Life
Alan Watts was born in Chislehurst, England, and became interested in Buddhism as a schoolboy; he published The Spirit of Zen (1936) at twenty-one. He moved to the United States in 1938, trained at an Episcopal seminary and served as chaplain at Northwestern University, then left the church around 1950. In San Francisco he taught at the American Academy of Asian Studies and became a popular voice on public radio. The Wisdom of Insecurity (1951), The Way of Zen (1957) and The Book (1966) made Asian philosophy readable for a broad Western audience, with humour and without technical jargon. He was not a Zen teacher in any lineage and described himself as a 'philosophical entertainer'; scholars note that his accounts simplify the traditions. His recorded lectures remain widely listened to.
The system
- The 'backwards law': the harder we grasp for security, the less secure we feel.
- The separate ego as a social convention rather than a fact.
- Zen and Taoism as ways of living in harmony with the flow of things.
- Play and wonder in place of anxious striving.
Key works
- The Wisdom of Insecurity (1951) Amazon
- The Way of Zen (1957) Amazon
- The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are (1966) Amazon
ORDL은 아마존 어소시에이트로서 적격 구매에 대해 수수료를 받습니다. 도서 링크는 Amazon.com으로 열리며, 가격은 동일합니다.
Where to start
- The Wisdom of Insecurity is short and timeless; The Way of Zen is his most serious study.
Ask Orin
A question to start with. It opens in Orin ready to edit; nothing is sent until you press Send.
What did Alan Watts mean by 'the wisdom of insecurity'?Ask Orin this question