Whilst accounting for the present-day popularity and relevance of Alan Watts’ contributions to psychology, religion, arts, and humanities, this interdisciplinary collection grapples with the ongoing criticisms which surround Watts’ life and work. Offering rich examination of as yet underexplored aspects of Watts’ influence in 1960s counterculture, this volume offers unique application of Watts’ thinking to contemporary issues and critically engages with controversies surrounding the commodification of Watts’ ideas, his alleged misreading of Biblical texts, and his apparent distortion of Asian religions and spirituality. Featuring a broad range of international contributors and bringing Watts’ ideas squarely into the contemporary context, the text provides a comprehensive, yet nuanced exploration of Watts’ thinking on psychotherapy, Buddhism, language, music, and sexuality. This text will benefit researchers, doctoral students, and academics in the fields of psychotherapy, phenomenology, and the philosophy of psychology more broadly. Those interested in Jungian psychotherapy, spirituality, and the self and social identity will also enjoy this volume.

Considers the contributions and contemporary significance of Alan Watts.

Alan Watts introduced millions of Western readers to Zen and other Eastern philosophies. But he is also recognized as a brilliant commentator on Judeo-Christian traditions, as well as a celebrity philosopher who exemplified the ideas — and lifestyle — of the 1960s counterculture. In this compilation of controversial lectures that Watts delivered at American universities throughout the sixties, he challenges readers to reevaluate Western culture's most hallowed constructs. Watts treads the familiar ground of interpreting Eastern traditions, but he also covers new territory, exploring the counterculture's basis in the ancient tribal and shamanic cultures of Asia, Siberia, and the Americas. In the process, he addresses some of the era's most important questions: What is the nature of reality? How does an individual's relationship to society affect this reality? Filled with Watts's playful, provocative style, the talks show the remarkable scope of a philosopher at his prime, exploring and defining the sixties counterculture as only Alan Watts could.

Gold Winner, 2017 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards in the Philosophy category To commemorate the 2015 centenary of the birth of Alan Watts (1915–1973), Peter J. Columbus and Donadrian L. Rice have assembled a much-needed collection of Watts's scholarly essays and lectures. Compiled from professional journals, monographs, scholarly books, conferences, and symposia proceedings, the volume sheds valuable light on the developmental arc of Watts's thinking about language and mysticism, Buddhism and Zen, Christianity, comparative religion, psychedelics, and psychology and psychotherapy. This definitive collection challenges Watts's reputation as a "popularizer" or "philosophical entertainer," revealing his concerns to be much more expansive and transdisciplinary than is suggested by the parochial "Zen Buddhist" label commonly affixed to his writings. The editors' authoritative introduction elucidates contemporary perspectives on Watts's life and work, and supports a bold rethinking of his contributions to psychology, philosophy, and religion.

ALAN WATTS DECODED WRITER AND PHILOSOPHER WRITTEN BY: SUCCESS DECODED (Not written by Tai Lopez) Learn about themes like: LIFE PHILOSOPHY HOW TO TRAIN YOUR MIND RECONNECT YOURSELF WITH THE UNIVERSE PHILOSOPHICAL ENTERTAINMENT You will also learn the following: Learn what's the meaning of your existence, what's your place in the universe and how to connect with reality. Discover why reality is an illusion, why cultures and governments fail, and why it all matters. Clear your mind to find your place in the cosmos, stop being afraid of death and just be happier. You will discover his answers to all of these questions: HAPPINESS What Does It Mean To Fall In Love? How To Quiet Your Mind To Be Happier? Why You Should Live Life Like It Was Music? How To Clear Your Mind? THE MEANING OF LIFE Why We Have Lost Touch With Reality? Why Do What You Really Want To Do In Life? How Nothingness Is Everything? How Are You Connected To The Universe? EXISTENTIAL PHILOSOPHY What Is The Meaning Of Your Existence? The Self Is God? How To Awaken From The Illusion? How To Not Be Afraid Of Death? PROBLEMS WITH MODERN SOCIETY Why Give Up Your Sense Of Control? Why All Governments Fail? Why Modern Culture Causes Suffering? - So, get started right now. Pick ALAN WATTS'S brain and level up!

ALAN WATTS - QUOTES COLLECTION BIOGRAPHY, ACHIEVEMENTS AND LIFE LESSONS ABOUT ALAN WATTS Alan Wilson Watts, born on January 6, 1915, in Chislehurst, Kent, England, was a prolific writer, speaker, and interpreter of Eastern philosophy for Western audiences. Throughout his life, Watts sought to bridge the gap between the ancient wisdom of the East and the modern mindset of the West, offering a unique perspective on spirituality, philosophy, and the human experience. QUOTES SAMPLES: "The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance." "To have faith is to trust yourself to the water. When you swim you don't grab hold of the water, because if you do you will sink and drown. Instead you relax, and float." "I owe my solitude to other people." "No work or love will flourish out of guilt, fear, or hollowness of heart, just as no valid plans for the future can be made by those who have no capacity for living now." "Never pretend to a love which you do not actually feel, for love is not ours to command." "Unless one is able to live fully in the present, the future is a hoax."

Alan Watts introduced millions of Western readers to Zen and other Eastern philosophies. But he is also recognized as a brilliant commentator on Judeo-Christian traditions, as well as a celebrity philosopher who exemplified the ideas — and lifestyle — of the 1960s counterculture. In this compilation of controversial lectures that Watts delivered at American universities throughout the sixties, he challenges readers to reevaluate Western culture's most hallowed constructs. Watts treads the familiar ground of interpreting Eastern traditions, but he also covers new territory, exploring the counterculture's basis in the ancient tribal and shamanic cultures of Asia, Siberia, and the Americas. In the process, he addresses some of the era's most important questions: What is the nature of reality? How does an individual's relationship to society affect this reality? Filled with Watts's playful, provocative style, the talks show the remarkable scope of a philosopher at his prime, exploring and defining the sixties counterculture as only Alan Watts could.