Posted by phunkle kitten on October 03, 2002 at 21:54:33:
In Reply to: puzzling Watts -- ?????? posted by giveawayboy on October 03, 2002 at 20:50:00:
: I could never understand or 'get into' Alan Watts. In fact, I don't even know what his whole 'trip' is, but I'd appreciate anyone who could tell me without dissolving into thin air. Yeah! Also, I don't have anything against the guy. It's just hard for me to read his books since the words seem to vanish off the page. Now, Geshe Kelsang Gyatso on the other hand--there's a guy I can read. He is concrete!
: Later, Bill
hiya
to me watts is like fine chocolate and can be enjoyed as such little bites..
the first book i read by him was on the beat movement..it helped me understand the sacredness that is in words and how powerful words can be..it also showed frality of words and the frailty of man. how we desire to figure everything out..and how we dont rest more and become silent to find peace..sometimes we can be so busy we dont slow down to enjoy a moment..example we eat food to fast these days with all this noise happening the radio speaking the tv speaking sometimes we are driving cars or on the phone..before we know it the priveledge to enjoy is gone...he speaks on other everyday happenings as well..he is not obscure actually he is easy to read if we can slow down long enough to turn out and read..sometimes i would read a page a few times to help digest it one thing in the beats book he talked about linear and spatial living/time it was so close to how i have heard native american teachers discuss time and thinking..he also talked about finding a place to hide and heal...below are some quotes that are neat enjoy
"Zen. . . does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is just to peel the potatoes"
than nicht talks about this God is sacred and there a moments of everyday that can inherit sacred cooking peeling washing dishes just like in brother lawrence practicing the prescense of God we dont haft to know why he is sacred God just is..or why when we worship we can feel his love..his pprescence is always there even when we cant find it
"You find out that the universe is a system that creeps up on itself and says 'Boo!' and then laughs at itself for jumping."
i thought that was cute,,,this giant powerful universe.finding itself and then boo...it is kind of like when we find something new about us it can startle us..or when we realize it is already part of us and we come to peace with the it.
"Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth"
I cant bite my own teeth sometimes trying to define is hard it can also be like looking at a piece of abstract/modern art in all its spatial energies you see the colors and they assit you in enjoying the moment like blue might relax you red can mimic intentisty and so on, there are time i try to define me and it leads to frustration in others
in some strange way "tom waits" does this with music the way he records and the words he says..you haft to sit and enjoy to understand what he is trying to covey to you as an indvidual...
hmmm waits watts......hmmmmm chow