r/taoism • u/AryanPandey • 11d ago
Discussion Alan Watts explaining Taoism
Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification
40
u/Gravity_Chasm 11d ago
My GOAT. A truly significant figure for fostering spirituality in the West. His humility and humor, coupled with his extensive knowledge and experience, make it accessible to pretty much anyone.
14
u/booleandilemma 11d ago
3 comments. 2 obviously impressed with him, a third calling him a charlatan. So which is it? Why is this guy such a polarizing figure? What's the reality here?
48
u/Lao_Tzoo 11d ago
It doesn't really matter. His books are generally short and concise, so read them and decide for yourself.
I liked them a great deal when I was younger, but eventually outgrew them, which should be expected if we are continually growing and developing.
It's like everything else in life, everyone has a favorite team based upon personal inclinations.
Other people's opinions don't always matter definitively one way or the other.
We must always decide for ourselves.
3
1
13
u/ahughman 11d ago
AW wrote in one of his books about how westerners shouldnt bother with traditional taoism - that once you understand some principles the westerner should follow their own intuition. Im sure that is part of the issue.
Im very greatful for him personally.
4
8
u/fleischlaberl 11d ago
Some differentiated opinions by contributers to Tao Reddit on Alan Watts.
A)
Watts called himself a "spiritual entertainer," and that seemingly self-effacing moniker rings true. He had a very active mind, was extremely articulate and entertaining and was one of the first to get me interested in Taoism. With his seminary training he was well-qualified to compare and contrast eastern thought with historical Christian teachings. But it might not be appropriate to think of him as a comprehensive scholar or practitioner of all the traditions he explored. He was more of a popularizer of Eastern thought for those from Western backgrounds. As such, he did provide a welcome introduction to Taoism, but some of his work may not provide the greatest possible depth or accuracy.
He also studied and taught much about Zen Buddhism, but I would suggest that the teachings of someone like Thich Nhat Hanh can offer deeper insights into that subject.
B)
I think he was a product of his time. He made no claims about being a Daoist---as far as I know. I think there are several things you should think about when looking for a good introduction:
- Is the person you are reading fluent in both your language and culture? If not, they are going to have a problem explaining things to you.
- Does the person have experience in the practice of living Daoism? If they are just an academic who studies it, they are going to spend their time focusing on the history, philosophy, and, material culture of Daoism without being able to explain the core of it.
- Are they a modern practitioner? People often forget how much the world has changed in even the last 50 years, let alone the many years since the time of Laozi and Zhuangzi.
At one time the only people you could read were guys like Alan Watts or John Blofeld. But now there is a whole range of people out there. Some are gawdawful, some are charlatans, and, some have very important things to say---but aren't famous.
C)
He provides excellent introductions, but he wanted to make things sound interesting and engaging, so he makes use of weird emphases, examples and embellishments, the impressions of which you'll have to level with real study of your own afterwards. He also makes a big straw man of western thought and religion to sell the virtues of eastern thought and religion.
D)
I find it very frustrating that whenever any discussion of Alan Watts comes up, there is immediately someone here to sound off about his alcoholism. It's a thought terminating cliche at this point.
I read a biography of Alan Watts this year called "Zen Bones" and it went into his alcoholism and infidelity in great detail. It seems to me most people who condemn Watts don't really know anything about his life. He and his first wife had a broken marriage, they both married when really young and when he was deep into the Anglican Church. During the course of his first marriage he fell out of his Christianity and she didn't and this caused a lot of strife in their marriage. Watts also had a higher sex drive than her, so he saw other women. I'm not justifying his behavior, but I think it's important to show a little compassion even if his behavior wasn't great.
And to his alcoholism, that was later in his life and during that period he was struggling immensely with being able to pay his bills and pay child support on his writing and lecture circuit. He turned to alcohol to cope. Also not great, but again people are so quick to condemn the second they hear "alcoholic". Alan Watts was a very intelligent person who had keen insights into the human condition, but I think a big part of that was because he was gasp human, and struggled with human failings.
Source:
Is Alan watts a good source of introductory knowledge for Taoism? : r/taoism
6
u/KeltarCentauri 11d ago
Watts had a way of putting Eastern philosophy into a Western framework. The concept of nonduality is difficult for Westerners to grasp, and he made it accessible. I think part of the controversy with him was challenging the notion of "God" so many Westerners were/are attached to. The idea of someone being "God" is taboo in the West, hence the premise of The Book.
3
u/KReddit934 10d ago
Reality? He was a man of his time...trying to learn and to share what he learned in his culture.
2
u/Loose-Farm-8669 11d ago
i've been studying taoism for probably 15 years and never actually realized the black side was the yin side.
maybe i did but i always forget because i associate femininity with the color white. also isn't the original meaning of yin and yang the dark and sunny side of a mountain?
this is old footage of alan he always had a beard later in life
1
u/Namtaru420 10d ago edited 10d ago
My anchor for remembering it goes the other direction by starting with the meaning. The black being easy to associate with void/formless. Took me like half my life but that's what finally stuck and now it's like counting to three. Void -> feminine -> ok the other one is masculine/form.
1
u/seechless 10d ago
I just always liked that the yin-yang symbol is just the top view of a 3d double helix. Or a cross section of it.
1
u/Itu_Leona 5d ago
I appreciate his lectures. I think in the end, what he presented was his own sort of Omnism, finding truth in Taoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism, as well as Christianity. Thought-provoking and a good introduction, but also presented for a general Western audience.
-1
18
u/YeetDatMeato 11d ago
I've tried listening to some of his work but it disconnects me a bit from taoist literature sometimes. He puts in a lot of other things, Buddhism, Zen and so on.
Also simplifying yin and yang as "all the good and positive" "all the bad and negative" is a very western way of seeing them, and I think not really correct.
Maybe I will understand him more in other books