Lessons from Alan Watts

Alan Watts (1915-1973) was a British philosopher, writer, and speaker, renowned for his role in popularizing Eastern philosophy for a Western audience. With a captivating blend of humor, intellect, and profound insight, Watts explored themes of consciousness, the nature of reality, and the art of living. His teachings, captured in over 25 books and countless recorded lectures, continue to resonate with those seeking a deeper understanding of themselves and the universe.

The Nature of Reality and the Self

A cornerstone of Watts's philosophy is the idea that the conventional Western view of the self as an isolated ego is a fiction. He taught that we are not separate from the universe but rather an expression of it.

Quotes:

"You didn't come into this world. You came out of it, like a wave from the ocean. You are not a stranger here." (Attributed to his lectures, including "The Myth of Myself") [1]
"Through our eyes, the universe is perceiving itself. Through our ears, the universe is listening to its harmonies. We are the witnesses through which the universe becomes conscious of its glory, of its magnificence." [2]
"The ego is nothing other than the focus of conscious attention." [3]
"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." [2]
"Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth." [3][4]
"You are a function of what the whole universe is doing in the same way that a wave is a function of what the whole ocean is doing." [2]
"We are living in a culture entirely hypnotized by the illusion of time, in which the so-called present moment is felt as nothing but an infinitesimal hairline between a causative past and an absorbingly important future." [2][5]
"The truth is that in looking at the world bit by bit we convince ourselves that it consists of separate things, and so give ourselves the problem of how these things are connected and how they cause and effect each other." [5]
"Your skin does not separate you from the world. It's a bridge through which the external world flows into you. And you flow into it." [6]
"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." [2][4]

The Wisdom of the Present Moment

Watts was a powerful advocate for living in the "eternal now." He argued that our obsession with the past and future is a primary source of anxiety and prevents us from experiencing the fullness of life.

Quotes:

"This is the real secret of life — to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play." [5][7]
"The future is a concept, it doesn't exist. There is no such thing as tomorrow. There never will be, because time is always now." [5]
"For eternally and always there is only now, one and the same now; the present is the only thing that has no end." (from The Book on The Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are) [6]
"No valid plans for the future can be made by those who have no capacity for living now." [3][4]
"Hurrying and delaying are alike ways of trying to resist the present." [5][8]
"I have realized that the past and future are real illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is." [2][4]
"Tomorrow and plans for tomorrow can have no significance at all unless you are in full contact with the reality of the present, since it is in the present and only in the present that you live." [2]
"Stop measuring days by degree of productivity and start experiencing them by degree of presence." [9]
"The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance." [2][5]
"We are therefore out of touch with reality. We do not realize that there never was, is, nor will be any other experience than present experience." [2][5]

On Letting Go and Embracing Insecurity

A recurring theme in Watts's work is the futility of resisting the natural flow of life. He encouraged an attitude of "wu wei," or effortless action, and an acceptance of life's inherent uncertainty.

Quotes:

"Muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone." [2][8]
"The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance." [5][8]
"To have faith is to trust yourself to the water. When you swim you don't grab hold of the water, because if you do you will sink and drown. Instead you relax, and float." [2][8]
"Insecurity is the result of trying to be secure." [5]
"No amount of anxiety makes any difference to anything that is going to happen." [5][8]
"The attitude of faith is to let go, and become open to truth, whatever it might turn out to be." [4][8]
"We're living in a fluid universe, in which the art of faith is not in taking one's stand, but in learning to swim." [6]
"Of course, you can't force your mind to be silent. That would be like trying to smooth ripples in water with a flatiron. Water becomes clear and calm only when left alone." [5]
"Problems that remain persistently insoluble should always be suspected as questions asked in the wrong way." [2][5]
"The more a thing tends to be permanent, the more it tends to be lifeless." [2][3]

The Meaning of Life and Play

Watts often described life not as a problem to be solved or a duty to be fulfilled, but as a form of play or a musical composition to be enjoyed for its own sake.

Quotes:

"The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves." [7][8]
"Life is not a problem to be solved, but an experience to be had." [5][8]
"Man suffers only because he takes seriously what the gods made for fun." [2]
"The physical universe is basically playful. There's no necessity for it whatsoever. It isn't going anywhere; that is to say, it doesn't have a destination that it ought to arrive at." [6]
"If you say that getting the money is the most important thing, you will spend your life completely wasting your time. You'll be doing things you don't like doing in order to go on living, that is, to go on doing things you don't like doing. Which is stupid." [6][7]
"Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing, than a long one spent in a miserable way." [7]
"What do you desire? What makes you itch? … If you say that getting the money is the most important thing, you will spend your life completely wasting your time." [7]
"This is the real secret of life -- to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play." [5][7]
"We are not going toward something; we are going with something." (from The Culture of Counter-Culture)
"The only Zen you'll find on mountain tops is the Zen you bring up there with you." [8]

On Love, Wisdom, and Perception

Watts's teachings also delved into the nature of love, the pursuit of knowledge, and the way our beliefs shape our reality.

Quotes:

"Never pretend to a love which you do not actually feel, for love is not ours to command." [4]
"We cannot be more sensitive to pleasure without being more sensitive to pain." [3][4]
"The menu is not the meal." [2][3]
"We see what we believe rather than what we see." [5]
"A scholar tries to learn something everyday; a student of Buddhism tries to unlearn something daily." [2]
"When you get free from certain fixed concepts of the way the world is, you find it is far more subtle, and far more miraculous, than you thought it was." [5]
"Zen does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is just to peel the potatoes." [4]
"The more complete kind of mind, which can feel as well as think, remains to 'indulge' the odd sense of mystery which comes from contemplating the fact that everything is at base something which cannot be known." [6]
"You don't look out there for God, something in the sky, you look in you." [3][4]
"The Book I would pass to my children would contain no sermons, no shoulds and oughts. Genuine love comes from knowledge, not from a sense of duty or guilt." [5]

Core Learnings from Alan Watts

The wealth of wisdom in Watts's work can be distilled into several key learnings that offer a guide to a more fulfilling and liberated life:

Embrace the Unity of Existence: Recognize that the feeling of being a separate "I" is an illusion. We are fundamentally interconnected with the entire cosmos, a manifestation of the universe itself. This understanding can dissolve feelings of alienation and loneliness. [2][7]
Live Fully in the Present: Our true reality is only ever the present moment. By ceasing to dwell on the past or anxiously anticipate the future, we can unlock a profound sense of peace and vitality in the here and now. [2][5]
Trust the Flow of Life: Resistance to the natural unfolding of events is a primary source of suffering. Learning to let go of the need for constant control and to embrace uncertainty leads to greater freedom and adaptability. [5][8]
View Life as Play: Approaching life with a sense of playfulness rather than as a series of burdensome tasks can transform our experience. The point of life is not to reach a final destination but to enjoy the journey itself. [6][7]
Question Your Beliefs: Our perception of reality is shaped by the concepts and language we inherit. By questioning these ingrained beliefs, we can open ourselves up to a more subtle, wondrous, and authentic experience of the world. [5]

For those interested in further exploring the work of Alan Watts, the Alan Watts Organization is an excellent resource, offering a comprehensive collection of his lectures, books, and articles. [9] Additionally, many of his lectures have been transcribed and are available through various online archives and communities. [8][10]

Learn more:

Lessons from Alan Watts

The Nature of Reality and the Self

The Wisdom of the Present Moment

On Letting Go and Embracing Insecurity

The Meaning of Life and Play

On Love, Wisdom, and Perception

Core Learnings from Alan Watts

Written by Antoine Buteau

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