Alan Watts takes us from the origins of Buddhism to its practice, pointing the way beyond the duality of our separate egos to the meaning and method of enightenment. He traces the Indian beginnings of Buddhism, explains the basic terms and teachings, and looks at the radical techniques of Mahayana Buddhists, including Zen and the Tibetan traditions.

Alan Watts was born in England in 1915. He wrote his first book, The Spirit of Zen, in 1935 and went on to write more than twenty others including The Way of Zen. Dr. Watts was an Episcopalian priest, professor, graduate-school dean and research fellow of Harvard University. Although he died in 1973, he is one of the most accessible philosophers of our time, whose work continues to be a source of wisdom and inspiration for new generations of readers.

'It's easy to see why...his influence remains strong, not only in the Buddhist sanghas mushrooming across America, but throughout popular culture...'-The New York Times

'Although his famous voice and happy laughter are missing now, his penetrating vision remains, and his lectures become brilliant prose in book form.'-Publihsers Weekly

Contents

Introduction
The journey from India
The middle way
Religion of no-religion
Buddhism as dialogue
Wisdom of the mountains
Transcending duality