Alan Watts
Alan Watts presented a fresh take on how human beings relate to spirit and nature, acting as an intermediary between ancient and contemporary worlds. His books and lectures offered new insights into these topics.
Philosopher, history scholar, psychologist and psychiatrist; avid student of Eastern wisdom. Influenced by spiritual authors like Nicholas Roerich and Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan; theosophists like Alice Bailey were particularly influential on his thinking.
The Joyous Cosmology: Adventures in the Chemistry of Consciousness
Watts’s The Joyous Cosmology stands as one of the most eloquent explorations of psychedelic experience ever written. Drawing inspiration from Aldous Huxley’s Doors of Perception, Watts offers his own insightful take on mankind’s place within nature’s vastness – yet keeping things lighthearted at times!
Like his lectures, this book covers a diverse array of subjects such as Eastern wisdom (Zen Buddhism), history, Western philosophy, psychology and anthropology – particularly LSD, mescaline and psilocybin use by young readers.
Watts, a Christian convert, wrote about the power of mind-expanding substances not as drugs but as tools that could unlock insights about life and reality. He described their impact in terms of enhanced awareness that allowed one to move beyond egocentric thought to consciousness behind this line of inquiry and enhance a sense of connectedness that helped alleviate depression and fear.
Experienced readers will recognize many aspects of this book as it brings back memories and provides new understandings; those unfamiliar with these types of experiences will find this essay an insightful introduction into some of their more subtleties as well as any profound philosophical implications they can hold for those searching for truth.
Alan Watts was an English writer and philosopher best known as an interpreter of Eastern philosophies and religions for a Western audience. His ideas about the nature of cosmos and individual, spirituality and leading an enriching life are at once profound and accessible for non-scholars as well as scholars. Alan Watts utilized Hinduism, Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, Judaism and Christianity, along with other religions, philosophies and psychologies as sources for his arguments. He was well versed in science (physics – mathematics – biology etc), biology as well as a variety of other fields; The Alan Watts Organization is committed to keeping his works accessible by online distribution of lectures, audio recordings and other media formats.
Behold the Spirit: A Study in the Necessity of Mystical Religion
As this book makes clear, Watts was no stranger to being forthright in his criticism of Christianity and other religions he saw problems within them – including Catholicism (which included Orthodoxy as well as “High Church” Protestants like Episcopalians) and Protestantism – as well as other faiths such as Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.
Watts asserts that humanity’s spirituality must transcend mere doctrine and ritual to become an intimate experience of divinity reflected by these practices; this stage he calls “mystical”. However, according to him most people are still stuck in childhood or adolescence where worshipping symbols or stories taught to them is more prevalent than feeling God’s love through these practices.
Watts draws upon Hinduism, Chinese philosophy, pantheism/panentheism and panentheism to illustrate that all religions contain mysticism at their core. Watts asserts that modern man is confused over how to approach spiritual matters while feeling disenchanted with religion he finds disenchanting; his solution may lie in mysticism and Eastern religions in particular.
Watts added an additional preface when this book was reprinted in 1971, detailing his personal journey away from Christianity towards upstate New York where he joined a Buddhist Lodge. Watts believed that Eastern philosophies gave him spiritual tools necessary to break free of his Christian upbringing, suggesting this path could be followed by all religions willing to explore mysticism.
Watts delivered numerous lectures and seminars during his lifetime; recordings can still be heard on Pacifica Radio Archive and other stations today. As his reputation spread, requests came pouring in to appear and lecture at numerous colleges as well as newer growth centers like Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California.
The Wisdom of the East
Watts always makes for an engaging read, whether writing about his experiences with psychedelic drugs or the pursuit of higher consciousness. His books, lectures and recordings have proven immensely popular with Buddhists as well as non-Buddhists alike.
Watts was a British writer and philosopher best known for interpreting Asian philosophy for Western audiences and writing extensively about mysticism compared to modern science and religion. Besides these accomplishments, he published numerous works that helped popularize it for Western readers.
Alan Watts developed an early passion for Asian art and literature through his mother, who taught Asian students. From an early age he studied religious teachings from several faiths before beginning his own spiritual explorations. Watts joined the London Buddhist Lodge and eventually served as its journal editor before moving to America to study Zen Buddhism (only briefly though).
Watts became an Episcopalian priest but soon left when his beliefs couldn’t align with formal church doctrine. Since then, he has earned an incredible reputation as an interpreter of Eastern philosophies for Western audiences; his writings have assisted many in finding personal happiness.
One of his best-known works, The Way of Zen (1957), is considered one of the first best sellers on Buddhism. Additionally, he published several other works discussing psychotherapy as an alternative to Eastern religions and exploring human consciousness and psychedelic drugs.
Watts spent much of his later life lecturing in bookstores and cafes. Due to his openness, his ecumenical outlook made him the perfect candidate to introduce people unfamiliar with Asian religions to them. Hippies of the 1960s and ’70s were also drawn in by Watts’s ideas and found his lectures captivating.
