An Impolite Interview with Alan Watts
Watts challenges labels, questions conventions, and discusses Zen, religion, art, politics, and culture with unflinching honesty in this interview with the freethought mazagine The Realist. From the absurdity of societal norms to the interplay of detachment and liberation, every answer reveals a refreshing, thought-provoking perspective. Whether discussing poetry, nuclear disarmament, or the meaning of freedom, this conversation feels like a deep yet playful journey into the essence of being.
Clarity of Mind
Watts reveals a simple truth to his audience at the University of California: the mind's incessant chatter is the root of all that ails a mortal's soul. By silencing its din one can get to know life's mystery.
Ecological Awareness
When Alan Watts talked about the ‘mystical experience’ among scientific circles, he preferred to call it ‘ecological awareness’—referring to a state of mind in which a person ceases to feel separate from the environment in which he or she exists.
Elliot Mintz Interviews Alan Watts
Philosopher Alan Watts reveals his fascination with Buddhism began in his teens. He urges fully experiencing the present moment by listening to sounds emerge from silence. Though concerned about social issues, he cautions against reactive anger. Watts sees humans as manifestations of an intelligent universe, not isolated egos. With humor and eloquence, he invites us to embrace the weird and follow our own path.
Individual and the World
This seminar covers a variety of topics, from the illusion of our separation from the environment and the futility of trying to be genuine, all the way to the discipline required to handle mystical experiences in order to bring something back from them to share with the rest of the world. The presentation ends with his endorsement of insanity, saying a healthy amount of craziness in old age is necessary to prepare for a joyous death.
Power of Space
Weaving connections between Eastern thought and modern science, Alan Watts explores the wonder of space. For him, space is no mere emptiness but a cosmic tapestry integral to existence. He draws parallels between space and the Buddhist void, seeing both as the interwoven ground of being that allows consciousness to emerge.
Pursuit of Pleasure
Where does pleasure come from? What are we trying to achieve in our frantic day-to-day activities? Why are we in such a hurry? And why do all of our efforts to pin the universe down and bring it under our control dial up the misery?
Self and Other
Alan coaxes the listener’s mind to simultaneously zoom in and zoom out in an effort to demonstrate that identity is merely an intellectual hallucination. Instead, personal identity is fluid, ranging from one’s constituent atoms and molecules all the way out to the farthest bounds of cosmic existence. Overcoming this mental myopia leads to greater harmony, contentment, and a desire to playfully dance with this universal energy system.
Time and the Future
Immerse yourself in a mind-expanding seminar, where Watts illuminates the illusion of time and history, how our fixation on the future breeds anxiety, and how to break free and find fulfillment in the elusive present moment.
Unapologetically Human
Philospoher Alan Watts reads from his autobiography and discusses his views on life and the human condition.
