Alan Watts Books

Focusing on the rich climbing history of Smith Rock State Park, this guidebook by Alan Watts offers an extensive overview of over 1,800 climbing routes in the area. It features hundreds of newly added routes and vibrant color photographs of each crag, making it an essential resource for climbers. Watts' deep understanding of this iconic location enhances the guide's value, establishing it as the most comprehensive and respected climbing resource for both seasoned and aspiring climbers.

"For more than twenty years [circa 1977] Alan Watts earned a reputation as one of the foremost interpreters of Eastern philosophies to the West. Beginning at the age of 20, when he wrote The Spirit of Zen, he developed an audience of millions who were enriched by his book, tape recordings, radio, television, and public lectures. Just before his death he completed the project most dear to his heart. In the secluded and relaxed atmosphere aboard his ferryboat SS Vallejo and at his mountain retreat in Druid Heights he recorded the basic tenets of his philosophy. Revised by his son Mark here is the last original work of Alan Watts now combined with several classic pieces previously not available in book form, including the favorites "Work As Play" and "The Trickster Guru." This final volume is an outstanding introduction to Watts for those who do not know him and a valuable legacy for all." - from the back cover

In order to come to your senses, Alan Watts often said, you sometimes need to go out of your mind. Out of Your Mind brings readers, for the first time, six of this legendary thinker's most engaging teachings on how to break through the limits of the rational mind.Offering answers to generations of spiritual seekers, Alan Watts is the voice for all who search for an understanding of their identity and role in the world.For those both new and familiar with Watts, this book invites us to delve into his favourite pathways out of the trap of conventional awareness: discover art of the "controlled accident" - what happens when you stop taking your life so seriously and start enjoying it with complete sincerity.Embrace chaos to discover your deepest purpose.How do we come to believe "the myth of myself" - that we are skin-encapsulated egos separate from the world around us-and how to transcend that illusion?Find the miracle that occurs when we stop taking life so seriously.

Explore the rich history and significance of the location that introduced sport climbing to North America. This guide delves into the area's unique climbing routes, techniques, and the evolution of the sport within its stunning landscapes. It features insights from experienced climbers, detailed maps, and essential tips for both beginners and seasoned athletes. With a focus on the culture surrounding sport climbing, this book serves as an invaluable resource for anyone looking to understand and navigate this pivotal climbing destination.

Philosopher, author, and lecturer Alan Watts (1915–1973) popularized Zen Buddhism and other Eastern philosophies for the counterculture of the 1960s. Today, new generations are finding his writings and lectures online, while faithful followers worldwide continue to be enlightened by his teachings. The Collected Letters of Alan Watts reveals the remarkable arc of Watts’s colorful and controversial life, from his school days in England to his priesthood in the Anglican Church as chaplain of Northwestern University to his alternative lifestyle and experimentation with LSD in the heyday of the late sixties. His engaging letters cover a vast range of subject matter, with recipients ranging from High Church clergy to high priests of psychedelics, government officials, publishers, critics, family, and fans. They include C. G. Jung, Henry Miller, Gary Snyder, Aldous Huxley, Reinhold Niebuhr, Timothy Leary, Joseph Campbell, and James Hillman. Watts’s letters were curated by two of his daughters, Joan Watts and Anne Watts, who have added rich, behind-the-scenes biographical commentary. Edited by Joan Watts & Anne Watts

Buddhism: The Religion of No-Religion presents six powerful essays by Alan Watts, the guru for an entire generation of 20th century thinkers, writers and poets.

Color photographs of cloud formations and their groundbreaking explanatory text enable readers to read the sky, pick up the clues and predict what the weather will do--a brilliant concept.

Before he became a counterculture hero, Alan Watts was known as an incisive scholar of Eastern and Western psychology and philosophy. In this 1961 classic, Watts demonstrates his deep understanding of both Western psychotherapy and the Eastern spiritual philosophies of Buddhism, Taoism, Vedanta, and Yoga. He examined the problem of humans in a seemingly hostile universe in ways that questioned the social norms and illusions that bind and constrict modern humans. Marking a groundbreaking synthesis, Watts asserted that the powerful insights of Freud and Jung, which had, indeed, brought psychiatry close to the edge of liberation, could, if melded with the hitherto secret wisdom of the Eastern traditions, free people from their battles with the self. When psychotherapy merely helps us adjust to social norms, Watts argued, it falls short of true liberation, while Eastern philosophy seeks our natural relation to the cosmos.

Describes, in plain language but without robbing the subject of its provocative subtlety, how one can prepare for a life of Zen.