"The Stink of Zen"
The title of this post is a reference to something Alan Watts wrote in his 1957 book, The Way of Zen . That is: "In studying or practicing Zen it is of no help to think about Zen. To remain caught up in ideas and words about Zen is, as the old masters say, to 'stink of Zen.'" First, another Alan Watts quote, which I would say myself at this point, but he has already said it so well that I must quote him instead: "I suppose most of you have heard of Zen. But before going on to explain any details about it, I want to make one thing absolutely clear: I am not a Zen Buddhist, I am not advocating Zen Buddhism, I am not trying to convert anyone to it. I have nothing to sell." That's the part I wanted to say at the offset here, but to continue his quote, he said: "I'm an entertainer. That is to say, in the same sense, that when you go to a concert and you listen to someone play Mozart, he has nothing to sell except the sound of the music. He d