Spirit Village Review
Click on title link to order or for more information
Alan Watts
 Alan Watts, who held both a master's degree in theology and a doctorate in divinity, has earned the reputation of being one of the most original and "unrutted" philosophers of the century. He is best known as an interpreter of Zen Buddhism in particular, and of Indian and Chinese philosophy in general. Alan Watts was born in England in 1915. He was an Episcopalian priest who became the spokesperson for Eastern religions during the late 1950s and tumultuous 60s. His first book, The Spirit of Zen, however, was written in the 30s when Watts was just 20 years old. He went on to write more than twenty other books. He died in 1973.
 Buddhism: The Religion of No-Religion: The Edited Transcripts, by Alan W. Watts. The taped lectures of Alan Watts have inspired a generation. In this dynamic series of lectures, Alan Watts takes us on an exploration of Buddhism, from its roots in India to the explosion of interest in Zen and the Tibetan tradition in the West. Watts traces the Indian beginnings of Buddhism, delineates differences between Buddhism and other religions, looks at the radical methods of the Mahayan Buddhist, and reviews the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. One of the plainest and simplest explanations of what Buddhism is.
 The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are, by Alan Watts. Modern Western culture and technology is inextricably tied to the belief in the existence of a self as a separate ego, separated from and in conflict with the rest of the world. In this classic book, Watts provides a lucid and simple presentation of an alternative view based on Hindi and Vedantic philosophy. witty attack on the illusion that the self is a separate ego that confronts a universe of alien physical objects. As for the subtitle, Watts explains that there is no need for a new religion or a new bible. "We need a new experience -- a new feeling of what it is to be `I.' The lowdown (which is, of course, the secret and profound view) on life is that our normal sensation of self is a hoax, or, at best, a temporary role that we are playing, or have been conned into playing -- with our own tacit consent, just as every hypnotized person is basically willing to be hypnotized. The most strongly enforced of all known taboos is the taboo against knowing who or what you really are behind the mask of your apparently separate, independent, and isolated ego."
 The Way of Zen, by Alan W. Watts. After D.T. Suzuki, Alan Watts stands as the godfather of Zen in America. Often taken to task for inspiring the flimsy spontaneity of Beat Zen, Watts had an undeniably keen understanding of his subject. Nowhere is this more evident than in his 1957 classic The Way of Zen, which has been reissued. Watts takes the reader back to the philosophical foundations of Zen in the conceptual world of Hinduism, follows Buddhism's course through the development of the early Mahayana school, the birth of Zen from Buddhism's marriage with Chinese Taoism, and on to Zen's unique expression in Japanese art and life. As a Westerner, Watts anticipates the stumbling blocks encountered with such concepts as emptiness and no-mind, then illustrates with flawlessly apt examples. Many popular books have been written on Zen since Watts' time, but few have been able to muster the rare combination of erudition and clarity that have kept The Way of Zen in readers' hands decade after decade. --Brian Bruya
 This Is It: and Other Essays on Zen and Spiritual Experience, by Alan W. Watts. The six essays in this volume all deal with the relationship of mystical experience to ordinary life. The title essay on "cosmic consciousness" includes the author's account of his own ventures into this inward realm. "Instinct, Intelligence, and Anxiety" is a study of the paradoxes of self-consciousness; "Spiritually and Sensuality," a lively discussion of the false opposition of spirit and matter; and "The New Alchemy," a balanced account of states of consciousness akin to spiritual experience induced by the aid of lysergic acid. The collection also includes the text of Watts' celebrated pamphlet, "Beat Zen, Square Zen, and Zen."
 Cloud-hidden, Whereabouts Unknown: A Mountain Journal, by Alan W. Watts. These ruminations, assembled in the form of a journal and here published in paperback for the first time, were written at Alan Watts' retreat in the foothills of Mount Tamalpais, California. Many current themes are discussed, including meditation, nature, established religion, race relations, karma and reincarnation, astrology and tantric yoga, and the nature of ecstasy, but the underlying motif is the art of feeling out and following the watercourse way of nature, known in Chinese as the Tao. Watts suggests a way of contemplative meditation in which we temporarily stop naming and classifying all that we experience, and simply feel it as it is.
 Zen The Supreme Experience: The Newly Discovered Scripts, by Alan Watts and Mark Watts (Editor). Embark on a personal exploration of Zen spirituality, guided by the late Alan Watts--a foremost interpreter of Eastern thought for the modern West. Comprised of Watts' acclaimed (and never before published) radio transcripts, this remarkable volume offers unique insights that clarify Zen's essence. With wit and lucidity, he discusses the nature of the self and the mystery of existence, presenting Zen both from his standpoint as a scholar with a deep understanding of Judeo-Christian traditions and as a Westerner who found meaning in Buddhism.
 Become What You Are: Expanded Edition, by Alan W. Watts. “Life exists only at this very moment, and in this moment it is infinite and eternal. For the present moment is infinitely small; before we can measure it, it has gone, and yet it exists forever…. You may believe yourself out of harmony with life and its eternal Now; but you cannot be, for you are life and exist Now.”–from Become What You Are. In this collection of writings, including nine new chapters never before available in book form, Watts displays the intelligence, playfulness of thought, and simplicity of language that has made him so perennially popular as an interpreter of Eastern thought for Westerners. He draws on a variety of religious traditions, and covers topics such as the challenge of seeing one’s life “just as it is,” the Taoist approach to harmonious living, the limits of language in the face of ineffable spiritual truth, and the psychological symbolism of Christian thought.
 Does It Matter?, by Alan W. Watts. This is a series of essays representing philosopher Alan Watts's most recent thinking on the astonishing problems of man's relations to his material environment. The basic theme is that civilized man confuses symbol with reality, his ways of describing and measuring the world with the world itself, and thus puts himself into the absurd situation of preferring money to wealth and eating the menu instead of the dinner. Thus, with his attention locked upon numbers and concepts, man is increasingly unconscious of nature and of his total dependence upon air, water, plants, animals, insects, and bacteria. He has been hallucinated into the notion that the so-called "external" world is a cluster of "objects" separate from himself, that he "encounters" it, that he comes into it instead of out of it. Consequently, our species is fouling its own nest and is in imminent danger of self-obliteration. Here, a philosopher whose works have been mainly concerned with mysticism and Oriental philosophy gets down to the "nitty-gritty" problems of economics, technology, clothing, cooking, and housing.
 The Wisdom of Insecurity, by Alan W. Watts. Watts wrote this book just after leaving the Episcopal Church upon his painful realization that he couldn't reconcile the official theology and his duties as a priest within that institution with his personal and very "Eastern" view of reality. The thesis of the book is that we find enlightenment and happiness not in looking for perfect and unchanging conceptual truths, metaphysical realms, or theological beings inside or outside us, but in feeling "in the very marrow of our bones," that the Reality with which we're inseparably linked is an ever-changing, unified field of existence, and completely accepting and relaxing into this realization and Reality.
 Psychotherapy East and West, by Alan W. Watts. What is the common ground between Western psychiatry and Eastern philosophy, and what has each to learn from the other? Alan Watts found a common principle that, intentionally or otherwise, seems to be used wherever therapy is trying to overcome man's false sense of himself as an isolated ego -- an ego that traps him in a perpetual flight from death and loneliness. In varying ways and degrees, both Eastern philosophy and Western psychotherapy engage the individual in experiments that vividly reveal the fallacy of this conception and give him a new feeling of identity.
 Tao: The Watercourse Way, by Alan Watts and Al Chung-liang Huang. Drawing on ancient and modern sources, Watts treats the Chinese philosophy of Tao in much the same way as he did Zen Buddhism in his classic The Way of Zen. Critics agree that this last work stands as a perfect monument to the life and literature of Alan Watts. Perhaps the foremost interpreter of Eastern disciplines for the contemporary West, Alan Watts had the rare gift of 'writing beautifully the unwritable.' ... Watts begins with scholarship and intellect and proceeds with art and eloquence to the frontiers of the spirit.... This is a profound and worthy work, left by a teacher to echo and re-echo.
 Still the Mind: An Introduction to Meditation, by Alan Watts. During the last decade of his life, Alan Watts lectured extensively as he traveled across the country, often accompanying his talks with guided meditation sessions and contemplative rituals designed to instruct his audiences in the art of meditation. Still the Mind is drawn from the remarkable recordings of those lectures, meditations, and rituals. Edited by his son Mark from over 800 hours of audiotapes, this compilation, filled with the wisdom of a man in his maturity, features Alan Watts' thoughts on the purity of everyday experience and the path of soulful contemplation. Full of practical, humorous, and poignant observations, Still the Mind gives listeners insight into the essence of meditation-defined by Watts as the art of being completely centered in the here and now.
 Zen Effects: The Life of Alan Watts, by Monica Furlong. This first biography of the British expatriate turned Sixties counterculture guru, philosophical entertainer, and Zen popularizer is highly entertaining. Drawing on extensive interviews with surviving family members and making balanced use of Watts's amusing but selectively incomplete autobiography, Furlong paints a compelling portrait of a complex, brilliant man who wandered through three marriages and several careers while maintaining a lifelong involvement with Asian spirituality. Included are accounts of Watts's early education, his rise to prominence as an author, his experiments with psychedelic drugs, and his end as an exhausted alcoholic. Furlong successfully re-creates a colorful slice of recent American popular history through the life history of one of its famous protagonists. Paul E. Muller-Ortega, Religious Studies Dept., Michigan State Univ., East Lansing. Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Additional Titles
Myth and Ritual in Christianity, by Alan W. Watts.
The Tao of Philosophy: The Edited Transcripts, by Alan Watts.
Philosophies of Asia: The Edited Transcripts, by Alan Watts.
Culture of Counter-Culture: The Edited Transcripts, by Alan Watts.
Myth and Religion: The Edited Transcripts, by Alan Watts.
The Early Writings of Alan Watts: The British Years: 1931-1938, Writings in Buddhism in England , by Alan Watts.
Seeds of Genius: The Early Writings of Alan Watts, by Alan Watts and John Snelling.
What Is Zen?, by Alan Watts.
Behold the Spirit: A Study in the Necessity of Mystical Religion, by Alan W. Watts.
Nature, Man and Woman, by Alan W. Watts.
Taoism: Way Beyond Seeking, by Alan Watts.
|
|
SVR LINKS
The Complete Beginner's Guide To Tarot Finally! A Step-by-Step Guide to the hidden secrets of reading Tarot.
Zen Gardening Kit Ultimate relaxation.
AstralWare - Past Life Software Past Life Regression Software.
The Foothills Psychic Suzanne, a clairvoyant psychic, is waiting right now to answer your questions on love, money, career, and more!
Positive Tarot Readings Personalized, Positive and Insightful Astrology, Tarot & Psychic Readings.
Crystal Healing A comprehensive guide for everyone.
7 Golden Secrets to Knowing Your Higher Self Gain complete abundance and empowerment.
1 2 3 Astrology Gain insight into your personal and professional life through the amazing power of astrology.
Electricity: make it, don't buy it! Set up your own power station in your back yard.
Living By Zen Discover a 2,000 year old Zen secret
I Create Reality: Beyond Visualization How to use Holographic Creation to manifest your desires.
The Chakras Of Tantric Yoga Access and control the flow of Prana.
Meet Your Guardian Angel The angels are here to help you.
Create Wealth Consciousness Now Money: An illusion, a shadow of something else...
Meditation Expert Advanced spiritual teachings on esoteric yoga meditation techniques.
|
|
