Book excerpt: This collection of philosophical essays by a student of Zen Buddhism synthesizes aspects of Western culture and science with the author’s insights from his Zen practice, revealing understandings into both. The book discusses a wide and provocative range of topics including Zen and The Lord of the Rings trilogy; Zen and artificial intelligence; Zen and the Postmodern condition; Zen and Christian afterlife; Zen and the problematic questions of free will and morality; and Zen and the nature of consciousness, among others. This book is a stimulating and off-beat philosophical tour that will challenge how the reader looks at things.