doctorate of divinity, is best remembered as an interpreter of Zen Buddhism in particular, and of Indian and Chinese philosophy in general. Standing apart, however, from sectarian membership, he has earned the reputation of being one of the most original and “unrutted” philosophers of the twentieth century. Watts was the author of some twenty books on the philosophy and psychology of religion that have been published in many languages throughout the world, including the bestselling The Way of Zen. An avid lecturer, Watts appeared regularly on the radio and hosted the popular television series, Eastern Wisdom and Modern Life,in the 1960s. He died in 1973.

Product details

Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Vintage; Vintage Books ed. edition (January 26, 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0375705104
ISBN-13: 978-0375705106
Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.5 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 212 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,375 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #14 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Eastern > Buddhism > Zen > Spirituality
- #20 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Eastern > Buddhism > Zen > Philosophy
- #112 in Books > Self-Help > Spiritual

Would you like to tell us about a lower price?
If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support?

Be the first video

Your name here

Sponsored products related to this item (What's this?)

Page 1 of 1Start overPage 1 of 1

Feedback

Chris Prentiss

345

Paperback
$8.50
Feedback

Jill Eng

This book shows you why you can only act as you do. It relieves the mental pressures you assume necessary to carry out all your choices and actions.

Kindle Edition
$6.99
Feedback

Ian Morgan Cron

311

Hardcover
$18.13
Feedback

Josh Burnette

Adulting (verb): To do grown-up things and have responsibilities such as a working full time, paying rent, or owning a car.

69

Hardcover
$11.59
Feedback

Torsten Klimmer

This true and magical story is a spiritual voyage that can help you to rediscover an eternal essence, which dwells deep within your heart.

10

Kindle Edition
$9.99
Feedback

Suzanne Stabile

84

Hardcover
$17.55
Feedback

Mike Aquilina

26

Imitation Leather
$31.67

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars

Write a customer review

See all 212 customer reviews

Read reviews that mention

Top customer reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

It is wonderfully readable without ever glossing over the complexity and profundity ...

April 8, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Of those available in English, this is still the outstanding combination of introduction, history and guide to Buddhism. What makes it so memorable - and yes, inspiring - are the elegance and clarity of the writing, the depth of scholarship and breadth of coverage. It is wonderfully readable without ever glossing over the complexity and profundity of the ideas presented or the historical, cultural and linguistic challenges of interpretation and translation. This is a remarkable achievement. One gets the feeling that Alan Watts understood his readership as well as he understood what he was writing about. He was in effect writing for and about both. Highly recommended

15 people found this helpful

I ate every word!

March 15, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Such an insightful piece of literature! This is the first book that I've found that explains Zen and Buddhism in a such an easy to understand way. This is an absolute must buy for any fan of Alan Watts, or those looking for a good jumping off point for the study of Zen.

15 people found this helpful

This book is BRILLIANT. It is a great overview of Zen Buddhism ...

January 15, 2018

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This book is BRILLIANT. It is a great overview of Zen Buddhism in the large context of Indian and Mahayana Buddhism and his insights and great writing will keep you spellbound until the end of the book. I wish I had read this years ago. This is one of a handful of great books on Buddhism (The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching by Hahn is another), and Mr. Watts has great skill in characterizing complex ideas in a simply way that will act like a koan on the reader. A powerful book that merits several reads. Highly recommended.

6 people found this helpful

gingblack@aol.com

Very enlightening

October 15, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I enjoyed the books of Alan Watts. He informs and instructs on difficult ideas. Zen is not easy to Western minds. It is something that Watts says cant be described and then he spends a book trying to describe it. The first half of the book was not really engaging but the second half was very good.

Great Introduction to Zen

December 12, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is one of my favorite books about Zen Buddhism. If you are looking to learn about it as a beginner, Watts was the quintessential teacher as he was able to convey sometimes confusing and complicated concepts in layman terms that anyone can absorb. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is even a little bit curious about Zen Buddhism.

2 people found this helpful

Probably not the best for noobs

January 9, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Essential reading for anyone practicing Zen. Probably not the best for noobs, but as your practice deepens you'll definitely want to add it to your library.

2 people found this helpful

The master appears when the student is ready

October 2, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is where you come when the time is right for you to gain deeper information on Zen

2 people found this helpful

... for my dad for Christmas and he was very happy about it

January 2, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Got this for my dad for Christmas and he was very happy about it. Can't wait to borrow it and read it as well.

One person found this helpful

Customer images

See all customer images

Most recent customer reviews

Alan Watts' Way of Zen is amazing

If you are curious about Zen Buddhism, look no further.

Published 15 days ago

Very difficult to understand and also the author was not ...

Very difficult to understand and also the author was not a practitioner of Zen (from what I understand) so I don't think his book is a very reliable.

Published 18 days ago

Amazon Customer

Published 21 days ago

I was disappointed.

Published 1 month ago

Published 3 months ago

For serious students only

This book was the selection for my meditation group. Those who were serious students of Buddhism enjoyed it but most of us put it aside after a couple of weeks.Read more

Published 3 months ago

This book is amazing. Good for life.

Published 4 months ago

Beautiful piece of literature

Published 5 months ago

Wonderful introduction ti zen.

Published 5 months ago

extremely well written.

Published 5 months ago

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more about Amazon Giveaway

This item: The Way of Zen

Set up a giveaway

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

Alan W. Watts

422

Paperback
$12.66
Alan W. Watts

109

Paperback
$12.45
Alan Watts

368

Paperback
$12.67
Shunryu Suzuki

539

Paperback
$13.56
Alan W. Watts

26

Paperback
$12.00
Alan W. Watts

51

Mass Market Paperback
$10.20

Pages with related products. See and discover other items: history of asia, alan watt, vintage magazines

English United States

Conditions of Use
Privacy Notice
Interest-Based Ads
© 1996-2018, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates