Why Lazarus Laughed: The Essential Doctrine, Zen--Advaita--Tantra - Softcover

Why Lazarus Laughed explicates the essential doctrine shared by the traditions of Zen Buddhism, Advaita, and Tantra. Wei Wu Wei has become an underground spiritual favorite whose fans anxiously await each reissued book.

The identity of Wei Wu Wei was not revealed at the time of the publication of his first book. But we now know a few background details that help put the writings into context. He was born in 1895 into a well-established Irish family, was raised on an estate outside Cambridge, England, and went to Oxford. Early in life, he pursued an interest in Egyptology. This was followed by a period of involvement in the arts in Britain in the 1920s and 1930s. Having exhausted his interest in this field, he turned to philosophy and metaphysics, traveling throughout Asia and spending time at the ashram of Sri Ramana Maharshi. In 1958, at the age of 63, he saw the first of the Wei Wu Wei titles published. Over the next 16 years, seven more were published, including his final work under the new pseudonym O.O.O. During most of this later period, he maintained a residence with his wife in Monaco. He is believed to have known, among others, Lama Anagarika Govinda, Dr. Hubert Benoit, John Blofeld, Douglas Harding, Arthur Osborne, and Dr. D. T. Suzuki. He died in 1986 at the age of 90.