The Circle of the Way: A Concise History of Zen from the Buddha to the Modern World by Barbara O'Brien

Zen practitioner and religion writer Barbara O’Brien offers a concise history of Zen from the Buddha to the modern world. She covers key figures, schools, foundational texts, practices and politics, from Bodhidharma to the masters of Korea, Japan, Vietnam and the West.

O’Brien charts a middle way between Zen’s traditional lore and modern historical scholarship, separating fact from legend in a clear and often humorous style. Zen nuns and lay practitioners also appear alongside the patriarchal lineages.