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Alan Watts was extremely popular among his students. He used to call himself a “SPIRITUAL ENTERTAINER”. In addition to Western psychology and philosophy, his works talk a lot about Eastern philosophies like Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Zen.
Watts was one of the pioneers in interpreting and popularizing Eastern philosophy among the Western audience. His knowledge didn’t only have breadth but also immense depth which made him one of the most influential philosophers of the twentieth century.
I was first introduced to Watts back in 2017 while working my first-ever job as a Social Media Evaluator. One of the tasks involved rating the relevancy of the link to the transcript of his lecture that explained The philosophy behind Falling in Love.
Since then I have been reading Watts a lot at my own pace and in the process have found some really good books. Here are his 7 books that everyone into philosophy should consider reading.
7 Best Alan Watts Books That Talk About Human Existence:―
1. Become What You Are by Alan Watts
Self-consciousness is a stoppage because it is like interrupting a song after every note so as to listen to the echo, and then feeling irritated because of the loss of rhythm.
Life exists only at this very moment, and at this moment it is infinite and eternal. For the present moment is infinitely small; before we can measure it, it has gone, and yet it exists forever.
In Become What You Are, Watts displays the intelligence, playfulness of thought, and simplicity of language that fueled his popularity as an interpreter of Eastern thought among Westerners. He builds on a variety of religious traditions and covers topics such as:
- The challenge of seeing one’s life “JUST AS IT IS,” ― the Taoist approach to harmonious living,
- The limits of language in the face of ineffable spiritual truth, and
- The psychological symbolism of Christian thought.
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2. The Wisdom of Insecurity by Alan Watts
One can only attempt a rational, descriptive philosophy of the universe on the assumption that one is totally separate from it. But if you and your thoughts are part of this universe, you cannot stand outside them to describe them. This is why all philosophical and theological systems must ultimately fall apart. To “know” reality you cannot stand outside it and define it; you must enter into it, be it, and feel it.
The Wisdom Of Insecurity by Alan Watts is a self-help classic that
- Explains how our psychological need for stability drives us into consumerism,
- Why Consumerism won’t solve our problems, and
- How we can really calm our anxiety.
Overwhelmed by our insecurity we almost always fall for the chase for happiness. The degree, the job, the nice car, the house, once we get all that we desire, retirement’s still a long way away. Life is not about the finales alone. The ordinary events, the triumphs and failures, the losses and the gains, the lows and the highs along the way are what make the finales worth all the wait.
In the words of Alan Watts in The Wisdom Of Insecurity
You do not play a sonata in order to reach the final chord, and if the meanings of things were simply in ends, composers would write nothing but finales.
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3. The Book On The Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are by Alan Watts
Problems that remain persistently insolvable should always be suspected as questions asked in the wrong way.
In The Book On The Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are Watts puts light on what it means to be human — and drives us into pondering the central mystery of human existence. The illusion that we are isolated beings, unconnected to the rest of the universe, has led us to view the “outside” world with hostility thus fueling our misuse of technology and our violent and hostile subjugation of the natural world.
Watts propagates the idea the self is in fact the root and ground for our better understanding of the universe,
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4. The Meaning of Happiness by Alan Watts
[N]othing that is isolated can live, since the two most important characteristics of life are circulation and change.
The Meaning of Happiness offers a viewpoint different from that of the widely held belief that happiness comes from having or doing something. Drawing on Eastern philosophy, Western mysticism, and analytic psychology, Watts advocates that authentic happiness comes from embracing life as a whole in all its contradictions and paradoxes.
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5. The Way of Zen by Alan Watts
For there is never anything but the present, and if one cannot live there, one cannot live anywhere.
With a rare combination of freshness and lucidity, Alan Watts in The Way of Zen delves into the origins and history of Zen Buddhism and explains it to the world with incredible clarity. Watts saw Zen as “one of the most precious gifts of Asia to the world,” and in The Way of Zen, he passes that gift to his readers everywhere.
Also Read: Best Books Debating the Existence of Free Will
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6. Nature, Man, and Woman by Alan Watts
Nature is ordered organically rather than politically, It is a field of relationships rather than a collection of things.
Watts believed that Western thought and culture have coalesced around the following assumptions:―
- Human beings stand separate from a nature that must be controlled;
- Mind is somehow superior to the body;
- Sexuality entails seduction — In some way it underlies our exploitation of the earth, our distrust of emotion, and our loneliness and reluctance to love.
Drawing on the precepts of Taoism, Alan Watts in Nature, Man, and Woman challenges these assumptions and presents an alternative vision of man and the universe — one in which the distinctions between self and other, spirit and matter offer more space for a holistic way of seeing.
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7. Psychotherapy East and West by Alan Watts
One is a great deal less anxious if one feels perfectly free to be anxious, and the same may be said of guilt
In his book, Psychotherapy East and West, Watts demonstrates his thorough understanding of both Western psychotherapy and the Eastern spiritual philosophies of Buddhism, Taoism, Vedanta, and Yoga.
Watts asserts that the powerful theories of Freud and Jung, which indeed, brought psychiatry close to the edge of liberation when amalgamated with the philosophical wisdom of the Eastern traditions can free people from their battles with the self.
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The Best Books:
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7. Alan Watts Books That Talk About Human Existence
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That’s all we have for today. Thanks a lot for tuning in to HappinessDhaba. Do let us know your views on this in the comment section.
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