Zen teachers differ in approaches to views of zazen: practices differ, individual student's practice with different intensity and direction, and the author suggests that meditators need to avoid gating wrapped up in meditative states. (pp. 124-125) He also warns that meditators need to work through, with qualified teachers, problems of distraction, excitement, dullness and sinking; warning: some degrees of happiness, clarity and unusual energy spells are not to be confused with "awakening". If a spiritual episode occurs who knows the lasting effect?

　　 Austin punctuates the marriage of Zen with the brain with question of reformation -- changing the heart, or mind. He asks, "is the transformed brain emotionless?" He answers, "No. It is stable, balanced, no longer overcome by the ups and downs of the emotions." He responds to one perplexing thought the reader may have with, "(M)any people grow, by degrees, as the result of practicing introspection into the troublesome events of their daily lives, ...not (just) limited to the pilgrims who are on the meditative way." This is clearly not confined to events resulting from patient-psychologist relationships. (pp. 642)

　　 Austin proposes early in the text that from historical readings there appears to be an ever-evolving message: "in the final analysis, Zen training means brain training." His personal experiences in both his work as a medical doctor and Zen student would captivate the most casual reader.