Ep. 39 – What Am I?
5/15/202653 min
Moving beyond the imagined boundary of form, Alan Watts explores the idea that humanity is a microcosm of the universe and that the two are inseparable.
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This time on Being in the Way, Alan Watts discusses:
- Considering whether being part of a whole means that we are the whole
- The radial structure of humanity, Earth, and all beings
- Recognizing that skin is not the boundary of man
- How foreign the inner workings of the human body seem to humanness
- The nature of the mind, likened to the nature of space
- The illusion of an individual operating from himself
- Blending together materialism and mysticism, not getting too stuck in one or the other
This series is brought to you by the Alan Watts Organization and Ram Dass’ Love Serve Remember Foundation. Visit Alanwatts.org for full talks from Alan Watts.
“Any other way of looking at things is kind of schizoid. It looks at human beings as if they arrived in this world like a bunch of birds on the branches of a barren tree. They just got settled there, they don’t belong, a sense of being strangers and pilgrims from another domain altogether. Well, where is this other domain, and how does it relate to this one?” –Alan Watts
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 10:00
[outro music] Teaching meditation is its own skill. You don't need to be a master practitioner to begin learning how to guide others, but you do need real training. Join Buddhist teacher David Nichtern and Professor Robert Thurman for a free online discussion on Tuesday, May twenty-sixth at six PM Eastern Time, exploring the role of the teacher in the Buddhist tradition, why lineage and transmission matter, and what it means to skillfully support others in meditation practice today. They'll also discuss Dharma Moon and Tibet House's Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training Program beginning in June twenty twenty-six. You'll have a chance to ask questions, meet the teaching team, and find out whether the program might be a good fit for you. Visit dharmamoon.com/friend. That's dharmamoon.com/friend for more information and to reserve your spot for the free event on Tuesday, May twenty-sixth.
Mark Watts· Host1:05
[outro music] Welcome again to the Alan Watts Podcast, Being in the Way. I'm your host, Mark Watts, and today we've got some more treats for you from the archives. Today