Publisher Description

In the years since Wei Wu Wei's work was originally published, his stature has only increased. He joins Paul Reps, Alan Watts, and Philip Kapleau as one of the earliest and most profound Western interpreters of Zen Buddhism and Taoist philosophies. Drawing on the ancient traditions of Buddhism, Taoism, and Advaita Vedanta, Wei Wu Wei brings a very different perspective to the conventional notions about time, love, thought, language, and reincarnation. In poetry, dialogs, epigrams, and essays he attempts to right our minds from their upside down view of existence and stop us in the tracks of our spiritual journey. If there is no self to 'enlighten', then there is no need for a path to enlightenment.

Author Biography

The identity of Wei Wu Wei was not revealed at the time of the publication of his first book. But we now know a few background details that help put the writings into context. He was born in 1895 into a well-established Irish family, was raised on an estate outside Cambridge, England, and went to Oxford. Early in life, he pursued an interest in Egyptology. This was followed by a period of involvement in the arts in Britain in the 1920s and 1930s. Having exhausted his interest in this field, he turned to philosophy and metaphysics, traveling throughout Asia and spending time at the ashram of Sr

Review

The core of Wei Wu Wei's understanding is non-doership. --Ramesh Balsekar, author of Consciousness Speaks One day a friend handed me a book by Wei Wu Wei and asked me if I knew anything about it. He said he didn't understand it and wondered if I would read it to see what it was all about. I read the book that night from cover to cover. Two things stand out. First, I didn't have a clue what the book was about and second, I knew in my bones that I had been handed a gift. I have since read all of Wei Wu Wei's books, and I love them all like children. Each is an exquisite gem. --from the foreword by Dr. Gregory Tucker Wei Wu Wei goes right for the root. He takes away everything, and leaves nothing. Then he takes that away. --Joan Tollifson, author of Bare-Bones Meditation The author of this remarkable collection of aphorisms and dialogues stretches the mind of the reader till it begins to snap and he is ready to join Wei Wu Wei in his crusade "to attend our own funeral. --Vedanta Kerari The contents of this book are perhaps as enigmatic as the title. They consist of short dialogues and aphoristic meditations which are by no means easy reading; but which nevertheless deserve careful study. Perhaps the book should be more often on the knee than in the hand. --Aryan Path

Review Quote

Wei Wu Wei goes right for the root. He takes away everything, and leaves nothing. Then he takes that away.--Joan Tollifson, author of Bare-Bones Meditation

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