Have you ever listened to Alan Watts?

[EddieAllenPoe]

Well I think you should.
Am I right or wrong?

If you're unsure and you got some time to kill then check out this Alan Watt's recording on YouTube.

"Your problems don't exist"


Is he right or wrong?
I'd love to hear your thoughts.

 

[Kyrok]

I read his Wisdom of Insecurity many years ago.

 

[EddieAllenPoe]

I read his Wisdom of Insecurity many years ago.

I need to actually buy a book of his. I've listened to Alan Watts for hours on YouTube and I could keep listening for hours. I've sometimes wondered if I wasn't Alan Watts from a past life and I'm just narcissistically enjoying my own thoughts again. That is kind of stupid though because I know there are millions of other Alan Watts fans. Like @Daniel123 . I guess he's simply a good speaker with interesting thoughts.

 

[Kyrok]

I've always appreciated the equanimity of Buddhism

 

[EddieAllenPoe]

I've always appreciated the equanimity of Buddhism

He's got the Wu and the Wei of Taoism thrown in as well. Reminds me of a couple of books I did actually read once. The "Tao of Pooh" and the "Te of Piglet". Don't forget English translations of the Tao Te Ching. Super simple and easy reads but worth the whole new worldview.

 

[Redt2go]

YES his views on death made me very at peace with death

 

[Broken]

YES his views on death made me very at peace with death

Ive just discovered him through another SS thread and really like his philosophies. Agreed about his veiws on death. I wish I'd known about him earlier in life!

 

[EddieAllenPoe]

If you ever get a chance go and read the Tao Te Ching. It's a very short and simple text that's foundational to Taoism. Taoism is a very old and simple philosophy that started in China. It categorizes the world into two principle parts. Some things are Yin and some things are Yang. The idea is that the whole world arose from these two basic parts. Things that are Yin are considered feminine, dark, and empty. Things that are Yang are considered masculine, light, and full. So if you look at an empty glass then the part you can fill with water is considered Yin. The hard outer glass is considered Yang. It's a very simple worldview but I've found it's a helpful way of looking at the world. The idea is that you shouldn't fight these principles because it causes disharmony. When you are actually working with the way Yin and Yang flows then you've found the principle of Wu Wei. It's an easier and effortless way of working with the world. You can see how these principles are used in certain martial arts such as Judo. Anyways, after reading the Tao Te Ching... go back and listen to Alan Watts again. The way he speaks is poetic and he has a very solid understanding of how to apply Taoist principles to thought. You might start out with his video about "Prickles and Goo". It's very Taoist.

 

[CuriousAboutThis]

I don't mind listening to Alan Watts haven't really been listening to that sort of stuff lately.