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The Other Side of Nothing: The Zen Ethics of Time, Space, and Being
A reader-friendly guide to Zen Buddhist ethics for modern times
In the West, Zen Buddhism has a reputation for paradoxes that defy logic. In particular, the Buddhist concept of nonduality — the realization that everything in the universe forms a single, integrated whole — is especially difficult to grasp. In The Other Side of Nothing , Zen teacher Brad Warner untangles the mystery and explains nonduality in plain English. To Warner, this is not just a philosophical nonduality forms the bedrock of Zen ethics, and once we comprehend it, many of the perplexing aspects of Zen suddenly make sense.
Drawing on decades of Zen practice, he traces the interlocking relationship between Zen metaphysics and ethics, showing how a true understanding of reality — and the ultimate unity of all things — instills in us a sense of responsibility for the welfare of all beings. When we realize that our feeling of separateness from others is illusory, we have no desire to harm any creature. Warner ultimately presents an expansive overview of the Zen ethos that will give beginners and experts alike a deeper understanding of one of the world’s enduring spiritual traditions.
In the West, Zen Buddhism has a reputation for paradoxes that defy logic. In particular, the Buddhist concept of nonduality — the realization that everything in the universe forms a single, integrated whole — is especially difficult to grasp. In The Other Side of Nothing , Zen teacher Brad Warner untangles the mystery and explains nonduality in plain English. To Warner, this is not just a philosophical nonduality forms the bedrock of Zen ethics, and once we comprehend it, many of the perplexing aspects of Zen suddenly make sense.
Drawing on decades of Zen practice, he traces the interlocking relationship between Zen metaphysics and ethics, showing how a true understanding of reality — and the ultimate unity of all things — instills in us a sense of responsibility for the welfare of all beings. When we realize that our feeling of separateness from others is illusory, we have no desire to harm any creature. Warner ultimately presents an expansive overview of the Zen ethos that will give beginners and experts alike a deeper understanding of one of the world’s enduring spiritual traditions.
400 pages, Paperback
Published May 10, 2022
84 people are currently reading
291 people want to read
About the author
Brad Warner
22 books595 followersBrad Warner is an ordained Zen Master (though he hates that term) in the Soto lineage founded in Japan by Master Dogen Zenji in the 13th century. He's the bass player for the hardcore punk rock group 0DFx (aka Zero Defex) and the ex-vice president of the Los Angeles office of the company founded by the man who created Godzilla.
Brad was born in Hamilton, Ohio in 1964. In 1972, his family relocated to Nairobi, Kenya. When Brad returned to Wadsworth three years later, nothing about rural Ohio seemed quite the same anymore.
In 1982 Brad joined 0DFx. 0DFx caught the attention of a number of major bands on the hardcore punk scene. But they soon broke up leaving a single eighteen second burst of noise, titled Drop the A-Bomb On Me, as their only recorded legacy on a compilation album called P.E.A.C.E./War.
In 1993, Brad went to Japan to realize a childhood dream to actually work for the people who made low budget Japanese monster movies. To his own astonishment, he landed himself a job with one of Japan's leading producers of man-in-a-rubber-dinosaur-costume giant monster movies.
Back in the early 80s, while still playing hardcore punk, Brad became involved in Zen Buddhism. The realistic, no bullshit philosophy reminded him of the attitude the punks took towards music. Once he got to Japan, he began studying the philosophy with an iconoclastic rebel Zen Master named Gudo Nishijima. After a few years, Nishijima decided to make Brad his successor as a teacher of Zen.
In 2003 he published his first book, "Hardcore Zen: Punk Rock, Monster Movies and the Truth About Reality." In 2007 he followed that up with "Sit Down and Shut Up," a punk-informed look at 13th century Zen Master Dogen. His third book is "Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate."
Brad was born in Hamilton, Ohio in 1964. In 1972, his family relocated to Nairobi, Kenya. When Brad returned to Wadsworth three years later, nothing about rural Ohio seemed quite the same anymore.
In 1982 Brad joined 0DFx. 0DFx caught the attention of a number of major bands on the hardcore punk scene. But they soon broke up leaving a single eighteen second burst of noise, titled Drop the A-Bomb On Me, as their only recorded legacy on a compilation album called P.E.A.C.E./War.
In 1993, Brad went to Japan to realize a childhood dream to actually work for the people who made low budget Japanese monster movies. To his own astonishment, he landed himself a job with one of Japan's leading producers of man-in-a-rubber-dinosaur-costume giant monster movies.
Back in the early 80s, while still playing hardcore punk, Brad became involved in Zen Buddhism. The realistic, no bullshit philosophy reminded him of the attitude the punks took towards music. Once he got to Japan, he began studying the philosophy with an iconoclastic rebel Zen Master named Gudo Nishijima. After a few years, Nishijima decided to make Brad his successor as a teacher of Zen.
In 2003 he published his first book, "Hardcore Zen: Punk Rock, Monster Movies and the Truth About Reality." In 2007 he followed that up with "Sit Down and Shut Up," a punk-informed look at 13th century Zen Master Dogen. His third book is "Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate."
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
July 11, 2022
People in poverty, war zones, pain, disease or any type of trauma are not going to meditate on the meaning of life. Life is hard enough without struggling against people being insensitive to one another.
We owe it to each other to not make things harder for each other than they already are now.
You will never gain anything by causing pain to anyone else. The more I engage in a practice of meditation, the clearer that fact becomes.
Think the thought of not thinking.
We owe it to each other to not make things harder for each other than they already are now.
You will never gain anything by causing pain to anyone else. The more I engage in a practice of meditation, the clearer that fact becomes.
Think the thought of not thinking.
June 3, 2022
I think this is Brad’s best (and most grown up) book so far. The difficulty has increased — but that’s a relief, one can only read “buddhism for beginners” so many times and other books can fill those shoes. Clearly recommended.
December 20, 2025
I am often busy and don’t have time to read. Instead I listen to audible books. So this is an audio book review.
I have read many original, academic and commentary texts. Warners books are exceptional. They are fun, insightful, well researched and considered. He is loyal to Master Dogen’s teaching but will entertain and consider other points of view.
I have read all of his books and enjoy them all. This book, I have listened to a few times. I highly recommend.
I have read many original, academic and commentary texts. Warners books are exceptional. They are fun, insightful, well researched and considered. He is loyal to Master Dogen’s teaching but will entertain and consider other points of view.
I have read all of his books and enjoy them all. This book, I have listened to a few times. I highly recommend.
November 21, 2022
A very good book about Dogen’s style of Zen Buddhism
This was an extremely helpful, encouraging, and entertaining book about Zen Buddhism. It helped show quite a bit of the Zen Buddhist way to look at ethics. Brad is an entertaining writer with his sense of humor. And for me trying my best to practice Zen and Zazen, it had a lot of encouraging writing that will help motivate me as I go along.
This was an extremely helpful, encouraging, and entertaining book about Zen Buddhism. It helped show quite a bit of the Zen Buddhist way to look at ethics. Brad is an entertaining writer with his sense of humor. And for me trying my best to practice Zen and Zazen, it had a lot of encouraging writing that will help motivate me as I go along.
May 21, 2022
This is Brad's longest book and also his least entertaining. Which is a problem because his value as an entertainer far outweighs any insights about Buddhism. One could say it has a Buddhist flavoring but there is no sustenance here from an ancient tradition Brad doesn't even accept in its most basic principles. The tragedy is that his practice has made no real difference in his life. Brad started out on this road by tossing a rope into the back of his car and going out to hang himself in some wilderness area. And where has it ended? He is still the same old prickly, depressed, unsmiling character making stupidly-false statements about Dogen and Buddhist history in general. Its fine if you just want to read some self-absorbed blathering, but stick with the classic texts that have stood the test of time for Buddhism.
February 13, 2025
Wow! Loved this book.
Brad Warner’s witty narrative makes this densely packed text surprisingly accessible, skillfully navigating a wealth of quotes, references, and footnotes. However, this isn’t a ‘Zen Buddhism 101’ kind of book. Readers will benefit from a solid foundation in the subject matter, or a super-receptive ‘beginner’s mind’ to fully appreciate its depth.
Highly recommended.
Brad Warner’s witty narrative makes this densely packed text surprisingly accessible, skillfully navigating a wealth of quotes, references, and footnotes. However, this isn’t a ‘Zen Buddhism 101’ kind of book. Readers will benefit from a solid foundation in the subject matter, or a super-receptive ‘beginner’s mind’ to fully appreciate its depth.
Highly recommended.
November 4, 2022
Another very good Brad Warner book.
There were times when reading this that I found it hard to get into, wanted to hurry through it. Though Warner has a "light" style when he writes about Zen, some of his books cover very dense philosophical material. This is one of those. None of it is "easy," really. It's a book about Zen Buddhist ethics, sorta kinda. Really, more, it's a book about the worldview and understanding of reality that creates the basis for Zen Buddhist ethics. It can get a little spacey and hard to follow but Warner does a good job of pulling it together and making it somewhat digestible.
Warner's writing style has matured in his last few books. I very much appreciate that. I have always liked his funny, sarcastic, punk rock approach to the subject matter, but at times it got a little too "wink wink nod nod," too many footnotes added in just to make a clever remark, silly to the point of distraction. It was always good stuff, but that was a weakness in otherwise good writing.
Here, Warner still has that punk rock approach, but he dials it back a little and writes more seriously. It's a good balance.
With a book like this, I ultimately am going to rate it based on how it helped me understand my own worldview, whether or not it inspired me to get more time on the cushion, and so on.
By that measure, this was a terrific book.
I look forward to his next offering, for now will have to settle with listening to old talks on his podcast when I'm out on long runs.
There were times when reading this that I found it hard to get into, wanted to hurry through it. Though Warner has a "light" style when he writes about Zen, some of his books cover very dense philosophical material. This is one of those. None of it is "easy," really. It's a book about Zen Buddhist ethics, sorta kinda. Really, more, it's a book about the worldview and understanding of reality that creates the basis for Zen Buddhist ethics. It can get a little spacey and hard to follow but Warner does a good job of pulling it together and making it somewhat digestible.
Warner's writing style has matured in his last few books. I very much appreciate that. I have always liked his funny, sarcastic, punk rock approach to the subject matter, but at times it got a little too "wink wink nod nod," too many footnotes added in just to make a clever remark, silly to the point of distraction. It was always good stuff, but that was a weakness in otherwise good writing.
Here, Warner still has that punk rock approach, but he dials it back a little and writes more seriously. It's a good balance.
With a book like this, I ultimately am going to rate it based on how it helped me understand my own worldview, whether or not it inspired me to get more time on the cushion, and so on.
By that measure, this was a terrific book.
I look forward to his next offering, for now will have to settle with listening to old talks on his podcast when I'm out on long runs.
May 30, 2023
Lovely book.
Esoteric yet digestible. Tasty.
Brad Warner has a wonderful sense of humour. Had me laughing out loud many times.
I will definitely reread this book again.
Looking forward to completing his other books It came from beyond Zen; Don’t be a jerk and Sit down and shut up!
Esoteric yet digestible. Tasty.
Brad Warner has a wonderful sense of humour. Had me laughing out loud many times.
I will definitely reread this book again.
Looking forward to completing his other books It came from beyond Zen; Don’t be a jerk and Sit down and shut up!
March 27, 2025
Really appreciate Brad's take on Buddhist writings, especially his way of getting the point across to people of this day and age, some of the ancient texts are difficult to understand, and with Brad's humor mixed in, a joy to read.
May 24, 2023
I read a lot of dharma books. They seem to fall in two categories which I'll call dharma and dharma-lite. The 'original' dharma books are academic, intellectual and stay true to the teachings but can be a tough slog to read. Dharma-lite, on the other hand, makes the teachings accessible to the average reader but in the pursuit of being pop will modify the teachings to appeal to current sensibilities, use pop-psych concepts, social justice or avoid the tough ethical conversations. The Other Side of Nothing: The Zen Ethics of Time, Space, and Being is in a category of it's own making.
I picked up this book because I was looking for a fun, easy, current dharma read and the cover indicated it might be just that kind of book. The Other Side of Nothing exceeded all my expectations. It was accessible, current and fun with pop-culture references thrown in for good measure without sacrificing academic rigour, or trying to modify the teachings to satisfy modern Western audiences. It was fun and educational, as the kids say.
I'm very impressed with Brad Warner's writing and teaching style and will be reading more from him. I highly recommend this book!
I picked up this book because I was looking for a fun, easy, current dharma read and the cover indicated it might be just that kind of book. The Other Side of Nothing exceeded all my expectations. It was accessible, current and fun with pop-culture references thrown in for good measure without sacrificing academic rigour, or trying to modify the teachings to satisfy modern Western audiences. It was fun and educational, as the kids say.
I'm very impressed with Brad Warner's writing and teaching style and will be reading more from him. I highly recommend this book!
January 2, 2023
I picked up this book when I read a little snippet of it in the magazine tricycle. I couldn’t put it down after I started reading it! I’ve read so many books on mindfulness, meditation and various Buddhist and Taoist traditions but never one on Zen, and never one in the style that Brad Warner writes. I was very surprised at how easy it was for me to understand the concepts, although to be honest I didn’t understand all of them 100%. The writing style made me feel like I was having a conversation with the author and that he was addressing my questions as he explained some of the more difficult aspects of Dogen’s writings and the Zen tradition. Thanks to this book, I have been practicing Zazen on my own and have joined a group of practitioners to further this journey. I will be coming back to this book and others by the author.
April 23, 2024
Stimulating and though-provoking. Warner takes established Buddhist teachings and interprets them through the writings of Dogen to bring out new perspectives. Dogen and Zen in general can seem impenetrable because the truth they attempt to convey cannot be expressed adequetly in words, but the author guides us skilfully and shows how the truth they point to is actually quite down to earth and eminently practical. An excellent companion to meditation practice.
Read
October 25, 2022Finally finished this one. It took me a while. There’s a lot to digest in it and I could only read a couple of chapters at a time. Some of it resonated with me and some of it didn’t.
It certainly put back my reading goal for the year but taking 7 weeks to finish but I’m glad I did and I hope to read more of Brad’s books in the future
It certainly put back my reading goal for the year but taking 7 weeks to finish but I’m glad I did and I hope to read more of Brad’s books in the future
October 21, 2022
There are some good things here but I didn’t like this as much as I usually like Brad’s books. I’m not much of a fan of Dogen’s writings and as a lot of the book is Brad elucidating his writing, that added to my not being enamored with it.
December 31, 2025
Brad Warner is a Zen priest & purveyor of no-nonsense American Zen. A theme that runs through his books (I’ve read four of them) is that Zen is something that should be experienced through zazen meditation, & only secondarily through intellectual activity like reading books.
I find Warner’s writing relatable & I like how he tells you when he doesn’t know or understand something. He’s working in this discipline, & reporting what it’s like, trying to help others who are doing the same, & encouraging readers to engage in Zen practice. Pleasantly straightforward.
The Other Side of Nothing is about Zen ethics. It’s 300+ pages long, so you should probably only read it if you’re already interested in that specific subject. It’s not a meditation guide (though there’s a short guide in the appendix).
Warner describes two sources of Zen ethics: (1) the practice’s explicit rules, vows, & guidance, and (2) ethical insight arising from nondualist experience provided by zazen. The latter idea is that if you experience yourself as part of the universe, rather than as a separate entity, you’ll want to refrain from harming any other part of it.
When young, Warner had anger issues, & these issues have been helped by zazen. Others with a similar background to the author’s would likely also benefit similarly (though Zen’s role in World War II suggests avoiding overconfidence).
I find Warner’s writing relatable & I like how he tells you when he doesn’t know or understand something. He’s working in this discipline, & reporting what it’s like, trying to help others who are doing the same, & encouraging readers to engage in Zen practice. Pleasantly straightforward.
The Other Side of Nothing is about Zen ethics. It’s 300+ pages long, so you should probably only read it if you’re already interested in that specific subject. It’s not a meditation guide (though there’s a short guide in the appendix).
Warner describes two sources of Zen ethics: (1) the practice’s explicit rules, vows, & guidance, and (2) ethical insight arising from nondualist experience provided by zazen. The latter idea is that if you experience yourself as part of the universe, rather than as a separate entity, you’ll want to refrain from harming any other part of it.
When young, Warner had anger issues, & these issues have been helped by zazen. Others with a similar background to the author’s would likely also benefit similarly (though Zen’s role in World War II suggests avoiding overconfidence).
August 17, 2023
Booooooy this was a toughie. Took me quite a while to get through, but we did it!! And I really enjoyed it too. Definitely a more thorough examination of Zen philosophy than Brad's other books, but also accessible enough for a stupid dummy like me.
"Even when we seem to be blundering heedlessly, we're still just as much an expression of complete, unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment as we might be during some rarified moment of satori, or awakening. At this moment - right now - you are just as enlightened as anyone ever was or ever will be...
Life doesn't usually feel like a moment of Great Awakening. It feels like taking out the trash, or forgetting to pick up some bread on the way home. It feels like a traffic jam, or a long drawn-out meeting that didn't go anywhere at all. Or sometimes it feels good. You're having a great day with a close friend or a really good gig with the band. But even those times don't really match the kinds of fantasies people like us make up about Great Awakening."
"Even when we seem to be blundering heedlessly, we're still just as much an expression of complete, unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment as we might be during some rarified moment of satori, or awakening. At this moment - right now - you are just as enlightened as anyone ever was or ever will be...
Life doesn't usually feel like a moment of Great Awakening. It feels like taking out the trash, or forgetting to pick up some bread on the way home. It feels like a traffic jam, or a long drawn-out meeting that didn't go anywhere at all. Or sometimes it feels good. You're having a great day with a close friend or a really good gig with the band. But even those times don't really match the kinds of fantasies people like us make up about Great Awakening."
June 14, 2023
I rarely post comments on the non-fiction books I read, but Brad Warner seems to be an exception for me. This well organized, informative, and well written book focuses primarily on the role of ethics in Buddhism. He intervweaves Mahayana and Theravada approaches to the subject, which is very helpful.
Warning: most of the last 1/3 of the book is kind of esoteric and hard to follow. This is not Brad's fault, but the fact he is trying to help us understand Dogen's Shobogenzo and other writings. Most books I have seen discussing Dogen are more or less inpenetrable, while this one is at least somewhat penetrable. Well, other readders may grasp it better than I do.
It's a please and a great comfort reading Brad's books. I guess I've read about half a dozen, and have learned a lot.
If you are interested in this subject, Brad Warner is a good writer to follow.
Warning: most of the last 1/3 of the book is kind of esoteric and hard to follow. This is not Brad's fault, but the fact he is trying to help us understand Dogen's Shobogenzo and other writings. Most books I have seen discussing Dogen are more or less inpenetrable, while this one is at least somewhat penetrable. Well, other readders may grasp it better than I do.
It's a please and a great comfort reading Brad's books. I guess I've read about half a dozen, and have learned a lot.
If you are interested in this subject, Brad Warner is a good writer to follow.
March 3, 2023
I enjoyed this book, though it becomes kind of a slog at times. I don't think that's Brad's fault though.
There are some books out there that take Zen's central tenets one by one and explain them, and it's nice to hear Brad's take on them laid out in such an orderly fashion. Brad's trademark humor is found throughout, and he is a master of showcasing Zens' unique and often frankly weird take on something as seemingly basic as, say, "No Dwelling on Past Mistakes."
This a fine book on the 5 W's of Soto Zen. Brad has 2 kinds of books: rollicking autobiographical and self-depreciating academic. This one is squarely in the latter category. I can see myself referring to it more than once int he future or re-reading chapters in it. I recommend it.
There are some books out there that take Zen's central tenets one by one and explain them, and it's nice to hear Brad's take on them laid out in such an orderly fashion. Brad's trademark humor is found throughout, and he is a master of showcasing Zens' unique and often frankly weird take on something as seemingly basic as, say, "No Dwelling on Past Mistakes."
This a fine book on the 5 W's of Soto Zen. Brad has 2 kinds of books: rollicking autobiographical and self-depreciating academic. This one is squarely in the latter category. I can see myself referring to it more than once int he future or re-reading chapters in it. I recommend it.
December 31, 2023
I bought this book because I am a fan of Brad Warner's writing, having read almost all of his Zen books, and I needed a new book to help me focus on being a better human. Warner does an excellent job of explaining the ethics of Zen through his interpretation of Dogen's interpretation.
It took me longer to get through this one than most of his writing, perhaps because Dogen can be so confusing, or because I wanted to sit with some of the ethics. Regardless, a great book addition to his cannon.
It took me longer to get through this one than most of his writing, perhaps because Dogen can be so confusing, or because I wanted to sit with some of the ethics. Regardless, a great book addition to his cannon.
June 27, 2023
Not what I expected but that is good
This was my first time reading a book by Brad Warner and it most likely will not be the last time. This is a great introduction to Zen and Buddhism in general. The writing style is interesting but for myself the examples from the authors life were very relatable. If you would like to learn more about Zen or Buddhism in general this is a great book to start with.
This was my first time reading a book by Brad Warner and it most likely will not be the last time. This is a great introduction to Zen and Buddhism in general. The writing style is interesting but for myself the examples from the authors life were very relatable. If you would like to learn more about Zen or Buddhism in general this is a great book to start with.
December 20, 2025
Abandoned after a few chapters.
A promising opening few lines. The spent chapters going through autobiographical details and talking about apparently trivial details about his various teachers and teachers teachers. If there was any relevance to this info it wasn't clear to me and after a few chapters decided to abandon.
A promising opening few lines. The spent chapters going through autobiographical details and talking about apparently trivial details about his various teachers and teachers teachers. If there was any relevance to this info it wasn't clear to me and after a few chapters decided to abandon.
January 20, 2023
A lot to contemplate
I enjoyed the way Brad Warner tied ethics and Zen practice together. He has a good sense of humor. Reading one chapter at a time before bed gave me a lot to contemplate.
I enjoyed the way Brad Warner tied ethics and Zen practice together. He has a good sense of humor. Reading one chapter at a time before bed gave me a lot to contemplate.
March 23, 2024
I first encountered Brad in his book Hardcore Zen. This is a continuation of his easy and casual writing style that makes some really confusing concepts a little more accessible. Highly recommended for anyone interested in learning more about Zen Buddhism.
October 30, 2022
3.5 rounded down
December 20, 2022
Visuomet yra kita pusė. Visuomet.
July 5, 2023
An interesting read--I didn't know much about Zen Buddhism. Now I know a little. Insightful and engaging.
August 19, 2024
In places really good!
September 16, 2025
I love this book. So many ideas resonated with me and left me thinking deeply. Some were out of my depth but, that’s motivation to keep learning about zen.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews