Ivan Frimmel

ALAN WATTS THE RASCAL GURU

Alan W. Watts was born in Chislehurst, England, on anuar! ", #$#%, and attended &ing's S(hool at
Canterbur!. Earl! in li)e he de*elo+ed interest in the (ultures, +hiloso+hies and religions o) the ,ar East that
led hi- to be(o-e one o) the )ore-ost inter+reters o) .riental thought in the West. He was regarded as a
/guru' b! -an! +eo+le in the hi++ie generation o) the si0ties. He died in 1ill 2alle!, Cali)ornia, on
No*e-ber #", #$34, at the age %5.
Watts' interesting, un(on*entional and *igorous li)e as a +hiloso+her6-!sti( began in his earl! !outh in
England, when he started reading boo7s on Hinduis-, 8uddhis-, Taois-, Ch'an and 9en. He )ailed to get
s(holarshi+ to Ca-bridge, le)t s(hool at #3 and de(ided to get his own :higher edu(ation; a((ording to his
own interests. He was hel+ed in his de*elo+-ent b! his understanding )ather, b! Christ-as Hu-+hre!s, who
was then the +resident o) 8uddhist So(iet! in London, and b! a +o+ular London Sla*6guru 1itrino*i(h.
Alan Watts stead)astl! re)used a (on*entional (areer and although <)or e(ono-i( reasons= he too7 so-e
regular >obs, he ne*er allowed his >obs to swa! hi- )ro- his real interests. He edited The 1iddle Wa!
<8uddhist So(iet!'s= >ournal in London )ro- #$4? to #$45, wor7ed in his )ather's o))i(e raising )unds )or
hos+itals, was a(ti*e in the London's bran(h o) the World's Congress o) ,aiths@
An #$45, while still in London, Alan Watts -arried Eleanor E*erett ,uller, ste+6daughter o) 9en Roshi So7ei6
an Sasa7i, and in #$4$ had e-igrated with her to the United States. This -arriage ended with di*or(e in
A+ril #$%B and the! had two (hildren b! that -arriage. Sin(e une #$%B until his death he was -arried to the
)or-er Coroth! 1arie Ce Witt, a -athe-ati(ian, and the! had )i*e (hildren.
U+on e-igrating to the United States, Alan Watts studied theolog! in E*anston, Allinois, was in residen(e at
the se-inar! )ro- #$?# to #$?? and earned his 1aster o) Sa(red Theolog! degree in une #$?5 and later also
a do(torate o) di*init!. He was ordained a +riest o) the +rotestant E+is(o+al Chur(h and ser*ed as a (ha+lain
o) this (hur(h )ro- #$?? to #$%B, when he le)t the (hur(h. A writer in Life Duoted Watts as sa!ing that he le)t
the (hur(h :not be(ause it doesn't +ra(ti(e what it +rea(hes, but be(ause it +rea(hes;. He taught (o-+arati*e
+hiloso+h! and +s!(holog! at the College o) the Ea(i)i(, was Cean o) the A-eri(an A(ade-! o) Asian
Studies in San ,ran(is(o and o((u+ied hi-sel) with le(turing and writing at *arious uni*ersities until his
death.
He +ublished o*er a doFen o) e0(ellent boo7s on (o-+arati*e religion and +hiloso+h!, in(luding The
Supreme Identity, The Wisdom of Insecurity, The Way of Zen, The Book on the Taboo on Knowing Who You
re, et(.
The Supreme Identity <#$%B= is an e0(ellent essa! on the treat-ent o) the Duestions Who am I! and Who is
"od! in the .riental -eta+h!si(s and Christian religionG
To be(o-e, or realiFe, what we are, we -ust )irst tr! to be(o-e it, in order to realiFe e))e(ti*el! that it is not ne(essar! to do so.
RealiFation o) the Su+re-e Adentit! is )ound not through see7ing it as re-ote and obs(ure, but in a((e+ting the truth that nothing is
-ore ob*ious and sel)6e*ident.
To loo7 )or God as an ob>e(t i-+lies his distan(e )ro- the 7nowing sub>e(t. To see7 )or hi- i-+lies his absen(e. To set hi- in the
)uture is to i-+l! that he is not eternal and +resent.
An this boo7 Alan Watts dri*es ho-e with great e-+hasis the +oint that A, as an ego, (an do nothing to
+rodu(e, indu(e or (oer(e true Sel)HGod6realiFationIand that the Su+re-e Adentit!, the .ne, that whi(h A
trul! a-, needs nothing to do or realiFe, >ust be who .ne alread! is, whi(h reDuires non6doing. He Duotes
9en 8uddhist te0t b! Hsi6!unG
8! their *er! see7ing )or it the! +rodu(e the (ontrar! e))e(t o) losing it, )or that is using 8uddha to see7 8uddha and using the
-ind <the Sel)= to gras+ the -ind <the Sel)=@
An the Wisdom of Insecurity <#$%#= Alan Watts sa!sG
The +rin(i+al thing is to understand that there is no sa)et! or se(urit!. To stand )a(e to )a(e with inse(urit! is still not to understand
it. To understand it, !ou -ust not )a(e it, but be it.
A (an onl! thin7 seriousl! o) tr!ing to li*e u+ to an ideal, to i-+ro*e -!sel), i) A a- s+lit in two +ie(es. There -ust be a good :A;
who is going to i-+ro*e the bad :-e;. :A;, who has the best intentions, will go and wor7 on the wa!ward :-e;, and the tussle
between the two will *er! -u(h stress the di))eren(e between the-. ConseDuentl!, :A; will )eel -ore se+arate then e*er, and so
-erel! in(rease the lonel! and (ut o)) )eelings whi(h -a7e :-e; beha*e so badl!@
The Way of Zen is his -aster+ie(e on the histor! o) .riental +hiloso+h! and religion in general, and
8uddhis- <es+e(iall! Ch'an and 9en= in +arti(ularG
The li)e o) 9en begins, there)ore, in a disillusion with the +ursuit o) goals whi(h do not reall! e0ist the good without the bad, the
grati)i(ation o) a sel) whi(h is no -ore than an idea, and the -orrow whi(h ne*er (o-es. ,or all these things are a de(e+tion o)
s!-bols +retending to be realities@ An short, 9en begins at the +oint where there is nothing )urther to see7, nothing to be gained.
A thin7 that Alan W. Watts, together with Wei Wu Wei, &rishna-urti, Sri Ra-ana 1aharshi, .sho and
Ra-esh S. 8alse7ar, (ertainl! ran7s a-ong the )inest and -ost in)luential thin7ers and writers o) this
(entur!. He le)t a treasur! o) *er! +ra(ti(al wisdo- in his boo7s and on his ta+es.