Buddhism by Alan Watts

Buddhism

The Religion of No-religion

Alan Watts, Alan W. Watts, Mark Watts

Tuttle Publishing · Print & ebook · May 14, 2024

"Although Alan Watts' famous voice and happy laughter are missing now, his penetrating vision of Buddhism remains, and his lectures become brilliant prose in book form." —Publishers Weekly 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.

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Who it’s for
Alan Watts makes Buddhism’s big questions feel open to inquiry, not fenced in by doctrine.
Genres
Buddhism - General, Zen Buddhism, Buddhist Thought
Published
Tuttle Publishing, May 14, 2024

About this book

"Although Alan Watts' famous voice and happy laughter are missing now, his penetrating vision of Buddhism remains, and his lectures become brilliant prose in book form." —Publishers Weekly 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. Watts was an engaging speaker and an icon of America's Beat and Counterculture movements.

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His friends included Aldous Huxley, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, John Cage and Joseph Campbell. In this book, Watts explores all aspects of Buddhism—from its roots in ancient India to the explosion of interest in Zen and Tibetan Buddhist thought in the West. The fascinating topics covered in this book include: - Finding a Middle Way: How a spiritual path to awakening is formed not just by avoiding extreme indulgence but extreme denial as well - The Religion of No-Religion: How Buddhism eschews any particular dogma and instead acts as a guide to understanding oneself - Buddhism as Dialogue: How Zen teaches us that we are one with the world and so as we learn to navigate the world, we must also learn about ourselves Watts traces the early beginnings of Buddhism, outlines the differences between Buddhism and other religions, and reviews the Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path. Buddhism: The Religion of No-Religion is a valuable reminder of the peace to be found by looking inward.

Ideas Without Borders

Alan Watts makes Buddhism’s big questions feel open to inquiry, not fenced in by doctrine.

Come here for

  • Buddhist thought without the usual demand for dogma
  • A lively bridge from ancient roots to Zen and Tibetan thought

Expect

  • Six essays on the Middle Way, self-understanding, and Buddhist teachings
  • A reflective, conversational path through ideas rather than a plot

Where it sits

Buddhism - General77%
Zen Buddhism50%
Buddhist Thought36%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Meditation
  • Buddhist Thought
  • Buddhist History
Authors
Alan Watts, Alan W. Watts, Mark Watts
Publisher
Tuttle Publishing
Published
May 14, 2024
Format
Print & ebook
Reading lane
Meditation