There has been a resurgence of interest and popularity in Watts ’ work. I would say Watts is similar to spiritual
teacher Eckhart Tolle; although, I prefer Watts
because of his bohemian lifestyle, sense of humour, and organic nature. (Tolle
has become too commercial in my opinion.) Listening to Watts ’
lectures will transform, entertain, and enlighten you. I’ve always been fairly
open-minded, but Watts has helped me to clear
away false beliefs that I was holding on to and wasn’t even aware of. It’s
amazing how much damage our spiritual upbringing can have. How much needs to be
unlearned to even catch a glimpse of what is truth and find the freedom that we
are seeking. Watts has done this for me and I
am eternally grateful. Whenever I need a shift in thinking, I turn to his
lectures. He has become a part of my consciousness in an intimate and crucial way.
Alan Watts
Alan Watts was a spiritual teacher in the sixties and early
seventies (he died in his sleep in 1973). I honestly don’t know how to describe
him. I want to say that he was so cool (because he was!), but that sounds trite
and childish. I heard about him early last year through some talks that I was
transposing for a former Buddhist monk. My local library has a copy of Om : Creative Meditations—a superbly edited
compilation of some of his lectures—and I was blown away by this little masterpiece. It was the beginning
of my Watts fascination. Audio collections of
his lectures are available for purchase on the Alan Watts website, which is
managed by his son Mark Watts; however, you can listen to hours upon hours of Watts ’ lectures for free on YouTube. His famous book, The Book on the Taboo Against Knowing WhoYou Are is also available to download for free online. I’m looking forward
to obtaining and reading The Way of Zen. I’ve heard it’s very good...