Alan Watts Being in the Way

Ep. 5 – Zen Bones

Sep 2, 2021

56:41

Episode guests

Alan Watts

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Quick takeaways

Zen is a way of life that goes beyond concepts and words, requiring direct experience of the present moment through the practice of meditation.

To truly understand Zen, one must develop stillness of mind and enter a state of non-thinking, allowing for a direct experience of the extraordinary in the ordinary.

Deep dives

The Essence of Zen

Zen is not a doctrine or philosophy, but a way of life. It cannot be grasped through concepts or words, but is a direct experience of the present moment. Zen is about letting go of thoughts and being fully present. It is a state of being that is beyond the concepts of transcendental or ordinary, infinite or finite, temporal or timeless. Through the practice of meditation or zazen, one can quiet the mind and experience the world without the filter of concepts, leading to a deeper understanding of reality.

The Five Colours Make a Man Blind

01:21

Are You Still Looking?

01:54

The Buddhas Are Not Devils

01:53

Suffering Bill's Character

03:25

Introduction

2min

Zen - Boneshun Saanan Da Chame Detampe Buddha S O.

3min

Zen Is a Way of Life, a State of Being, Not a Doctrine

6min

The Yin and Yang of the Universe

4min

The Buddhas Are Not Devils

2min

Zen Zen - The Most Real Thing There Is

3min

Zen Poem - You Cannot Achieve It by Not Thinking

4min

You Have to Stop Thinking to Find Out What Life Is About

2min

Zen, Sitting Zen, Walking Zen and Liding Zen

2min

10.

The Goal of Action Is Consciousness

5min

11.

The Five Colours Make a Man Blind, the Five Tones Make a Man Deaf

2min

12.

The Easiest Way to Stop Thinking

2min

13.

Suffering Bill's Character

3min

14.

Zen and the Order of the Zen Monastery

3min

15.

The Secret of a Private Buddha

5min

16.

Beyond Ecstasy

4min

17.

Allan Watts From Zen Bones Podcast

4min

Alan Watts illuminates the nuances of Zen and the Unspeakable World in this dynamic 'Zen Bones' talk adorned with Buddhist chanting, chimes, and gongs.

Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/alan

Mark Watts introduces a classic talk entitled, 'Zen Bones,' a remarkable public lecture that Alan gave in 1967 at the Avalon Ballroom (usually the scene of wild rock concerts) for a 'Zen-efit' put on by the San Fransisco Zen Center to raise money to purchase Tassajara – a remote Zen center in the mountains of Big Sur. Diverting this week from the 'small-audience' seminar and workshop recordings of our first few podcasts, this episode marks Alan's first 'big hall' recording on Being in the Way, fittingly opened by the dynamic resonance of chanting Buddhist monks, chimes, and gongs.

This series is made in partnership with the Alan Watts Organization. Discover the official Alan Watts archive at alanwatts.org

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Alan Watts Being in the Way

Ep. 5 – Zen Bones

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

The Essence of Zen

The Importance of Stillness

The Integration of Ecstasy and Discipline

Seeing the Divine in All Beings

The Five Colours Make a Man Blind

Are You Still Looking?

The Buddhas Are Not Devils

Suffering Bill's Character

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts