Books like This is it, and other essays on Zen and spiritual experience

This is it, and other essays on Zen and spiritual experience by Alan Watts reads as contemplative, insightful. These 12 books share its genome — matched by how they actually read, not just their shelf label.

What This is it, and other essays on Zen and spiritual experience is like to read

A discursive, meditative collection of essays that invites slow, reflective reading rather than narrative momentum — Watts's conversational voice unpacks Zen and spiritual ideas essay by essay. Best for: readers curious about Zen/Buddhist thought looking for an accessible, non-academic entry point.

The Spirit of Zen

Alan Watts · 1936

Both explore zen buddhism & spirituality

Clefs pour le zen

Thích Nhất Hạnh · 1973

A calm, instructive guide that reads like a gentle conversation with a teacher, offering practical mindfulness exercises rather than narrative momentum.

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Zen and Zen classics

Reginald Horace Blyth · 1960

Both explore zen buddhism & spirituality

Zen

Philip Kapleau · 1979

Both explore zen buddhism & spirituality

Mudra

Chögyam Trungpa · 1972

A collection of dharma talks and essays guiding the reader through meditation and the nature of mind toward spiritual awakening, in Trungpa's characteristic direct, unsentimental teaching voice.

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Essays in Zen Buddhism, first series

Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki · 1927

Both explore zen buddhism & enlightenment

Zen Buddhism

Christmas Humphreys · 1949

Both explore spirituality & enlightenment

Krishnamurti's notebook

Jiddu Krishnamurti · 1976

A raw personal journal documenting Krishnamurti's daily contemplations on consciousness, freedom, and human nature through intimate, introspective observation rather than systematic argument.

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Buddhism

Edward Conze · 1951

Both explore spirituality & enlightenment

I Am That

Nisargadatta Maharaj · 1973

Reading feels like sitting in on real dialogues where a teacher repeatedly redirects seekers back to the bare fact of being, often in blunt, aphoristic bursts.

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Nature of Consciousness

Rupert Spira · 2017

Both explore consciousness & non-duality

Man's eternal quest and other talks

Yogananda Paramahansa · 1975

A collection of spiritual discourses guiding readers toward self-realization, inner peace, and union with the divine through earnest, reflective teaching.

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About This is it, and other essays on Zen and spiritual experience — what the genome says

Is This is it, and other essays on Zen and spiritual experience a complete story or a cliffhanger?

It's a complete, standalone-satisfying story.

Who is This is it, and other essays on Zen and spiritual experience for?

readers curious about Zen/Buddhist thought looking for an accessible, non-academic entry point

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