it within the broader spectrum of Japanese thought and culture. At the start of the work, Hoover presents an observation that the Zen arts exhibit striking modernity and a timeless quality, asserting their relevance to contemporary aesthetics. He elaborates on this by discussing how Zen ceramics, calligraphy, architecture, and performance art resonate with modern artistic movements, noting parallels with abstract expressionism and minimalism. The opening section also introduces the notion of 'direct perception' as a key element of Zen, proposing that through the lens of Zen, one can rediscover beauty in simplicity and imperfection in both art and daily activities. (This is an automatically generated summary.)