Alan Watts - In the Academy

Alan Watts

Description

Gold Winner, 2017 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards in the Philosophy category

To commemorate the 2015 centenary of the birth of Alan Watts (1915–1973), Peter J. Columbus and Donadrian L. Rice have assembled a much-needed collection of Watts's scholarly essays and lectures. Compiled from professional journals, monographs, scholarly books, conferences, and symposia proceedings, the volume sheds valuable light on the developmental arc of Watts's thinking about language and mysticism, Buddhism and Zen, Christianity, comparative religion, psychedelics, and psychology and psychotherapy. This definitive collection challenges Watts's reputation as a "popularizer" or "philosophical entertainer," revealing his concerns to be much more expansive and transdisciplinary than is suggested by the parochial "Zen Buddhist" label commonly affixed to his writings. The editors' authoritative introduction elucidates contemporary perspectives on Watts's life and work, and supports a bold rethinking of his contributions to psychology, philosophy, and religion.
List of Illustrations
Editors’ Preface

Introduction: Alan Watts and the Academic Enterprise
Peter J. Columbus and Donadrian L. Rice

Part I: Language and Mysticism

1. On the Meaning and Relation of Absolute and Relative (1950)

2. The Negative Way (1951)

3. The Language of Metaphysical Experience: The Sense of Non-Sense (1953)

4. On Philosophical Synthesis (1953)

5. Philosophy beyond Words (1975)

Part II: Buddhism and Zen

6. The Problem of Faith and Works in Buddhism (1941).

7. Zen (1948)

8. The Way of Liberation in Zen Buddhism (1955)

9. Beat Zen, Square Zen, and Zen (1958)

10. Zen and Politics (1962)

11. Prefatory Essay to Suzuki’s Outlines of Mahayana Buddhism (1963)

Part III: Christianity

12. Theologia Mystica (1944)

13. The Case for God (1946)

14. The Meaning of Priesthood (1946)

15. The Christian Doctrine of Marriage (1946)

Part IV: Comparative Religion

16. Worship in Sacrament and Silence (1964/1971)

17. Western Mythology: Its Dissolution and Transformation (1970)

18. The Future of Religion (1970)

19. Unity in Contemplation (1974)

Part V: Psychedelics

20. The Individual as Man/World (1963)

21. A Psychedelic Experience: Fact or Fantasy? (1964) 

22. Psychedelics and Religious Experience (1968) 

23. Ordinary Mind is the Way (1971) 

Part VI: Psychology and Psychotherapy

24. Asian Psychology and Modern Psychiatry (1953)

25. Convention, Conflict, and Liberation: Further Observations on Asian Psychology and Modern Psychiatry (1956)

26. Eternity as the Unrepressed Body (1959)

27. Oriental and Occidental Approaches to the Nature of Man (1962)

28. The Woman in Man (1963) 

29. An Interview with Alan Watts (with Philip D. Ungerer) (1969)

30. Psychotherapy and Eastern Religion: Metaphysical Bases of Psychiatry (1974)          

Appendix A
List of Contributors
Index

Sujets

• Philosophie
• Philosophie de la religion
• Philosophy of religion
• Humanistic psychology
• Buddhism
• System

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 24 avril 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 2
• EAN13: 9781438465562
• Langue: English

Extrait

Alan Watts—
in the ACADEMY
SUNY SERIES IN TRANSPERSONAL AND HUMANISTIC PSYCHOLOGY
Richard D. Mann, editor
Alan Watts—
in the ACADEMY
essays and lectures
Edited and with an introduction by
Peter J. Columbus and Donadrian L. Rice
On the cover : Portrait of Alan Watts by Fred Richards–Daishi, from the artist’s collection.
Published by
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRESS
Albany
© 2017 State University of New York
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www.sunypress.edu
Production, Dana Foote
Marketing, Anne M. Valentine
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Watts, Alan, 1915–1973, author. | Columbus, Peter J., editor. | Rice, Donadrian L., editor.
Title: Alan Watts—in the academy : essays and lectures / by Alan Watts ; edited and with an introduction by Peter J. Columbus and Donadrian L. Rice.
Description: Albany, NY : State University of New York Press, 2017. | Series: SUNY series in transpersonal and humanistic psychology | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016031500 (print) | LCCN 2017008164 (ebook) | ISBN 9781438465555 (hardcover : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781438465562 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Philosophy.
Classification: LCC B945 .W321 2017 (print) | LCC B945 (ebook) | DDC 191—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016031500
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
List of Illustrations
Editors’ Preface
Introduction: Alan Watts and the Academic Enterprise
Peter J. Columbus and Donadrian L. Rice
PART ONE
LANGUAGE AND MYSTICISM
CHAPTER ONE
On the Meaning and Relation of Absolute and Relative (1950)
CHAPTER TWO
The Negative Way (1951)
CHAPTER THREE
The Language of Metaphysical Experience: The Sense of Non-Sense (1953)
CHAPTER FOUR
On Philosophical Synthesis (1953)
CHAPTER FIVE
Philosophy beyond Words (1975)
PART TWO
BUDDHISM AND ZEN
CHAPTER SIX
The Problem of Faith and Works in Buddhism (1941)
CHAPTER SEVEN
Zen (1948)
CHAPTER EIGHT
The Way of Liberation in Zen Buddhism (1955)
CHAPTER NINE
Beat Zen, Square Zen, and Zen (1958)
CHAPTER TEN
Zen and Politics (1962)
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Prefatory Essay to Suzuki’s Outlines of Mahayana Buddhism (1963)
PART THREE
CHRISTIANITY
CHAPTER TWELVE
Theologia Mystica: Being the Treatise of Saint Dionysius Pseudo-Areopagite on Mystical Theology, Together with the First and Fifth Epistles (1944)
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The Case for God (1946)
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The Meaning of Priesthood (1946)
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The Christian Doctrine of Marriage (1946)
PART FOUR
COMPARATIVE RELIGION
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Worship in Sacrament and Silence (1964/1971)
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Western Mythology: Its Dissolution and Transformation (1970)
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The Future of Religion (1970)
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Unity in Contemplation (1974)
PART FIVE
PSYCHEDELICS
CHAPTER TWENTY
The Individual as Man/World (1963)
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
A Psychedelic Experience: Fact or Fantasy? (1964)
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Psychedelics and Religious Experience (1968)
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Ordinary Mind Is the Way (1971)
PART SIX
PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOTHERAPY
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Asian Psychology and Modern Psychiatry (1953)
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Convention, Conflict, and Liberation: Further Observations on Asian Psychology and Modern Psychiatry (1956)
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Eternity as the Unrepressed Body (1959)
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Oriental and Occidental Approaches to the Nature of Man (1962)
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
The Woman in Man (1963)
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
An Interview with Alan Watts (1969)
(with Philip D. Ungerer)
CHAPTER THIRTY
Psychotherapy and Eastern Religion: Metaphysical Bases of Psychiatry (1974)
Appendix: Academic and Literary Reviews of Watts’ Major Texts
About the Contributors
Index
Illustrations
1.1. A Necker Cube representing a three-dimensional perspective.
1.2. A square representing a two-dimensional perspective.
1.3. A Necker Cube representing acquisition of a three-dimensional perspective.
1.4. A tesseract representing a four-dimensional perspective.
1.5. “The First Cause.”
1.6. Events in time radiating from the First Cause.
1.7. Relations of time and eternity.
1.8. The absolute-relative relationship.
1.9. An incorrect view of the absolute-relative relationship.
7.1. The Chinese character for “Zen.”
7.2. Drawing of Bodhidharma, based on painting by Soga Josaku (15th cent.).
7.3. The word AUM or OM, written in Sanskrit.
7.4. Chinese character for “TAO.”
7.5. The Chinese yin-yang symbol.
7.6. Line drawing of bamboo, based on painting by Chu Lu (1553–1632).
7.7. The Chinese characters for “wu hsin” (no-mind).
7.8. The Bamboo Cutter, based on painting by Liang K’ai (13th cent.).
7.9. Autograph by Abbot Kozuki of Empukuji, Kyoto.
Editors’ Preface
T he year 2015 marked the centenary of Alan Watts’ birth. He lived only 58 years, and once conjectured that his relevance would fade within five decades beyond his death. Yet, nearly 45 years after his 1973 passing, interest in Watts’ life and work is not subsiding. His books remain in vogue, and popular audiences in large numbers now view his audiovisual materials via YouTube. Moreover, contemporary scholars are currently mapping Watts’ historical influence, and surveying his ongoing impact in a variety of academic disciplines. It is in service to this scholarly effort that we have gathered and organized, thematically and chronologically, the present anthology of writings and lectures by Watts. All materials herein, particularly endnotes, references, and figures were formatted for consistency with the American Psychological Association’s publication style. Occasionally, though rarely, editorial comments were added as endnotes for clarification of subject matter.
As this manuscript reaches publication, a substantial debt of thanks is coming due. First, to everyone who generously offered permission to reprint materials. A University of West Georgia faculty grant to Don Rice helped cover any reprint fees. Jean-Claude van Itallie and the Shantigar Foundation supported Peter Columbus’ writing and editing. Lisa Prolman’s interlibrary loan staff at the Public Library of Greenfield, Massachusetts, helped locate, identify, and acquire materials necessary for the text. Fred Richards kindly allowed use of his artwork for the cover. Three anonymous reviewers (particularly “reviewer #3”) offered critical commentaries affording important revisions to an early draft of the introduction. Another anonymous reviewer subsequently offered practical suggestions for final revision. The State University of New York Press editorial, technical, and marketing staff, including the late Nancy Ellegate, Andrew Kenyon, Christopher Ahn, Jessica Kirschner, Dana Foote, and Anne Valentine, shepherded the manuscript to publication. Sincere gratitude to all.
—Peter J. Columbus
Rowe, Massachusetts
—Donadrian L. Rice
Carrollton, Georgia
Introduction
Alan Watts and the Academic Enterprise
Peter J. Columbus and Donadrian L. Rice
As in some economies the rich keep getting richer and the poor poorer, so in the overspecialized disciplines of modern scholarship the learned get more learned and the ignorant get more ignorant—until the two classes can hardly talk to each other. I have dedicated my work to an attempt to bridge that gap.
—Alan Watts, 1975b, p. xx
T his collection of academic essays by Alan Watts serves to commemorate the centenary of his birth on the Feast of the Epiphany—January 6—in 1915. Watts was born into a middle-class family at Rowan Tree Cottage, in the village of Chislehurst, located on the outskirts of London. He was raised in the Church of England, educated at elite Anglican preparatory academies—including King’s School in Canterbury (1928–1932)—and studied at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois (1941–1944). Receiving the Sacrament of Holy Orders on the Feast of the Ascension, May 18, 1944, Watts served as Episcopal priest, chaplain and theologian at Northwestern University (1944–1950), professor of comparative philosophy at the American Academy of Asian Studies in San Francisco (1951–1957), and freelance philosopher (1958–1973), including visiting scholar at Harvard University (1962–1964). He held a Master of Sacred Theology degree from Seabury-Western Seminary (1948), an Honorary Doctorate of Divinity from the University of Vermont (1958), and was a Fellow of the Society for Arts, Religion, and Contemporary Culture.
Watts integrated his Anglo-Catholic religious formation with knowledge of Buddhism, Daoism, and Hinduism toward resolving problems of ontological estrangement in the twentieth-century West (Morgan, 2008). His 1947 book, Behold the Spirit: A Study in the Necessity of Mystical Religion , was hailed by Fr. Alan Griffith Whittemore (1890–1960), superior of the Order of the Holy Cross and abbot of Holy Cross Monastery in West Park, New York, as “one of the most penetrating works that ever has come from the pen of an Anglican author” (as cited in Sadler, 1985, p. 2). In the 1950s, Watts’ vital counterpoints to capricious interpretations of Buddhist doctrine rendered him “the most influential figure to come out of the era of Beat Zen” (Coleman, 2001, p. 63). He subsequently offered innovative understandings of spiritual and religious consciousness amid the countercultural upheavals of the psychedelic 1960s (Roszak, 1969/1995), and was a formative influence within the “human po