At first glance I thought this collection was of the Eastern Religion Professor Alan Watts, who by the way is not a new age Guru, as another reviewer has stated. It's obvious he has not read or listened to him. We are absorbed in conscious attention, convinced that this narrowed perception is the only real way of seeing the world. Further, we view the self-sensations as what makes ‘I’ a conscious being—we are hypnotized by this disjointed vision of the universe. Watts sought to resolve his feelings of alienation from the institutions of marriage and the values of American society, as revealed in his comments on love relationships in "Divine Madness" and on perception of the organism-environment in "The Philosophy of Nature". In looking at social issues he was concerned with the necessity for international peace, for tolerance, and understanding among disparate cultures. [ citation needed]

Published in 1960, This Is It is a collection of six essays from Watts on subjects ranging from consciousness and metaphysics to living a good, authentic life. Alan Watts was an orator and philosopher of the 20th century. He spent time reflecting on personal identity and higher consciousness. According to the critic Erik Davis, his "writings and recorded talks still shimmer with a profound and galvanising lucidity." [1] These works [ clarification needed] are not accessible in the same way as his many books. Watts has been criticized by Buddhists such as Philip Kapleau and D. T. Suzuki for allegedly misinterpreting several key Zen Buddhist concepts. In particular, he drew criticism from Zen masters who maintain that zazen must entail a strict and specific means of sitting, as opposed to being a cultivated state of mind that is available at any moment in any situation (which traditionally might be possible by a very few after intense and dedicated effort in a formal sitting practice). Typical of these is Roshi Kapleau's claim that Watts dismissed zazen on the basis of only half a koan. [55] Regarding his ethical outlook, Watts felt that absolute morality had nothing to do with the fundamental realization of one's deep spiritual identity. He advocated social rather than personal ethics. In his writings, Watts was increasingly concerned with ethics applied to relations between humanity and the natural environment and between governments and citizens. He wrote out of an appreciation of a racially and culturally diverse social landscape. [ citation needed] Clark, David K. The Pantheism of Alan Watts. Downers Grove, Illinois: Inter-Varsity Press. 1978. ISBN 0-87784-724-XThe 2017 video game Everything contains quotes from Watts' lectures. [76] (The creator previously worked on Her, which also referenced Watts [77] [69]) Live Fully Now: Mark Watts, interview at Druid Heights cabin by Volvo Cars (posted to YouTube on 22 February 2017)

Cloud-hidden, Whereabouts Unknown: A Mountain Journal, Pantheon Books. Also published in Canada in 1974 by Jonathan Cape, ISBN 0224009729. ISBN 0-394-71999-9 He talks about how we constantly misuse great technology instead of using it to our advantage to grow as a race and to solve life-threatening problems. How we can all work together instead of fighting about things that hurt our ego. The very fact after understanding ourselves will allow us to have peace and have nothing that we cannot solve as a union. As we said above and we are gonna say it again, it is Alan Watts’s best book and one of Watts’s books ranked as the best-selling. Bigger Picture Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (1944). Theologia mystica: being the treatise of Saint Dionysius pseudo-Areopagite on mystical theology, together with the first and fifth epistles. Translated from the Greek and with an introduction by Alan W. Watts. West Park, New York, USA: Holy Cross Press. Tragedy & Hope (25 August 2012). "The Real You - Alan Watts" . Retrieved 17 August 2017– via YouTube. What this book looks at is how human beings are separate from the nature around them, yet they view nature as something that needs to be controlled. It is also looking at how humans consider the mind to be superior to the body, and how sexuality is viewed as always having an element of seduction. Watts believes this way of thinking to be dangerous, a thought process which is based on Western thought and culture. A Different ViewHe believed that he could help people better understand their own personal identity with the help of the Hindu philosophy of Vedanta and by adapting to its principles. The Modern Mystic: A New Collection of the Early Writings of Alan Watts, ed. John Snelling and Mark Watts In October 1973, Watts returned from a European lecture tour to his cabin in Druid Heights, California. Friends of Watts had been concerned about him for some time over his alcoholism. [42] [43] On 16 November 1973, at age 58, he died in the Mandala House in Druid Heights. [41] He was reported to have been under treatment for a heart condition. [44] Before authorities could attend, his body was removed from his home and cremated on a wood pyre at a nearby beach by Buddhist monks. [45] Mark Watts relates that Watts was cremated on Muir Beach at 8:30 am after being discovered deceased at 6:00 am. [46] The first held precious knowledge about the history of Zen Buddhism as well as important principles and practices. The second half has its own sections that include titles like Empty and Marvelous, Sitting Quietly, Doing Nothing, Za-zen and the Koan, and Zen and the Arts.

Watts, Alan (1970) Does It Matter?: Essays on Man's Relation to Materiality, Pantheon Books, ISBN 0-394-71665-5

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The art of living... is neither careless drifting on the one hand nor fearful clinging to the past on the other. It consists in being sensitive to each moment, in regarding it as utterly new and unique, in having the mind open and wholly receptive.” The Temple of Konarak: Erotic Spirituality, with photographs by Eliot Elisofon, London: Thames and Hudson. Also published as Erotic Spirituality: The Vision of Konarak, New York: Macmillan Radio interview. Alan reads from his auto biography "In My Own Way" and discusses his life and philosophy with Lex Hixon; host of “In the Spirit” on WBAI Radio. ( Transcript).

Things are as they are. Looking out into the universe at night, we make no comparisons between right and wrong stars, nor between well and badly arranged constellations.” He later published Myth & Ritual in Christianity (1953), an eisegesis of traditional Roman Catholic doctrine and ritual in Buddhist terms. However, the pattern was set, in that Watts did not hide his dislike for religious outlooks that he decided were dour, guilt-ridden, or militantly proselytizing—no matter if they were found within Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, or Buddhism. There are many subjects that these seminars cover, but one of my favorites is the art of the controlled accident. It’s all about not taking life so seriously and to actually start enjoying it. Watts also talks about fully embracing the chaos around us to enable us to find our deepest purpose. I particularly enjoyed his insights into the deeper philosophical principles of Buddhism and Hinduism.It's the taboo against knowing who you REALLY are. It's the "unbearable lightness of being." The impossibility of getting any real answers. The immense difficulty in getting to the ‘bottom’ of yourself. Or even finding a secure foundation for an endless stream of very random thoughts.