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In My Own Way
In My Own Way: An Autobiography | Alan Watts
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In this new edition of his acclaimed autobiography long out of print and rare until now Alan Watts tracks his spiritual and philosophical evolution. A child of religious conservatives in rural England, he went on to become a freewheeling spiritual teacher who challenged Westerners to defy convention and think for themselves. Watts's portrait of himself shows that he was a philosophical renegade from early on in his intellectual life. Self-taught in many areas, he came to Buddhism through the teachings of Christmas Humphreys and D. T. Suzuki. Told in a nonlinear style, In My Own Way combines Watts's brand of unconventional philosophy with wry observations on Western culture and often hilarious accounts of gurus, celebrities, and psychedelic drug experiences. A charming foreword by Watts's father sets the tone of this warm, funny, and beautifully written story. Watts encouraged readers to follow your own weird something he always did himself, as this remarkable account of his life shows.
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KristinaRay
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Verbal definitions of God in the form of creeds, dogmas, and doctrines are far more dangerous idols than statues made of wood, stone, or gold, because they have the deceptive appearance of being more “spiritual,” and because a creedally formulated God has been reduced to words, and is no longer experienced immediately, like clear water or blue sky.
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KristinaRay
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Somehow I have come to a place where I see through ideas, beliefs, and symbols. They are natural expressions of life, but do not, as they so often claim, embrace or explain life. Thus I am fascinated with almost all religions, so long as their followers do not try to convert me, in the same way that I am fascinated with the various kinds of flowers, birds, and insects, or with different ways of dressing and cooking.
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Bookspirit ☺👋Welcome to Litsy and congrats on becoming a Litten👏☺ 6y
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KristinaRay
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History determines what we are only to the extent that we insist, now, that it does so. Likewise, the dream—or the nightmare—of the great tomorrow is a present fantasy which distracts us from both reality and eternity.

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