Alan Watts

This book will always be on top of my other reads. My favorite part comes around Chapter 5. Here, Watts explained that the pursuit of security is in itself insecurity. I agree when he said that in a world where everything is forever changing and nothing is permanent, there is no point in pursuing safety. It’s like wanting to have food to eat everyday knowing that no food lasts forever.

If you haven’t read this yet, I highly suggest that you do especially if you’re the type to overthink things.

Favorite quote: You want to be happy, to forget yourself, and yet the more you try to forget yourself, the more you remember the self you want to forget. You want to escape from pain, but the more you struggle to escape, the more you inflame the agony. You are afraid and want to be brave, but the effort to be brave is fear trying to run away from itself.

It’s amazing how a 100-paged book could contain so much wisdom.

Will definitely read this again.

[EDIT] Didn't expect the post to blow up. I thought wrongly that only a few people were interested in the works of Watts.

To those who share the same enthusiasm and thinking of his works with me, I'm glad we met. And for those who think differently, your honesty is much appreciated.

A couple of hours since the post went live, I observed common feedback patterns and some threads seemed to have turned to a debate between the philosophical and psychological perspectives of anxiety. Specifically, clinical anxiety.

As much as I'd like to say something about this, I simply just can't. I don't know how the scientific method works. I'll leave this to those who can speak as they are acknowledged by the modern society, be it through their license or practice. The post is not for this matter.

Instead, I'll use the content of the book because it looks like from most comments that they have not read the book. Not to be condescending, but here are some of the ideas shared by Watts.

He talked about conventions. A more detailed Chapter 5 talks about a "divided mind" where humans have two concepts of themselves. In the book, these were "I" and "me". I is one's concept or idea of the self, which is tasked to improve me, the current self. He argued that it is because we were trained to use conventions that we became insecure.

Take money for example. It is what determines what you can and cannot have. So "I" would modify his identity to become rich and therefore make a better "me". This is where people start thinking they need to get rich and achieve all those worldly desires.

The food example was similar. We know for one thing that food makes people full, but it is not deterministic. What if one day you wake up with food but eating it does not satisfy your hunger at all? It just so happened that when humans ate, we became consistently full and nutritious. And what determined this conclusion? Science.

Watts proceeded with the argument that science is also a convention. Conclusions formed are ultimately thoughts of people, and thoughts are also conventions, something that we use just so we could come up with an understanding of things. But really, what does understanding mean?

In the modern world, conventions are evident more than it ever was in history. Things like graduate degrees, experiments. Those are things we came up with, because there needs to be a system. Because we need to rationalize. We need an explanation. We need something to trust.

But again, I am not saying nor do I want to that these conventions are totally useless. Because it makes life easier for us generally. Words, as conventions, help us convey thoughts. It's more convenient than doing a charade of your thoughts.

So that's where I stand on the discussion regarding this issue. To those who think that Watts is not someone that can help them, it's totally okay.

Finally, to you all: if you're feeling anxious, I am wishing nothing but the good things in life for you. Whatever it takes to live above your demons, may you have it in you.

I'm also a fan of Eckhart Tolle. Are there any other folks with lectures on spirituality and cosmology that I'd enjoy?

Just saw a Buick commercial using Alan Watts’ voice where he’s saying that if you were able to dream whatever you want eventually you’ll end up dreaming where you are right now. Then at the end it sounds like an AI version of his voice saying “exceptional by design” which I assume is the Buick catchphrase. I’m sure the Watts’ estate approved it all and got paid, but it just felt a little gross to me hearing his voice in a luxury car advertisement.

"If you can concentrate the mind for two seconds, you can do it for two minutes, and you can do it for two hours. Of course, if you want to *make* this kind of thing horribly difficult, you begin to think about whether you are concentrating, about how long you have concentrated, and about how much longer you are going to keep it up, All this is totally off the point. Concentrate for one second. If, at the end of this time, your mind has wandered off, concentrate for another second, and then another. Nobody ever has to concentrate for more than one second –- this one."

-Alan Watts

Usually when I try to focus during meditation, I try to force myself to focus for the entire time, thinking it is a marathon. I come into it with the expectation that it will be difficult, and meditating this way is exhausting.

I was recently reading "Become What you Are" by Alan Watts and saw the above quote. Seeing it this way, there is minimal effort in focusing for one second, and if you extend that out, you are only focusing for one second every second. Something in this really clicked with me and trying to focus during meditation has required much less effort.

Just thought I'd share in case anyone else has a similar experience!

Alan Watts was definitely one of my major inspirations to seek after Buddhist teachings, but in your opinion, did he get Buddhism right?

I really enjoy his books on philosophy, but I wonder if should I take Alan's books as a guide to Buddhism?

Alan Watts was not Buddhist, I know this. But he is a reason that I took interest in it as he touches upon some of Buddhism philosophy. I brought this up and got downvoted a lot, just because I said I liked him and how he introduced me to eastern philosophy.

So I wonder, why is he disliked on this sub so much if he can’t even really be compared to Buddhism in the first place?

When I saw this quote I immediately thought of my own meditation practice. I tend to ruminate on ideas/problems and have been practicing taking a step back to give space and distance between myself the event/thought/feeling. I'm interested what other people's thoughts are surrounding this quote and how it might relate to their own meditation practice.

Also, I'm always looking for suggestions for becoming a better "observer" of my thoughts/feelings if anyone has any suggestions!

Alan Watts has bridged the gap between Eastern philosophy and Western rationality. He explored the depths of consciousness & essence of being.

1. The Present Is All You Have: Watts emphasized living fully in the now, the only moment we ever truly possess. Embrace the present. Let go of past regrets and future anxieties. Life is a series of present moments to be experienced. All you ever have is now.

2. You Are the Universe Experiencing Itself: One of Watts' most profound teachings is the interconnectedness of all things. Recognize yourself as an expression of the universe. Feel connected to everything around you. Understand that you are both the observer and the observed.

3. The Illusion of Ego: Watts argued that the ego, our sense of separate self, is an illusion. Question the boundaries of your identity Recognize the ego as a social construct. Embrace the interconnectedness of life. Liberate yourself from the confines of individualism.

4. Life as Play: He likened life to a game or a dance, meant to be experienced fully, rather than a problem to be solved. Approach life with playfulness. Engage with the world creatively. Find joy in the process, not just the outcomes.

5. The Importance of Uncertainty: Watts taught that uncertainty is inherent to the nature of reality. Embrace the unknown. Recognize that certainty is an illusion. Find peace in the mystery of life. Accepting uncertainty can lead to a more adventurous and fulfilling life.

6. Letting Go of Control: Trying to control everything is futile and exhausting, according to Watts. Learn to let go. Trust the flow of life. Relinquish the need for control. This surrender opens the door to peace and contentment.

7. The Nature of Change: Change is the only constant, and Watts encouraged embracing it. Flow with change. See the beauty in impermanence. Adapt and grow with life’s ebbs and flows. Recognizing and accepting change is key to mental resilience and mental health.

8. The Unity of Opposites: Watts explored the concept that opposites are fundamentally interconnected. Understand that opposites define each other. See the harmony in duality. Appreciate the balance of life. Everything is a component of a bigger system.

9. Finding Who You Really Are: The journey to self-discovery was central to Watts' teachings. Ask yourself who you are. Explore your inner depths. Realize your connection to the universe. Self-discovery leads to a profound sense of peace and belonging.

I paraphrased it a bit, but I just remembered an Alan Watts quote along these lines. That it's wrong if you meditate just because of the "benefits" like better concentration, better sleep, reduced anger, etc, but that you should instead just meditate because it feels good to be present in the moment. If you're thinking "oh damn i still have 10 minutes left" or "it's finally over, today i made 20 minutes" then you're doing it wrong. I see lots of people on this sub every day asking about the benefits while in reality that's not the point and you should fall in love with meditating itself.

What do you people think about this?