Walk On!

Christmas Humphreys was one of the shining lights of Buddhism in the twentieth century. He founded the Buddhist Society in London and was the main Buddhist mentor of Alan Watts. Throughout this wonderful book, Christmas emphasizes that his thoughts and teachings are not authoritative or final, because such a thing is not possible in Buddhism. Yet, at the end of the book, I felt privileged to have been in the presence of a Great Spiritual Master. Throughout this book, Humphreys breathes a refreshing tolerance for many spiritual and religious traditions, that seems so lacking nowadays. The book begins with the main theme; "Asked, "what is truth?" a master of Zen Buddhism replied, "Walk on!" and though there will be many words between these at the beginning and the same two at the end of this small book they will say no more." There are so many wisdom teachings in this book, it is impossible to enumerate them all. However, one example that I loved was his discussion of karma. He states that we are "punished by our sins and not for them." Karma is simply a statement of the law of cause and effect. No "Big Daddy/Mommy God" is punishing you for your sins. There is no such thing as good karma or bad karma, just karma. Simply put, act and you must accept the consequences of your actions. I can't recommend this book highly enough. This work belongs in the library of truth seekers of any tradition.

I purchased this book about 25 years ago. I have read it so many times that it is now in pieces. I have found it to be very helpful in my everyday life. It just gets better with age. On those days when I have trouble facing my life I read a few chapters and walk on.