Book SummaryThe Way of Zen, by Alan Watts

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of The Way of Zen

We go through our lives wrapped up in ideas, value judgments, and rules about the events, objects, and people around us. We even apply these social conventions to our understanding of ourselves. But according to Zen Buddhism, all of these conventions are artificial and represent just one superficial way of engaging with and understanding the world.

By learning to express the principles of Zen, you can break down the mental barriers that you use to divide yourself from the rest of the world—and finally see the world and the present moment for what it is. You can achieve this change in perspective without spending your life in strict meditation or dropping away from your family, your friends, your...

The Way of Zen Summary What Is Zen?

Zen Buddhism is a “way of liberation” from the illusions you believe about the world and yourself. Watts writes that Zen frees you to perceive the world in a more natural way, and you can experience this liberated way of moving through the world when you understand that you’re already enlightened due to your nature as a human being.

In this section of the guide, we’ll explore where Zen came from, consider the most important ideas that Zen adopted from the ancient philosophies and religions that preceded it, and explain which ideas differentiate Zen from other schools of thought.

(Shortform note: Watts makes a point of calling Zen a “way of liberation” because it isn’t a religion and isn’t a philosophy, and other writers—including D. T. Suzuki and Carl Jung—have agreed that it doesn’t fit neatly into either of those categories. Suzuki, from whom Watts first learned about Zen, explained that there can’t be a “philosophy” of Zen because “there can’t be a philosophy of suchness,” a Zen term for the true nature of reality that can’t be expressed in language or other forms of abstraction. Instead, Zen is [something that you are and...

The Way of Zen Summary What Ideas Did Zen Borrow From Taoism, Confucianism, and Mahayana Buddhism?

Zen and its ideas can be traced back to three schools of thought: Taoism, Confucianism, and Mahayana Buddhism. Taoism and Confucianism are Chinese forms of thought and religion, while Mahayana Buddhism is an Indian school of Buddhism. Each contributed ideas that would become foundational to Zen Buddhist teachings about life and enlightenment. In this section of the guide, we’ll outline which ideas Watts identifies as having made the most crucial contributions to the development of Zen. Those ideas concern the nature of our perception, awakening, and our actions in the world.

(Shortform note: Though the word “awakening” appears throughout The Way of Zen, Watts doesn’t explicitly define it. But in a TV program called “Buddhism and Science” that Watts recorded in 1960, he offers a succinct description. He explains awakening as a sudden realization that the good and the bad—the positive and the negative—in life are one. When you experience awakening, you understand that these phenomena are inseparable from one another, and that one is necessary for the existence of the other.)

Confucianism

Confucianism...

The Way of Zen Summary What Ideas Differentiate Zen from Other Schools of Buddhism?

While Zen was built on what came before, it’s a unique school of Mahayana Buddhism with many original ideas. In this section of the guide, we’ll explore how Zen Buddhism differs from other schools of Buddhism. The most important differences are its directness (in awakening and in teaching), its stance on meditation, and its principles about how you should use your mind.

Awakening Is Direct and Instantaneous

The first idea unique to Zen is its understanding of the nature of awakening. In other schools of Buddhism, you might have to work a lifetime to achieve awakening. But in Zen, awakening is immediate and can happen anytime. Watts explains that you don’t have to pass through a sequence of spiritual stages or spend your days in meditation to get there. Instead, awakening can occur instantaneously, an experience called satori. Zen teaches that you can experience awakening in everyday activities like working, creating art, and appreciating the natural world.

The point of Zen is not to experience awakening or to attain Buddhahood because you are already a Buddha by nature. To try to become a Buddha is to deny that you already are a Buddha. Additionally, Watts...

The Way of Zen Summary Why Should You Learn Zen?

Watts also discusses why you might want to practice Zen. In this section of the guide, we’ll explore why Zen is still relevant in modern life and explain what changes you might experience by expressing it in your life.

Why Is Zen Still Relevant?

One reason to dedicate time and attention to learning the principles of Zen is that they’re still very relevant. Watts writes that though Zen arose in a time and place that’s very different from what people experience in the West today, it can still help you learn some kinds of knowledge—and unlearn other kinds.

Because of its teachings about the nature of the world and your perception of it, Zen can help you see what’s false and artificial in your view of the world. Watts points out that your consciousness is only superficial—just one function of your true mind—and can only attend to a small part of reality at a given time. He notes that you can access a more holistic view of the present and the world if you practice the principles of Zen.

(Shortform note: Scientists are still figuring out how your consciousness arises from your brain and enables...

The Way of Zen Summary How Can You Experience Zen?

There’s more to Zen than just a set of philosophical principles or a chronology of religious movements, which you can understand on an intellectual level. Zen is also something that you can experience in your own life, at the level of your embodied experiences in the world. In this section of the guide, we’ll explain briefly why Zen isn’t a practice per se, and then explore the ways it’s often experienced, looking at the starting points that Watts identifies for someone new to Zen and then exploring traditional practices such as meditation, Koan training, recreation, labor, and breathing.

Why Is It a Mistake to Think of Zen as a “Practice”?

It’s common but not entirely correct to refer to Zen as a practice. Watts explains that to understand Zen, you have to experience it. But that doesn’t actually mean practicing it in a formalized, structured way. Paradoxically, you can’t truly practice Zen if you’re pursuing it as a goal. Similarly, Watts writes that Zen life begins with the understanding that you can’t practice Zen to become a Buddha because you are already a Buddha.

To experience Zen, you don’t need to practice any method in particular, nor do you have to do or...

Shortform Exercise: Be Present in the Moment

A core idea of The Way of Zen is that we live in an illusion of the world, rather than perceiving the world as it actually is. One way that we do that is by dwelling on the past or the future, instead of living in the present moment.

Think of a recent time when you were so distracted by something that happened in the past or something that you anticipated in the future that you weren’t tuned in to the present. (Maybe you were so focused on worrying about work that you almost missed your subway stop, or maybe you were replaying an uncomfortable conversation instead of listening when your partner described their day.) Describe what was going on in the moment and what you missed while you were distracted.