Zennish Series

Albert Einstein was a Zen master? I think so, and I aim to prove it.

In this work, I outline the top 54 sayings uttered by “Uncle Albert” that, in my opinion, show his views of reality to be very similar to those of some of the greatest Zen masters to have ever lived, past, and present.

Ranging from funny to contemplative to serious, these quotes outline my belief that through his unique understanding of the universe, Einstein seems to have developed an appreciation for the forces of the natural world that are congruent with the philosophical ideals held by Zen and Taoism masters through the ages.

Though Einstein considered himself non-religious (because he dismissed the idea of a personalized God), he nevertheless developed, through his work, an appreciation and even an admiration for the intelligence that animates the living world - an intelligence whose essence he felt to be far beyond the sphere of human comprehension. For this reason, he famously claimed to be “a deeply religious nonbeliever”, and felt his viewpoint to be a “somewhat new kind of religion”.

Though Einstein's non-personalized beliefs were definitely new compared to Western concepts of religion, they fit right in with well-established Eastern concepts from Zen, Taoism, Buddhism, and even Hinduism. 

Through this work, I hope to point out a fairly different approach to spiritual appreciation than what most of us are used to; an approach I believe to be every bit as valid as the Western, personalized-god variety. 

At the very least, I hope this work will serve as a simple introduction to the eye-opening contributions of Eastern philosophical thought.

“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.” (Albert Einstein)