Author Description

Between the years 1958 and 1974, a series of books appeared that were attributed to the mysterious Wei Wu Wei. This is a new edition of perhaps the most important of these. It draws on a variety of sources, including Taoism (specifically texts attributed to Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu); Buddhism (especially the Heart, Diamond, and Lankavatara Sutras); Chan Buddhism (as taught by Hui Neng, Huang Po, Hui Hai, etc.); and the teachings of Padmasambhava and Sri Ramana Maharshi, among others. This classic gem of Eastern spirituality will find a renewed readership in the current climate of interest in Buddhism. Wei Wu Wei's unique and fresh interpretation of the ancient teachings opens the reader's "Why are you unhappy? Because 99.9 percent of everything you think, and of everything you do, is for yourself--and there isn't one." This powerful book rewards by exposing illusions and takes the reader beyond logic to the inexpressible truth of existence. Author 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 Sri Ramana Maharshi. In 1958, at the age of 63, he saw the first of the Wei Wu Wei