Behold the Spirit: A Study in the Necessity of Mystical Religion

Alan Watts

Vintage Books, 1972 - Philosophy - 257 pages

Just as groundbreaking today as it was when it first appeared, Behold the Spirit is philosopher Alan Watts's timeless argument for the place of mystical religion in today's world. Drawing on his experiences as a former priest, Watts skillfully explains how the intuition of Eastern religion--Zen Buddhism, in particular--can be incorporated into the doctrines of Western Christianity, allowing people of all creeds to enjoy a deeper, more meaningful relationship with the spiritual in our present troubled times.

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LibraryThing Review

User Review  - Ogmin - LibraryThing

One of the first titles I every bought by Alan Watts. My older brother had ' Psychotherapy: East & West' on the shelf and I had browsed through it after reading Watt's contribution to Solomon's LSD ...

Contents

• INTRODUCTION: 23
• The Gift of Union: 64
• The Realization of Union: 88

About the author

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

• Title: Behold the Spirit: A Study in the Necessity of Mystical Religion; Vintage Series; Vintage book
• Author: Alan Watts
• Edition: reprint, revised
• Publisher: Vintage Books, 1972
• Original from: the University of Michigan
• Digitized: May 3, 2007
• ISBN: 0394717619, 9780394717616
• Length: 257 pages
• Subjects: Philosophy / General; Religion / Spirituality