The British Zen Master: A Guide To Alan Watts

Summary

This script explores the philosophy of Alan Watts, a 20th-century British philosopher known for popularizing Zen and Buddhist teachings in the West. It delves into his life, from his early fascination with nature and Eastern art to his struggles with faith and eventual embrace of Buddhism. The summary highlights Watts' critique of modernity's fear of meaninglessness, the illusion of identity, and the pursuit of future happiness, advocating for living in the present and recognizing the interconnectedness of all things.

Takeaways

• 🌊 Alan Watts was a 20th-century British philosopher who popularized Eastern and Buddhist teachings in the West.
• 🌿 Growing up, Watts was fascinated by nature and the East, influenced by his mother's missionary work and a family friend's interest in Buddhism.
• 🏫 His education included a strict boarding school and King's School in Canterbury, where he excelled but also faced setbacks like missing an Oxford scholarship.
• 🧘 Watts embraced Buddhism during his holidays in France and became a member of the London Buddhist Lodge, exploring meditation and Buddhist texts.
• 🌱 His fascination with Zen began in the 1930s, seeing it as a synthesis of Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism.
• 🤔 Watts experienced a crisis of faith and eventually left his Christian priesthood, joining the American Academy of Asian Studies and starting a radio show.
• 📚 'The Way of Zen' published in 1957 brought Watts fame, discussing general semantics, self-improvement, and cybernetics.
• 🌍 He met influential figures like Carl Jung and was interested in patterns in nature, also experimenting with psychedelic drugs.
• 💡 Watts promoted the idea that the true meaning of life is the acceptance of its inherent meaninglessness and the beauty in that 'glorious nonsense'.
• 🚫 He criticized the modern fear of meaninglessness and the tendency to categorize experiences in terms of gains and losses.
• 🔮 Watts encouraged living in the present, arguing that the future is a constantly retreating phantom and that happiness lies in enjoying the now.
• 🧘‍♂️ He questioned the concept of self-improvement, suggesting that the pursuit of an ideal self can lead to increased feelings of separation and stress.
• 🌐 Watts believed that the illusion of identity separates us from the world, advocating for recognizing our interconnectedness with the universe.
• 🍃 He was skeptical of meditation and psychedelics as means to lose ego, suggesting a passive recognition of our unity with the world instead.

Q & A

Who was Alan Watts and what was his contribution to Western philosophy?

Alan Watts was a 20th-century British philosopher who popularized Zen and Buddhist teachings in the West. He is known for his public speaking and radio talks, which helped to spark a mass interest in mindfulness and a practical philosophy on living.

What early experiences influenced Alan Watts' interest in Eastern philosophy?

Watts' interest in Eastern philosophy was influenced by his mother, a missionary who received paintings from China, and his holidays in France with Frances Croshaw, a wealthy epicurean and fan of Buddhism.

How did Alan Watts' education and early life shape his philosophical views?

Watts attended a boarding school that practiced muscular Christianity and later the King's School in Canterbury, where he excelled academically. However, his exposure to Nietzsche's philosophy and his encounter with the teachings of the guru Jiddu Krishnamurti led him to embrace Buddhism and explore various forms of meditation.

What was the significance of Alan Watts' radio talk show in Berkeley?

Watts' radio talk show in Berkeley was significant as it drew a great deal of attention and allowed him to use his charismatic delivery to discuss philosophical teachings, which contributed to his fame and the popularization of Zen Buddhism.

What are the three main views of Alan Watts' philosophy as mentioned in the script?

The three main views are: 1) Criticism of the fear of meaninglessness and the need to think in terms of gains or losses, 2) The idea that the true meaning of life is no meaning, and 3) The concept of living in the present and recognizing the illusion of identity.

How did Alan Watts view the concept of self-improvement?

Watts questioned the notion of self-improvement, arguing that the idea of a 'good self' improving a 'bad self' only increases feelings of separation and loneliness, which can lead to worse behavior.

What was Alan Watts' perspective on the fear of meaninglessness in modern society?

Watts believed that the fear of meaninglessness leads to anxiety and depression. He suggested that moments of insight reveal that the true meaning of life may be found in the acceptance of nonsense and the absence of a fixed purpose.

How did Alan Watts approach the idea of gains and losses?

Watts encouraged a mindset that reduces the desire to categorize everything in terms of wins or losses, using the story of a farmer to illustrate that one can never truly predict whether an event will turn out to be fortunate or unfortunate.

What was Alan Watts' view on living for the future?

Watts argued that living for the future is a pursuit of a constantly retreating phantom, leading to a life of constant striving and dissatisfaction. He advocated for happiness through living in the present.

How did Alan Watts' personal life and habits affect his philosophy and public image?

Watts' personal life, including being regarded as an unfaithful husband and poor father, as well as his heavy smoking and drinking habits, may have influenced his philosophy on living in the present and embracing the impermanence of life. However, these habits also contributed to his early death at the age of 58.

What was Alan Watts' stance on the use of meditation and psychedelic drugs for spiritual experiences?

Watts was skeptical of using meditation and psychedelic drugs to lose one's ego or experience ego death, as he believed that trying to get rid of the ego only reinforces its separateness. Instead, he suggested a passive recognition of the interconnectedness of all things.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Alan Watts: The Philosopher of the Universe

This paragraph introduces Alan Watts, a 20th-century British philosopher known for popularizing Eastern and Buddhist teachings in the West. Born in London, Watts was initially influenced by nature and Eastern art, leading to his interest in Buddhism. He experienced a crisis of faith during a holiday in France, which led him to embrace Buddhism. Watts became a member of the London Buddhist Lodge, studied Buddhist texts, and eventually moved to the US, where he became a Zen priest, then resigned due to personal issues. He joined the American Academy of Asian Studies and started a radio show, gaining fame with his book 'The Way of Zen.' Watts explored various themes, including the participatory nature of existence, the integration of Eastern philosophies, and the importance of living in the present.

05:01

😖 The Paradox of Meaning and the Fear of Loss

The second paragraph delves into Watts' philosophical views on the nature of existence and the human tendency to seek meaning and fear loss. He criticizes modern society's obsession with productivity and the future, suggesting that this leads to a constant chase after an ever-retreating goal, resulting in unhappiness. Watts argues that true happiness lies in living in the present and not being overly concerned with gains or losses. He uses the story of a farmer and his horse to illustrate the unpredictability of life's events and the futility of labeling them as purely good or bad. The summary also touches on Watts' skepticism towards self-improvement and the concept of a separate 'I', emphasizing the interconnectedness of all experiences.

10:01

🌱 The Illusion of Identity and the Unity of Existence

The final paragraph explores Watts' views on the illusion of identity and the interconnectedness of all things. He challenges the notion of a separate self, suggesting that the idea of 'I' arises from memory and the rapid change of thoughts. Watts posits that trying to separate oneself from the present experience is as futile as trying to make one's teeth bite themselves. He encourages a recognition of the 'everythingness' of everything, suggesting that we are not just components of the universe but expressions of it. The paragraph concludes with a call to live in harmony with the world, recognizing our inherent unity with it, and to embrace a passive recognition of our place within the grand scheme of existence.

Keywords

💡Alan Watts

Alan Watts was a British philosopher and writer who became well-known for his interpretations of Eastern philosophies for a Western audience. He is a central figure in the video, as his teachings and philosophies form the core of the discussion. His ideas about the nature of existence, the self, and the universe are explored throughout the script.

💡Zen

Zen, a school of Buddhism that emphasizes meditation and experiential wisdom, is a significant concept in the video. It is mentioned as a synthesis of Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism, which Watts was particularly fascinated with. The script discusses Watts' journey to the US and his eventual role as a Zen priest, highlighting the influence of Zen on his philosophy.

💡Existence

Existence is a fundamental theme in the video, with Watts exploring what it means to exist and how we perceive our place in the universe. The script suggests that we are the universe experiencing itself, indicating a participatory relationship between the individual and the cosmos. This concept is central to understanding Watts' perspective on life and consciousness.

💡Meaninglessness

The concept of meaninglessness is discussed in the context of finding profound meaning within the seemingly nonsensical aspects of life. Watts challenges the modern fear of meaninglessness by suggesting that the true meaning of life may be found in embracing the nonsensical and recognizing that life's purpose may not be a purpose at all.

💡Fear of Loss

Fear of loss is presented as a common human behavior that causes anxiety. The video uses the story of a farmer to illustrate how labeling events as good or bad fortune can be premature and that the fear of loss can cloud our judgment of future outcomes. This concept relates to Watts' teachings on accepting the uncertainty of life.

💡Gains and Losses

Gains and losses are discussed in the context of our tendency to categorize experiences in terms of positive or negative outcomes. Watts critiques this mindset, suggesting that it leads to unnecessary anxiety and that we should instead embrace the unpredictability of life's events.

💡Productivity

Productivity is highlighted as a modern pursuit that often leads to a focus on the future at the expense of present enjoyment. Watts argues that living for the future is a 'constantly retreating phantom,' and that true happiness lies in embracing the present moment.

💡Self-Improvement

Self-improvement is a concept that Watts challenges in the video. He suggests that the idea of a 'good me' improving a 'bad me' can lead to increased feelings of separation and stress. Instead, he advocates for an acceptance of oneself as part of the whole, without the need for division or improvement.

💡Ego

The ego is presented as an illusion that separates us from the rest of the world. Watts discusses the idea that the ego is a construct of memory and rapid thought change, and that recognizing our interconnectedness with the universe can lead to a dissolution of the ego. This concept is key to understanding his views on identity and individuality.

💡Present Moment

Living in the present moment is a recurring theme in the video. Watts emphasizes the importance of being fully present and not being consumed by plans for the future or regrets about the past. The present moment is portrayed as the only true reality, where happiness and contentment can be found.

💡Interconnectedness

Interconnectedness is the idea that all things are part of a larger whole and are not separate entities. This concept is central to Watts' philosophy, as he suggests that recognizing our interconnectedness with the universe can lead to a deeper understanding of our place in existence and a more harmonious way of living.

Highlights

Alan Watts, a 20th-century British philosopher, popularized Zen and Buddhist teachings in the West.

Watts' childhood was influenced by nature and early exposure to Eastern art, fostering a lifelong interest in the participatory relationship of people and nature.

Watts experienced a crisis of faith during his time in France, leading him to embrace Buddhism.

He became a member of the London Buddhist Lodge and studied Buddhist texts, exploring various meditation forms.

Watts' academic excellence was marred by a failed Oxford scholarship attempt due to an essay perceived as presumptuous.

Under the influence of the guru and psychoanalyst, J. G. Bennett, Watts developed a fascination with Zen as a synthesis of Eastern philosophies.

Marriage to Eleanor Everett, whose family was involved in Zen Buddhism, motivated Watts to travel to the US.

Watts' extramarital affair and struggle to reconcile Buddhist faith with Christian position led to his resignation from priesthood.

He joined the faculty of the American Academy of Asian Studies and began a popular radio talk show in Berkeley.

Watts' book 'The Way of Zen' was published in 1957, propelling him to fame and discussing various philosophical concepts.

Watts met Carl Jung and developed an interest in patterns in nature that repeat from the smallest to the largest scales.

He experimented with psychedelic drugs, seeking to understand consciousness and the nature of existence.

Watts advocated for international peace, tolerance, and understanding across cultures, and was concerned about ecological issues.

Despite personal struggles, Watts sparked a mass interest in mindfulness and a practical philosophy on living in the West.

Watts criticized modernity's fear of meaninglessness and the tendency to think in terms of gains and losses.

He proposed that the true meaning of life may be found in embracing the nonsense and accepting life's lack of inherent purpose.

Watts encouraged living in the present, rather than being preoccupied with the future, which is a constantly retreating phantom.

He critiqued the concept of self-improvement, suggesting that striving to be a better person can increase feelings of separation and loneliness.

Watts believed that the notion of a separate 'I' is an illusion, and that individuals are expressions of the whole universe.

He was skeptical of meditation and psychedelic drugs when used to lose one's ego, suggesting that such efforts reinforce the ego's separateness.

Watts' philosophy encourages a passive recognition of the interconnectedness of all things, seeing oneself as both the leaf and the wind.

Transcripts

man suffers only because he takes

seriously what the gods made for fun you

are something that the whole universe is

doing in the same way that a wave is

something that the whole ocean is doing

you are the universe experiencing itself

these quotes come from Alan Watts the

famous British philosopher of the 20th

century who popularized sand and

Buddhist teachings throughout the West

born into a middle-class background in

southeast London Watts grew a plane by a

Brookside exploring nature and learning

to identify various species of plant and

insect he soon became acquainted with

the mysterious East when his mother a

missionary received paintings from other

missionaries returning from China the

images enthralled the young Watts

especially in their emphasis of the

participatory relationship of people in

nature a theme that would really get in

his work when he grew older Watts was

sent to a boarding school that practiced

muscular Christianity a movement that

underlined the importance of duty

discipline manliness and the moral and

physical beauty of athleticism however

around the same time he spent his

holidays in France with Frances crochet

a wealthy epicurean and fanboy of

Buddhism due to Crow shallows well as

France being France Watts experienced

severe doubt and unease with his faith

and through the screw to embrace

Buddhism soon he became a member in the

London Buddhist Lodge where he explored

several forms of meditation and spent

much of his time studying Buddhist texts

he was also accepted into the King's

School in Canterbury and obtained some

of the highest scores in his class

however he also botched an opportunity

for an Oxford scholarship after reading

a crucial exam essay that the murderers

felt was too presumptuous and capricious

according to Watts he had just read

Nietzsche's thus Spoke Zarathustra and

had attempted to replicate its style

Watts then came under the tutelage of

the rascal guru to meet remit renovage

who had his origins both in the

psychoanalytical schools of young Freud

and Adler but also was known as a

generally eccentric guy who wrote a lot

about sexual mysticism Watts fascination

with Zen began in the 1930s when he

recognized it as the synthesis of Taoism

Confucianism and Buddhism he also

married Eleanor Everett

this time whose mother was in the

traditional Zen Buddhist circle in New

York this link encouraged watts to

travel to the US where he would

eventually leave send training become an

epitope al priest and then resigned from

his priesthood due to an extramarital

affair as well as his inability to

reconcile his Buddhist faith with his

Christian position he quickly joined the

faculty of the American Academy of Asian

Studies in San Francisco and began a

radio talk show in Berkeley the show

drew a great deal of attention usually

composed of weekly segments in which

Watts would use his hypnotically

charming and humorous delivery to

discuss sin teachings notably some radio

programs are still broadcasting these

lectures weekly Watts published way of

Zen in 1957 rocketing him to fame the

book itself dealt with sin general

semantics self-improvement program

designed to regulate human habits and

behaviors and cybernetics the scientific

study of control and communication and

the animal and machine Watts then

traveled through Europe meeting Carl

Jung and on his return became

increasingly interested in how

identifiable patterns in nature tend to

repeat themselves from the smallest to

largest of sizes

this was also roughly the same time

where he amped up his psychedelic drug

use including melon marijuana and LSD as

he grew older he toured the u.s. became

concerned about international peace and

tolerance pushed for greater

understandings across cultures and also

became increasingly worried about the

growing ecological predicament Watts was

unfortunately also regarded as an

unfaithful husband poor father and kept

up a habit of heavy smoking and drinking

especially his usual habit of whiskey

before a lecture the latter issues

likely led to his early death at the age

of 58 nonetheless Watts almost

single-handedly sparked a mass interest

and mindfulness in the West used his

gift for public speaking in order to

spread a fairly practical philosophy on

living and most of all lived his life in

a constant and at times incredibly

unorthodox search for exactly what

existence is really all about so what

exactly was his philosophy three main

views stand out is especially useful in

an era of high speed info consumption

materialism soul-searching and

increasing rates of depression and

anxiety firstly we should consider Watts

criticism of two products of modernity

our fear of meaninglessness and our need

think in terms of gains or losses why do

we love nonsense rate swats it is this

participation in the essential glorious

nonsense that is at the heart of the

world not necessarily going anywhere it

seems that only in moments of unusual

insight and illumination that we get to

the point of this and find that the true

meaning of life is no meaning that its

purpose is no purpose and that its sense

is nonsense it is in these moments

moments in which we dance nonsensically

inebriated by both life and happy hour

moments like when a pigeon decides to

contribute to your freshly clean tuxedo

with a crusty gift from the sky moments

such as those when a child speaking

complete gibberish interrupts a very

serious and adult conversation it is

moments such as these where all we can

do is really laugh suddenly brought back

to the understanding that none of this

really matters still he writes we want

to use the word significant is this

significant nonsense is this a kind of

nonsense that is not just chaos that is

not just blathering balderdash but

rather has an it rhythm fascinating

complexity in a kind of artistry it is

in this kind of meaninglessness that we

come to the profoundest meaning to

complement this idea of meaning within

the meaninglessness is our fear of loss

and our celebration over gains another

modern as well as entirely natural

behavior that is elicited a great deal

of anxiety the whole process of nature

is an integrated process of immense

complexity and it's really impossible to

tell whether anything that happens in it

is good or bad because you never know

what will be the consequence of the

misfortune or you never know what will

be the consequence of good fortune this

is to be fair quite difficult to really

train yourself to do your car breaks

down and you immediately launch into an

imaginative cascade of nightmare

scenarios involving being late to work

paying for repairs and soon living a

life on the streets naked and starving

as your wife and kids pass by your

cardboard box with their new man of the

house a man who knows to change the oil

in his car every once in a while

however Watts provides a story that

elaborates on the applicability of such

a mindset in which one must reduce their

desire to categorize everything in terms

of Windsor defeats gains or losses

long time ago a farmer found that one of

his horses went missing all of his

neighbors came to comfort him telling

him over and over again that they felt

sorry for him and assured him that this

is terrible news maybe replied the

farmer then his horse reappeared the

next day with seven wild horses everyone

once again came around and told the

farmer that this is amazing news and

that he is extremely lucky for such a

thing to occur the farmer once again

simply replied maybe the next day the

farmer's son was trying to train one of

the new wild horses and broke his leg

the neighbors heavily invested in this

farmers life for some reason came by yet

again and told him how terrible this was

the farmer careful with his words yet

again replied maybe the next day

conscription officers came to

conscripted people into the army and due

to the fact that his leg was broken the

son was not able to join the army again

everyone came and told the farmer how he

should feel about this news and I think

you can guess his response this story

above all invites us to reconsider how

much we really know about the future we

never really know whether an event is

fortune or misfortune

we only know our ever-changing reactions

to ever-changing events of course living

in the modern age does involve some

degree of knowing what would be useful

and what wouldn't be namely what would

or would not be productive we are in the

age of productivity after all this

desire to produce to always be striving

for something has led us into living for

the future as has been stated before we

love predicting the future and in this

way we pursue it actively and as Watts

writes to pursue it is to pursue a

constantly retreating phantom and the

faster you chase it the faster it runs

ahead this is why all the affairs of

civilization are rushed why hardly

anyone enjoys what he has and is forever

seeking more and more happiness then

will consist not of solid and

substantial realities but of such

abstract and superficial things as

promises hopes and assurances he then

makes the very dark argument that if we

were to continue to live for the future

and to make the chief work of the mind

prediction and calculation man

eventually become a parasitic appendage

to a massive clockwork to be happy then

is to remain in the present but what

about self-improvement wouldn't you be

happier if you became a better person

watts takes direct issue with this

especially since this formulation also

categorizes a good you and a bad you I

can only think seriously of trying to

live up to an ideal to improve myself if

I'm split into pieces there must be a

good I who is going to improve the bad

me I who has the best intentions will go

to work on wayward me and the tussle

between the two will very much stress

the difference between them consequently

I will feel more separate than ever and

so merely increased the lonely and cut

off feelings which make me behave so

badly this brings us to the third view

of watts regarding becoming who we are

to begin with who you are isn't really

anything at all the notion of a separate

thinker of an i distinct from the

experience comes from memory and from

the rapidity with which thought changes

interestingly as he argues you cannot

compare this present experience with a

past experience you can only compare it

with a memory of the past which is a

part of the present experience when you

see clearly that memory is a form of

present experience it will be obvious

that trying to separate yourself from

this experience is as impossible as

trying to make your teeth bite

themselves hence we have come to the

illusion of identity an illusion that

separates us from the rest of the world

we say things such as I came into this

world or I feel like the universe is

against me for Watts these are entirely

wrong ways of thinking we do not come

into this world we come out of it as

leaves from a tree as the ocean waves

the universe peoples every individual is

an expression of the whole realm of

nature a unique action of the total

universe Watts doesn't believe achieving

this realization is all that possible

however for instance Watts recognizes

the figure-ground illusion and just alt

psychology a supposedly innate cognitive

and perceptual mechanism that we use in

order to see one half of the whole and

to leave out the rest

basically we compute things as a 1 or a

0 and I versus the rest of them it is

the wiring of our consciousness that

treats space as an object in itself

rather than the relationship between

objects entirely necessary for energy in

motion

the best we can do then is to train our

attention towards living in the present

unless one is able to live fully in the

present the future is a hoax there is no

point whatever in making plans for a

future which you will never be able to

enjoy when your plans mature you will

still be living for some other future

beyond you will never never be able to

sit back with full contentment and say

now I've arrived does this mean we

should go and live in the woods and

meditate for the rest of our lives

not really RQ squats instead we need to

achieve a harmonious interplay with the

world that recognizes ourselves as not

just as a component within it but as the

world itself this insight makes Watts

equally skeptical of meditation and

psychedelic drugs especially when people

use them to lose their ego or experience

ego death getting rid of one's ego is

the last resort of the invincible ego he

writes namely trying our very hardest to

get rid of the ego just reinforces its

separateness perhaps what Watts asks of

us is to take on a passive recognition

of the everythingness of everything

according to what's recognizing this

evokes a certain passivity to the

sensation as if you were a leaf blown

along by the wind until you realize that

you are both the leaf and the wind the

world outside your skin is just as much

you as the world inside they move

together inseparably and at first you

feel a little out of control because the

world outside is so much faster than the

world inside yet you soon discover that

you were able to go ahead with ordinary

activities to work and make decisions as

ever though somehow this is less of a

drag your body is no longer at corpse

which the ego has to animate and lug

around to quote as Watts did James

Broten this is it and I am it and you

were it and so is that and he is it and

she is it and it is it and that is that

[Music]