Watts was great about overlooking "religion" to get the essence of something's metaphysics. This offers a portrait of Buddhism without it's overtly religious aspects.

I have read quite a few books on mindfulness, buddhism, and eastern philosophy in general. This book is rather academic, which I liked. It is not a technique oriented book. This is a book for individuals interested in the philosophy of buddhism, not necessarily for those looking for a "how to". Of course, philosophy and "how to" should go hand and hand.

Well i just recommend all of the works of Alan watts, he is realy the nummber 1 in modern philosophy and extremly good with words, that makes him very easy to undersatnd.

This is a collection of Watts' recorded lectures in which he lays bare with lucid description the most difficult Buddhist concepts.

Transcribed from recordings of lectures by Alan Watts, this book contains the most dynamic and comprehensive introduction to Buddhism I have yet to read. I have plenty of books that try too hard to attack the novice readers with multiple Zen riddles and the "complexities that are not complex." By the time the curious readers get to the third chapter of such books, a fascinating subject dwindles away.

Not so with this book. The credit goes to both Alan Watts ---for his smooth and concise lectures--- and the person/people who edited the transcripts. The result is 98 pages of a keen and precise overview of Zen Buddhism, where concepts of "The Religion of No-Religion" and "The Middle Way" are easily accessible to readers who are going into the subject matter knowing nothing.

I especially liked the way Watts explains how the concept "The Cause of Suffering is Desire" is often misunderstood, emphasizing that when translated into English, "desire" might better be represented with words like "craving, clinging, or grasping." He then does an excellent narrative into the paradox of students trying to eliminate "desire" from their existence, only to learn they are still desiring something: not to desire. Watts walks the reader through these way-out riddles in a way few people can.

I would go as far to recommend this work above Alan Watts' better known "The Way of Zen" if this is your first venture into Buddhism. After reading this book, "The Way of Zen" is a great follow-up, and the other complex introductions to Zen Buddhism will begin to make more sense. Nothing esoteric here, just straight talk on Buddhism.