alan watts was a talented philosopher who took on the almost impossible, putting into words that which transcended the knowable. A counterculture mystic and spiritual entertainer with an eye on the divine, it’s no surprise that Watt’s philosophy and wisdom filled several books.
watts didn’t ask you to follow any creed, or consider him a guru or any other self-help, self-defeating nonsense. he simply asked that it be you. The following books by Alan Watts cover a number of different topics: A messenger of Zen, Watts bridged the gap in understanding between East and West, and they paint a full picture of a life well lived in a whimsically poetic way. one that forces you to look within yourself and the cosmos around you.
You are reading: Books by alan watts
many wonder which alan watts book they should read first. A central piece in Watts’s bibliography is a piece usually referred to simply as the book. It is here that Watts sets out to uncover what he believes to be the fundamental misunderstanding of who we really are. the idea of the “ego” or self as an isolated being that is not connected to the rest of the universe has given us a hostile view of the world “outside us”.
watts works to end all these arbitrary divisions, which are products of our language and education. Drawing from Hindu Vedanta and assorted other Eastern works, Watts creates a new way of seeing the self and the universe together:
“How is it possible that a being with jewels as sensitive as his eyes, musical instruments as enchanted as his ears, and an arabesque of nerves as fabulous as his brain can experience himself as anything less than a god?”
with language that is inherently playful and conversational, watts expertly mocks the belief in seeing oneself as an entity contained and separate from the whole.
You will find that various watt philosophies have spread online through a hodgepodge of lectures delivered over the years. Become What You Are is a unique set of essays that can be read in a few sittings. the book reads as a disconnected set of ideas as a commentary on ways of living.
“you can believe yourself out of harmony with life and its eternal now; but you can’t be, because you are life and you exist now… there is no going or coming back towards it; it is, and you are. so become what you are.”
See Also: Burn After Writing: Q&A with Author Sharon Jones
This wonderful kernel of truth flourishes throughout the rest of the book and acts as another gateway to his deeper and more complete works. his insight and ability to express abstract ideas in such a way that anyone can understand them is a gift expertly displayed throughout this book.
long before yoga studios and hip zen maxims flooded the western streets, alan watts was explaining and practicing the principles of zen buddhism to a new audience of readers. The Way of Zen delves into the origins of religion and what it means to practice Zen in the modern world. Watts believed that Zen was one of the most important concepts to emerge from the Eastern sphere.
zen explains itself as best watts can, but makes it clear that it is something to be felt and experienced. the explanations in this book come with a wink and a cosmic smile.
“the centipede was happy, quite, until a toad jokingly said: ‘please, which leg goes after which?’ this caused his mind to wander so much that he was left lying in a ditch, thinking of how to run.”
Zen is a branch of Buddhism. the way of zen teaches you that zen arises from spontaneity and brings you to the present moment and the experience of now. Throughout the book, Watts contrasts this way of thinking with the fast-paced, thoughtless nature of modern society and its tendency to make us feel dissatisfied, aimless, and empty.
“A world that increasingly consists of destinations with no travel between them, a world that only values ‘getting somewhere’ as quickly as possible, becomes a world without substance.”
watts has always been interested in exploring the underlying notion of dualities and their effect on the mind. he called them “the two great poles of human thought, spirit and nature.” drawing on his vast knowledge of taoism, alan watts imagines a new point of view between the connection of man and the universe.
In the preface, Watts notes that he is “thinking out loud” about this book. This is Alan Watts at his best as he relentlessly digs into and weaves together the most curious parts of our nature.
“…the problem of man’s relationship to nature raises the problem of man’s relationship to woman, a matter about which spiritually minded members of our own culture have been significantly apprehensive.”
See Also: Best fantasy books published in 2020 – Fantasy Book Review
The main goal of this book by Alan Watts is to make you live in the present moment. Of course, we’ve heard this cliché so many times that words ring hollow. but Watts will always be the masters at bringing wisdom to the mundane and the lost and repeated adages we take for granted.
written in 1951, his prophetic words predicted that modern society would be increasingly driven by more complex technology. Watts thought the consequence would be that we would lose our connection to authentic experiences.
“tomorrow and plans for tomorrow cannot have any meaning unless you are in full contact with the reality of the present, since it is in the present and only in the present that you live. there is no other reality than the present reality, so even if one were to live for endless centuries, to live for the future would be to miss the point forever.”
here we have a change of pace as we read alan watts’ autobiography. Watts begins with his upbringing in rural England and slowly moves into his life as the spiritual counterculture figure many would know him for.
My Way chronicles many of his interactions with the gurus and celebrities of the day, psychedelic experiences, and of course the philosophical insight that spills over into many of his other books and lectures.
“My vocation in life is to ask myself about the nature of the universe. This brings me to philosophy, psychology, religion and mysticism, not only as topics to be discussed but also as things to be experienced, and thus I make an at least tacit claim to be a philosopher and a mystic.
joyful cosmology joins the ranks of some of the best psychedelic books ever written. Alan Watts’ insights into the altered consciousness of the psychedelic experience rival Aldous Huxley’s seminal work: The Doors of Perception. Carrying on the tradition as a philosophical seeker and not one just looking for recreational fun, Watts saw the true value of psychedelic exploration.
He believed that true insight could be found “when accompanied by sustained philosophical reflection on the part of a person seeking not amusement, but understanding.” Way ahead of its time in relation to both the 1960s counterculture and our own era, this book by Alan Watts advocates for the protection and entitlement of our own brains and nervous systems. fundamental rights that were not under debate by any form of government.
“It is generally forgotten that our religious freedom guarantees were designed to protect precisely those who were not members of established denominations, but rather (then) wacko and subversive individuals such as Quakers, agitators, levellers and Anabaptists. there is no doubt that those who use cannabis or other psychedelics with religious intentions are now members of a persecuted religion that appears to the rest of society as a serious threat to “mental health”, as opposed to the old-fashioned “immortal soul”. ” but it’s the same old story.”
This article was originally published on big think in January 2019. It was updated in June 2022.
See Also: Tricia O&039Malley – Book Series In Order