Alan Watts "The Book"

[Aaron]

I've been reading Alan Watts book, "The Book" and I have to say it's probably given me a deeper understanding about the Tao and Taoist ideas, in a roundabout way, than "The Watercourse Way" did. I was wondering if anyone else has read it or has any thoughts about it. Excellent book, if you haven't gotten around to it yet.

 

Aaron

[trailmaker]

Haven't checked it - likely will sometime - many years ago came to value those western thinkers who

were able to grasp and teach eastern thought...

[unmike]

I've been reading Alan Watts book, "The Book" and I have to say it's probably given me a deeper understanding about the Tao and Taoist ideas, in a roundabout way, than "The Watercourse Way" did. I was wondering if anyone else has read it or has any thoughts about it. Excellent book, if you haven't gotten around to it yet.

 

Aaron

 

It's the book that sent me from Western thought toward Eastern for the first time. It's also the book I've purchased, lent out, and never gotten back (because those I lent it to kept the loantrain chugging) the most times.

 

Visiting family in Iowa this past week has been great for a number of reasons. The other day, unexpectedly, my sister returned me the copy I gave her years ago and forgot about. I'd been thinking about the piece frequently the past few weeks. Synchronicities are just too fun.

 

I agree that it elucidated far more for me than the Watercourse Way did, though I read The Book first (and had little experience with living in Tao at either time). I think I owe his catalogue a redo.

 

One of my absolute favorite titles, and heartily recommended. Glad to see someone else is enjoying it as much!

[Ulises]

I've been reading Alan Watts book, "The Book" and I have to say it's probably given me a deeper understanding about the Tao and Taoist ideas, in a roundabout way, than "The Watercourse Way" did. I was wondering if anyone else has read it or has any thoughts about it. Excellent book, if you haven't gotten around to it yet.

 

Aaron

 

 

I love Alan Watts writings. The ohter day I found "The Book" in a second-hand bookstore. My favourites are "Nature, Man and Woman" (Probably the best take about the Taoist view) and "The Joyous Cosmology" ( a superb articulation of his experiences with mescaline). Also, "Myth and Ritual in Christianity" is a great deconstruction of Literalist Christianity, arriving to the archetypal, mystical core, trascending any tradition...

[TheSongsofDistantEarth]

Reading this now. Will follow with my thoughts and impressions.

Edited March 24, 2011 by TheSongsofDistantEarth

[Eric23]

It's been several years since reading The Book. Like Unmike, it was my first exposure to non-dual thinking. The Book was my first Alan Watt book and have picked up several others along the way. All have been very helpful.

[doc benway]

I've been reading Alan Watts book, "The Book" and I have to say it's probably given me a deeper understanding about the Tao and Taoist ideas, in a roundabout way, than "The Watercourse Way" did. I was wondering if anyone else has read it or has any thoughts about it. Excellent book, if you haven't gotten around to it yet.

 

Aaron

Excellent book - my understanding and appreciation for Daoist ideas has developed more from "non-classical" sources than from the classics. Alan Watts' books, Osho's When the Shoe Fits, J Krishnamurti's work, Anthony Demello's Awareness, and most of all - meditation and Taijiquan. The classic Daoist works are certainly worthwhile but have a lot more to offer once some fundamentals are assimilated. The fundamentals, IMO, are best integrated through practice rather than study. One beautiful image from "The Book" is the "bag of skin" illusion. Once that is seen through (not so much intellectually but in one's bones and breath), real understanding begins.

[TheSongsofDistantEarth]

Excellent book - my understanding and appreciation for Daoist ideas has developed more from "non-classical" sources than from the classics. Alan Watts' books, Osho's When the Shoe Fits, J Krishnamurti's work, Anthony Demello's Awareness, and most of all - meditation and Taijiquan. The classic Daoist works are certainly worthwhile but have a lot more to offer once some fundamentals are assimilated. The fundamentals, IMO, are best integrated through practice rather than study. One beautiful image from "The Book" is the "bag of skin" illusion. Once that is seen through (not so much intellectually but in one's bones and breath), real understanding begins.

Are you referring to a book here, Steve F?

[manitou]

One beautiful image from "The Book" is the "bag of skin" illusion. Once that is seen through (not so much intellectually but in one's bones and breath), real understanding begins.

 

Very shamanic here. Visualizing skeletons is wonderful. I see us all as skinwalkers.

 

The wonderful thing about books like this is that they can be reread at various phases of our development and it's as though we're reading a totally different book because we are a different being every time we read it. The great ones are like that.

[TheSongsofDistantEarth]

 

 

The wonderful thing about books like this is that they can be reread at various phases of our development and it's as though we're reading a totally different book because we are a different being every time we read it. The great ones are like that.

 

 

Yes!!!