Review by Booklist Review
Watts, who died in 1973, was among the most important popularizers of Zen Buddhism in particular and Eastern philosophy in general, at a time when interest in the philosophies of the East was mushrooming in the West. This book, edited by his son, will introduce a new generation to Watts' lucid and readable re-creation of Eastern philosophies--particularly Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism--in a Western context. Re-creation is exactly the right word for what Watts did, because, as he pointed out in variation after variation, the play's the thing, and the thing is to play it. The Philosophies of Asia combines transcripts of eight talks that Watts gave between 1965 and 1972. Because the collection retains the character of oral presentation, it is a lively place to encounter both Watts and the philosophies he discusses. And because the combination of encounter and re-creation is appropriate to both speaker and subject matter, the collection serves as a fine introduction to Watts as much as to the philosophies of Asia. --Steve Schroeder
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
