Talking Zen: Reflections on Mind, Myth, and the Magic of Life

by Alan W. Watts, Mark Watts (Editor)

Insightful and entertaining essays spanning 40 years of lectures by Alan Watts on Zen, Taoism, psychedelics, and comparative philosophy.

Alan Watts's essays and talks range widely through psychology, art, religion, and politics, but always come home to the Zen core. For those familiar with Alan Watts’s style of presentation, the wonderful, memorable, and prophetic style of his voice is captured in this volume. Talking Zen puts on display Watts’s ability to explore the very subtle philosophies, those common across traditions and those unique to Zen, in ordinary and accessible language. These lectures paved the way for the rise of Zen in the West.

Genres: Philosophy, Buddhism, Spirituality, Zen, Religion, Nonfiction, Essays

208 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1994

About the author

Alan Wilson Watts was a British philosopher, writer and speaker, who held both a Master's in Theology and a Doctorate of Divinity. Famous for his research on comparative religion, he was best known as an interpreter and popularizer of Asian philosophies for a Western audience. He wrote over 25 books and numerous articles on subjects such as personal identity, the true nature of reality, higher consciousness, the meaning of life, concepts and images of God and the non-material pursuit of happiness. In his books he relates his experience to scientific knowledge and to the teachings of Eastern and Western religion and philosophy.

Reviews

[Stevie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was neither good nor bad. I have become Zen. Ah, shit! I fucked it up!

[Gary R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Watts tackles the misconceptions westerners have about the Zen Way and its teachings. He strives to break down the main tenets of Zen through in-depth discussions of Zen poems and writings as well as real-life examples.
The book is short; the version I purchased coming in at 197 pages. Given its weighty topics, though, it can at times feel much longer. I certainly could not breeze through it and have grasped half of what Watts is trying to convey. I took notes and re-read many passages. My suggestion is to take it slow with this book and your enjoyment of it will increase.
I am not a Zen practioner, nor do I aspire to be. I had a rudimentary understanding of Zen prior to purchasing the book. But, having seen some of Watts’ old videos online and reading snippets of his work, I decided to give the book a shot. I was not disappointed. If you give the book the attention it needs, you will come away with a new understanding of Zen and the possibility of changing how you approach life day to day.

[tradcat · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found it to be mostly subjective and somewhat nonsensical. Watts tries to talk about Christianity with respect to nature. However, he says that God is only a collection of principles. If you think God is just a collection of principles, you don’t know enough about God/Christianity to be lecturing on it.

[Kevin O'Keefe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is worth a read for its historical and cultural significance of being a collection of speeches given by one of most important figures in bringing Eastern Philosophy to West and, as an American, it was interesting to see a European's view on it all. But oh man the 4th speech dragged on for 60+ pages and had me very close to putting the book down for good.

I really liked is exploration of some topics, like how our senses/nervous systems/minds are a universe all of themselves out there in the universe at large. The first speech brings clarity to how we "frame" or label everything and how that affects how we view the world, it was interesting to hear him speak about how modern science and ancient philosophy interact... but oh man, I can't focus on that and keep drifting back to how much that one section dragged. I dropped two stars off the rating because of it.

[andrew y · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do not agree with many of Watts’ views and I think he makes convoluted straw man arguments to justify his points however I am not an unbiased judge by a long shot.
So if I pretend the pseudo-philosophical prattling is just a device and focus on the contents, this book is definitely worth reading no matter how far your worldview is from the author’s. It is good for me to practice opening up my mind to other views and interrogate my preconceived notions to see if they hold up as I continue to learn and grow. Watts gave me that opportunity. But I didn’t like the book or him or his arguments or the style or anything else. So don’t worry, I know how enlightened I really am.

[Mindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love getting lost (and found) in his words

Alan Watts never disappoints. I loved reading these essays/talks a little bit at a time. So much to digest and ponder on. It’s one I’ll pick up again for sure.

[Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oooh this book! It is a journey of tapping into something so much deeper than the rational and the real. I felt like I was in another dimension while reading it. Essays I hope to come back to again. An absolute joy to get lost in these pages.

[Purplecat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful and entertaining. Watts has such a beautiful way of writing that is impactful while also being light-hearted. He simplifies seemingly complex concepts and uses examples that make it comprehensive for the western reader. This book was a great way for me to begin my deep dive into Zen.

[Ben Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it. Alan watts lectures always contain pearls of indisputable wisdom that hit me like a truck, but at least one or two sentences that have me like … “alright old man…” maybe he’s just not the philosopher for me. Still really enjoyed the book tho

[Ann Babenco · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is awesome. The kind you read and read again....it's deep.

[Tyler Urquhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first introduction to Zen and an Alan Watts text and wow I thoroughly enjoyed every second. I felt engaged and perplexed and outwitted and just so curious. Will be revisiting!

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite book of his

[Laurent · Rating 4 out of 5]

This took me quite some time to read and I think I will read it again in the near future. I had to pause a lot to contemplate what he was saying.

[Dan Foy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Especially appreciated the blending in of Taoism throughout.

[Riley Lamas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good intro to Zen. Some of the chapters do not translate well because they are speeches or lectures given by him. Most are very good. I recommend for any Watts fan.

[Sarina Awatramani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really really wanted to love this but I found a lot of the analogies drawn out/hard to follow. Definitely a good handful of good quotes throughout though!

[Mati · Rating 5 out of 5]

Watts is always good. This is no exception.

[Q · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you feel lost, good.

[John Fredrickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Watts was a gifted instructor. The essays contained in this book are striking in that they use very ordinary language to talk of very subtle things. While Watts does refer to terms such as samsara or satori, he does so with a goal to qualify what they actually mean. He comes across as the uncle who patiently and carefully guides you to a better understanding of your role in the universe.

[Carol K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't take long to read this. Cleverly woven fiction amongst historical facts. Good tension throughout. Didn't feel like skipping over any of it. Recommended reading. My first Robert Harris book.