Both Watts and Kerouac were outsiders looking in. Watts was also a very scholarly book-learned about Zen Buddhism, but he never claimed he did the thing or medi

Both Watts and Kerouac were outsiders looking in. Watts was also a very scholarly book-learned about Zen Buddhism, but he never claimed he did the thing or meditated much, he just wrote beautifully and inspired others to try meditating. When I started meditating, I asked about Watts or Kerouac from long-term practitioners and Zen teachers. Pretty much everyone says that they wrote lots of "beautiful zen nonsense", but it's not bad because they have inspired thousands of people to try. From a daily practice perspective, zen feels more mundane. It's like going to the gym or brushing your teeth. More people like the idea of doing zen than actually doing it. Stopping and sitting with your daily shit every day does not feel cool. When the exotic, aesthetic and philosophical aspect wears out, most people quit.