Zen for the Western Mind: A Practical Introduction

Manly P. Hall had great admiration for the wisdom of the East, lecturing extensively on the subject throughout his life. Gathered here are three such lectures on the Eastern psychology of Zen and its application in modern Western life. He begins by pointing out that Zen is not essentially a religion. It is not a philosophy. It is not a science. To the Zen master, Zen is only one thing -- an immediate experience. It can occur to a person of any belief, so long as that person is sincere. It cannot be conjured into existence by any ulterior motive; it is not a product of intellectualism; nor is it assured by the absence of intellectualism. This interior experience is perhaps best approached, not dogmatically, but by trying to convey overtones. From the beginning, Zen has been a discipline of overtones. For a thousand years it was perpetuated without a textbook. It is not given from master to disciple by lectures or orations; it is the silent communication of heart to heart, of soul to soul.