Alan watt who is he

He encountered influential spiritual authors who had a profound impact in shaping his ideologies, such as, Nicholas Roerich, Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan and theosophists like Alice Bailey.

Alan learned Chinese, and did significant research in Zen Buddhism and the fundamental beliefs and practices of religions and philosophies of India and East Asia.

Alan was a prominent member of the London Buddhist Lodge, and in , he was appointed the secretary of the organization. Suzuki, a prominent scholar of Zen Buddhism, who had a strong influence on his thoughts. In , he moved to America and began training in Zen Buddhism, however, unsatisfied with the methods of the teacher, he left Zen training.

Zen is one branch of Buddhism. The Way of Zen teaches you that zen emerges from spontaneity and leads you into the present moment and the experience of the now. Throughout the book, Watts contrasts this way of thinking to the rapid-paced and unreflective nature of modern society and its tendency to make us feel unfulfilled, rudderless and empty. Watts was always interested in exploring the underlying notion of dualities and their effect on mind.

But Alan Watts will always be the master of bringing wisdom to the mundane and the lost oft repeated adages we take for granted. Written in , his prophetic words predicted the rapid pace of modern society led by increasingly more complex technology. The consequence of this would be that our connection to the real and authentic experiences would not only diminish but barely come about again.

There is no other reality than present reality, so that, even if one were to live for endless ages, to live for the future would be to miss the point everlastingly. Watts starts out with his upbringing in rural England and slowly wades into his life as the spiritual counterculture figure many would come to know him by.

In My Own Way recounts many of his interactions with the gurus and celebrities of the day, psychedelic experiences and of course the philosophical insight that overflows from so many of his other books and lectures. This leads me into philosophy, psychology, religion, and mysticism, not only as subjects 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.

The Joyous Cosmology joins the ranks of some of the best psychedelic books ever to be written. Continuing the tradition as philosophical seeker and not one just out for recreational fun — Watts saw the true worth of psychedelic exploration. Mike Colagrossi. The Way of Zen 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.

Watts begins with scholarship and intellect and proceeds with art and eloquence to the frontiers of the spirit. A fascinating entry into the deepest ways of knowing. His parents recognized his bright and inquiring nature, and encouraged Alan to write. In , Alan moved to the United States to study Zen in New York, where he soon began lecturing in bookstores and cafes. Ironically, the book was issued on the eve of the second World War. After a brief time in New York, Alan moved to Chicago and enrolled at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, deepening his interest in mystical theology.

In early Alan relocated to San Francisco, where, at Dr. Drawing quite a crowd, his classes at the Academy soon blossomed into evening lectures open to the public and spilled over to local coffee houses frequented by Beat poets and writers.