Alan Watts and Meditation
Watts was widely recognized as a translator of Eastern philosophy to Western audiences. His perspective drew from Hinduism, Buddhism and Vedanta as well as modern physics, semantics and process philosophy.
Centuries before Watts popularized Eastern thought among Western audiences, mystics and ascetics were practicing meditation as part of their quest for enlightenment. Now more than ever before, meditation has been making headlines across the world.
What Is Meditation?
Meditation can be any activity that helps temporarily quiet the mind and concentrate your attention inward. Meditation may involve sitting on a chair in a quiet room, lying down or even standing, but usually done through physically relaxing the body. Meditation might include breathing exercises, repeating phrases silently in your head or counting from 10 backwards – these activities all help calm and clarify thoughts.
Some people use guided meditations, while others focus on their bodies by adopting special positions like sitting lotus position or moving about. Others might employ mantras or focus their attention solely on the present moment by trying to eliminate all distractions and focus on staying present in each moment. Meditation helps many feel more relaxed and contented; some find it effective at alleviating anxiety or stress levels as well as improving sleep or perception of their world around them.
Alan Watts was one of the leading Western interpreters and promoters of Zen Buddhism. A philosopher, historian, psychologist and writer with expertise in various Eastern traditions; his witty commentary and profound wisdom brought much-needed understanding from Asia into Western life – he published numerous books while lecturing extensively throughout his lifetime.
The Basics of Meditation
Meditation’s simplicity lies at its heart, yet as its popularity spreads beyond ashrams to boardrooms and living rooms, its increased cultural awareness can both excite and perplex practitioners alike. Unfortunately, like any trend, this one too can become subject to overselling and misinterpretation; leading to spiritual posturing and “enlightened one-upping” taking over social media feeds.
Watts was widely recognized for introducing Eastern philosophy and meditation practices to Western audiences, although he never strictly adhered to any one practice or faith; rather he was heavily influenced by both Eastern and Western philosophical and spiritual traditions.
Meditation’s aim is to connect to the richness and fullness of the present moment through a simple practice: focusing on your breath. Over time, you may notice when your mind wanders; when this occurs simply return your attention back to your breathing and observe any thoughts, feelings or emotions that come up without responding directly or reacting emotionally; just as waves rise before merging back into the sea again they too will pass without disrupting your meditation practice.
Meditation can take some practice to master, and not every meditation session will be successful. But don’t give up; over time your meditations will get better and more focused as time goes on. Additionally, studies have demonstrated its positive health impacts like reduced stress, blood pressure reduction and helping with mental illness or physical ailments like psoriasis.
The Benefits of Meditation
Meditation offers many health advantages for both mental and physical well-being, including improved emotional stability, stress reduction, enhanced focus and pain management. Meditation may even help people cope better with chronic medical conditions like arthritis. Furthermore, its practice may reduce blood pressure levels and thus lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Alan Watts was an internationally acclaimed philosopher and writer renowned for popularizing Eastern philosophy for Western audiences. He studied numerous religious and philosophical traditions ranging from Zen Buddhism to Hindu Vedanta as well as psychotherapy, anthropology, sociology, linguistics as well as lectured widely on these subjects and even recorded multiple talks.
Although Watts never pursued Enlightenment directly, he believed that meditation and understanding oneself was key to reaching happiness. He published several books on this subject including The Way of Zen and Inner Peace as well as writing extensively about religious and philosophical subjects such as spiritual significance of ecstatic experiences and human consciousness.
Some individuals prefer meditating alone, while it is also possible to join a class or group for this activity. Doing this can keep one motivated while providing the support system needed to make meditation an everyday part of their life. In fact, research indicates that regular meditation practice may improve cognitive function.
Meditation Techniques
There are various meditation techniques available, but most involve sitting still with back straight and eyes closed. A mantra, or repeated phrase repeated to focus the mind and promote a peaceful state. Visualization techniques or recalling pleasant memories may also promote feelings of relaxation and wellbeing. Loving-kindness meditation techniques also exist that focus on cultivating feelings of compassion towards yourself and other living beings through loving-kindness meditation practice.
Watts was well known in hippie counterculture circles and his teachings and lectures attracted an enthusiastic following, while his works were published widely (e.g. The Way of Zen (1957) and Psychotherapy East and West (1961). He gave regular radio talks preserved in Pacifica Radio archives, as well as being an author who explored religion, spirituality, human consciousness and psychedelics in his books.
Years before Watts popularized Eastern philosophy and meditation to western audiences, many mystics and ascetics practiced numerous meditative paths in pursuit of enlightenment. Some focused on attaining control over physical world activities while others explored more esoteric currents of thought which had dominated certain Christian thinkers during medieval period; all traditions shared a central tenant: maintaining a calm yet focused state to pursue enlightenment.
