This book offers an accessible guide to the role that Zen has played and, alongside Buddhism, might play in both Eastern and Western attempts to alleviate mental suffering. Since its beginnings 2500 years ago, the central belief of Buddhism has been that what we perceive as “reality” is a mental representation; a religious belief which has since been substantiated by the evidence of neuroscience. The work and progress of clinical medicine, psychiatry and psychology have attempted to allevi...