The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are

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Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, Sep 28, 2011 - Philosophy - 176 pages
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A revelatory primer on what it means to be human and a mind-opening manual of initiation into the central mystery of existence, by “perhaps the foremost interpreter of Eastern disciplines for the contemporary West" (Los Angeles Times).

At the root of human conflict is our fundamental misunderstanding of who we are. The illusion that we are isolated beings, unconnected to the rest of the universe, has led us to view the “outside” world with hostility, and has fueled our misuse of technology and our violent and hostile subjugation of the natural world. To help us understand that the self is in fact the root and ground of the universe, Alan Watts provides us with a much-needed answer to the problem of personal identity, distilling and adapting the Hindu philosophy of Vedanta.
 

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Selected pages

Contents

PREFACE
1
THE GAME OF BLACKANDWHITE 25
24
U61ee HOW TO BE A GENUINE FAKE
53
your THE WORLD IS YOUR BODY
87
71ae SO WHAT?
109
Six IT
139
THE BOOKS
161
Copyright

Common terms and phrases

ALAN WATTS balls basic become behavior biological bits body brain Buddhist called cause comes conflicts conscious attention death define definition electronic enemies energy environment Erwin Schrodinger everything existence experience fact fascinating feel fictions field fight figure find first G. K. Chesterton galaxies Game of Black-and-White goes happen Hindus hoax human ical illusion individual infinite inside isn’t James Broughton kind language light living look Ludwig Wittgenstein man’s metaphysical mind Model moving myth nature neurons never one’s oneself organism ourselves pantheism particles patterns Paul Tillich penicillin personal ego philosophy physical play problem rainbow realize reflections religions scientific seems sensation sense separate ego simply situation skin social society someone soul sound space taboo tence things and events thought tion trying ture understand universe Upanishads Vedanta vibration vision wave whole wiggle words York

About the author (2011)

ALAN W. WATTS, who held both a master’s degree in theology and a doctorate of divinity, is best remembered as an interpreter of Zen Buddhism in particular, and of Indian and Chinese philosophy in general. Standing apart, however, from sectarian membership, he has earned the reputation of being one of the most original and “unrutted” philosophers of the twentieth century. Watts was the author of some twenty books on the philosophy and psychology of religion that have been published in many languages throughout the world, including the bestselling The Way of Zen. An avid lecturer, Watts appeared regularly on the radio and hosted the popular television series, Eastern Wisdom and Modern Life,in the 1960s. He died in 1973.

Bibliographic information

QR code for The Book
TitleThe Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are
AuthorAlan Watts
PublisherKnopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2011
ISBN0307807878, 9780307807878
Length176 pages
Subjects ›  › 

Philosophy / Hindu
Religion / Hinduism / General
Self-Help / Personal Growth / General
  
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