Table Of Content

Taoism Way Beyond Seeking THE EDITED TRANSCRIPTS •95 It has hem said that Alan Watts touches the heart of wisdom in ways that continue to flower and inspire. This book is derived from lectures by Alan Watts between 1968 and 1973. With colorful titles such as “ The Philosophy of the Tao,” “Being in the Way,” and “Landscape, Soundscape” his seminars drew an enthusiastic crowd of diverse interests. Some came because they were stu¬ dents of Watts, others because they were look¬ ing lor the latest trend in the counterculture movement, and some came because they were captivated by the intrigue of a philosophy in tune with the course of nature. All came away with a newfound fascination with the Tao, and in the possibility that an ancient Oriental way of being in touch with the true “nature of nature” might guide a technological culture toward reunification with the rest of the planet. Taoism: Way Beyond Seeking recaptures the energy of these seminars and shows that the words of Alan Watts are as relevant and prophetic today as they were over twenty-five years ago. I Taoism Way Beyond Seeking THE EDITED TRANSCRIPTS Alan Watts at a seminar aboard the SS Vallejo, 1966 Taoism Way Beyond Seeking THE EDITED TRANSCRIPTS Charles E. Tuttle Co., Inc. Boston ♦ Rutland, Vermont ♦ Tokyo First published in 1998 by Tuttle Publishing, an imprint of Periplus Editions (bdK) Ltd., with editorial offices at 153 Milk Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02109. Copyright © 1997 Mark Watts All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior writ' ten permission from Tuttle Publishing. Library of Congress Cataloging'in-Publication Data Watts, Alan, I9i5'i973. Taoism : way beyond seeking / by Alan Watts. p. cm. — (The Alan Watts love of wisdom library ; 5) ISBN 0'8o48'3058'4 (hard) 1. Taoism. I. Title. II. Series: Watts, Alan, 1915-1973. Alan Watts “Love of wisdom” library ; 5. BL1920.T375 1998 299’ .514—dc2i 97-49648 CIP Distributed by USA Southeast Asia Charles E. Tuttle Co., Inc. Berkeley Books Pte. Ltd. RR 1 Box 231-5 5 Little Road #08-01 North Clarendon, VT 05759 Singapore 536983 Tel.: (802) 773-8930 Tel: (65) 280-3320 Lax.: (802) 773'6993 Fax.: (65) 280-6290 Japan Tuttle Shokai Ltd. 1-21-13, Seki Tama-ku, Kawasaki-shi Kanagawa-k.en 214, Japan Tel: (044) 833-0225 Fax.: (044) 822-0413 First edition 05 04 03 02 01 00 99 98 x 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 Design by Frances Kay Cover design by Sherry Fatla Printed in the United States of America Contents Introduction * * Vll i. Philosophy of the Tao I I ii. Philosophy of the Tao II *7 hi. The World as Organic Process 33 IV. Being in the Way I 51 V. Being in the Way II 71 VI. Landscape, Soundscape 91 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2017 with funding from Kahle/Austin Foundation https://archive.org/details/taoismwaybeyondsOOwatt