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Summary: one of his best books
Review: Reminiscent of Krishnamurti and Buddhist thought, the book explores precisely what it is that prevents our fears and insecurities from flowing through us and ending themselves. Packed with insight and able interpretations of Far Eastern concepts (or anticoncepts, for some of this is rather Zen).
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Summary: Too Enlightened For Me
Review: Strangely enough I found my way to this book because a journalist quoted a portion in an economic article. I was intrigued and maybe I had a pre-conceived notion of what it was about.
At the risk of being labeled a candidate for remedial enlightenment 101, I'll be candid to say I found this book too convoluted and mystical. I just didn't get it. I kept trying to be enlightened but found myself disappointed at each turn of the page. At the end of my journey, I was glad to discard the book. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
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Summary: Bravo to the author's approach !
Review: The author's approach may appear complex, but in essence it is a simple matter. The book exemplifies the principle that the more we struggle to find the answer(s), the further we get from finding them. They only come to us when we are at rest. How many great composers have written masterpieces by forcing their ideas onto manuscript paper? The music simply comes into their being, and then it is let out - like a breath. Do we think about breathing all day long or do we simply, breathe? And by the same token, do we think about living or do we simply...? It would appear that the answers we seek are already known to us because they are inside of us. We must trust that they will come - when we trust in ourselves. Thank you.
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Summary: Just wanna be happy?
Review: The path is simple, but walking it is more difficult than it sounds. This book was a gift to me from a friend whose sanity, insight and wisdom I've always admired.This book, although written in very basic, simple but elegant language, is a challenging read merely because the ideas that are expressed are so powerful that you may well find yourself reading the same sentence several times over before you feel like you've completely taken it in. Its been absolutely instrumental in helping me navigate through a particular instable period in my life. Everyone knows the key to happiness boils down to a simple, hackneyed cliche: 'Don't Worry, Be Happy.' But this books explains very rationally, yet gently, why this is so. I keep it on my bed at all times, and pick it up on certain difficult nights, read a few paragraphs, and remember: the future is out of my hands, and the past is both out of my hands and distorted by my own interpretation of it. The past can never be usefully compared to the present. NOW is the time to focus on. Wake up! Look around! Everything is before you...NOW.
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Summary: A mind-bender
Review: This 50-year-old book is still surprisingly relevant today. It confronts the fallacies of orthodox religion. It transforms our perception of the past, present and future. And it provides a new outlook on our place in the universe. This book might not change your worldview overnight, but it will definitely challenge you to question some of your deepest-held beliefs.
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Summary: One of the best on the topic!
Review: This book is an excellent place to start reading philosophy. _The Wisdom of Insecurity_ was obviously written for the layman, making it ideal for those who are new to this type of nonfiction. In it, Alan Watts explains to us various ways of accepting and dealing with anxiety and insecurity in spiritual matters. This technique of acceptance was clearly derived from the Hindu and Buddhist methods of establishing a calm and mellow outlook on life. Like these great Eastern religions, Alan Watts does not try to tackle issues of theological truth head-on, but instead sidesteps the eternal questions. This is not because he is incapable of dealing with more complex metaphysical issues - he does so in great depth in his other, longer works. Neither is this method of sidestepping our sources of anxiety an evasion of rational, empirical truth. This book is not a rigorous empiricist study, and never claimed to be. It is instead a psychotheapeutic work verging on the anti-intellectual, but at the same time embracing meditation and contemplation. Watts shows us ways to act out our love for wisdom and enlightenment by concentrating on the positive and accepting (but not dwelling on) disturbing questions which he considers to be unanswerable. This is not an atheistic work nor is it a tale of despair. This is a work infused with hope, while being mindful of the truth. It succeeds in treading a sort of middle ground between the love of knowledge and anti-intellectualism. The only problem with this book is its short length, although some might consider this an advantage. If you are looking for a more in-depth and rigorous study, try _Behold the Spirit_ or _Psychotherapy East and West_, also by Alan Watts.
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Summary: Short but good
Review: This book is an excellent place to start reading philosophy. _The Wisdom of Insecurity_ was obviously written for the layman, making it ideal for those who are new to this type of nonfiction. In it, Alan Watts explains to us various ways of accepting and dealing with anxiety and insecurity in spiritual matters. This technique of acceptance was clearly derived from the Hindu and Buddhist methods of establishing a calm and mellow outlook on life. Like these great Eastern religions, Alan Watts does not try to tackle issues of theological truth head-on, but instead sidesteps the eternal questions. This is not because he is incapable of dealing with more complex metaphysical issues - he does so in great depth in his other, longer works. Neither is this method of sidestepping our sources of anxiety an evasion of rational, empirical truth. This book is not a rigorous empiricist study, and never claimed to be. It is instead a psychotheapeutic work verging on the anti-intellectual, but at the same time embracing meditation and contemplation. Watts shows us ways to act out our love for wisdom and enlightenment by concentrating on the positive and accepting (but not dwelling on) disturbing questions which he considers to be unanswerable. This is not an atheistic work nor is it a tale of despair. This is a work infused with hope, while being mindful of the truth. It succeeds in treading a sort of middle ground between the love of knowledge and anti-intellectualism. The only problem with this book is its short length, although some might consider this an advantage. If you are looking for a more in-depth and rigorous study, try _Behold the Spirit_ or _Psychotherapy East and West_, also by Alan Watts.
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Summary: A Macroscopic Observation of Modern Life
Review: This book is written with lucidity, clarity, and a direct and un-cluttered understanding of the phenomenon of life. The philosopher does not strike (a perceptive reader) so much as Eastern or counterculture, but ultimately as an honest, inclusive viewer of the human condition. I found especially interesting the points on science and religion, and the role of definition in the process of understanding.
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Summary: This is the bible for seekers of enlightenment.
Review: This was the first book recommended to me by a wise friend who is into zen. It is the real ultimate gate to get your mind into the right place to find the big E. Watts and Suzuki are really the top of the heap. With this book I found myself starting to slip into that magic space where the lines of reality blur as I read it. Any book that can take you on a nice little trip into bliss while you are reading it is one I will recommend here to my fellow cyberspace searchers. I've read a lot of books by Watts but this is by far his best. A MUST!
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Summary: 100,000 Watts of Pleasure
Review: Watts opens this book with an accurate diagnosis of the problem: i.e. our need to find meaning in life, our need for "an eternal order and an eternal life behind the uncertain and momentary experience of life-and-death." He likens this to the futile attempt of trying to tie up a pound of water in paper and string. Watts is always the master of analogy and his gift of language never fails to delight the reader. I did not agree with his assessment of the decay of religious conviction, however. There are plenty of religious people in the world, and they manage to find meaning and purpose in this uncertain world through their beliefs. In terms of percentage of the world's population, I suspect that those who, like Watts, have completely rejected religious beliefs are actually very few. And even Watts, for all his protestations to the contrary, has not rejected religion as a means to sorting out the world; he has simply opted out of Christianity in favor of advaita-Vedanta, which is no more than Hinduism stripped down for export to the West. It's his opinion, and that's fine. The balance of the book reminded me a lot of "The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are." Same basic topics, same engaging writing style, although I thought he expressed himself more clearly in this book. My New Year's resolution for 2001 was to read as many of Watts' books as possible; this one is #8. I enjoyed this book immensely, as I have enjoyed the others, and will continue reading. While I do not agree with his basic world-view, finding it limited and non-productive, I still appreciate his analysis and insight into our common human situation, and the clever and frequently humorous conversation he holds with the reader. I would love to have been able to sit down with him over coffee and leisurely discuss life and death and the meaning of it all, and I don't think he would have minded at all that I disagree with his views; such disagreement would have made for a livelier conversation!
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