Language of Rivers, Silence of Mountains is a brilliant attempt to examine the inner structure of Zen thinking for the Western reader. Written in a simple, accessible style, the book goes to the heart of the paradox of Zen teaching. Its ideas of existence, truth and knowledge lack the precision and depth of Western philosophy, and there are no notions of paradise or hell to console the faithful or forewarn the wicked, yet it has inspired a following all over the world - not only in the East. In the hands of the authors, a Zen practitioner and a cultural anthropologist, the subject is given an intellectual grilling using terms and philosophical references familiar to the Western reader. Language of Rivers, Silence of Mountains is insightful and a joy to read.