Name: The Book
Rating: 3.575757575757576 (33 reviews)
ISBN: 9780679723004

Alan Watts

A witty attack on the illusion that the self is a separate ego that confronts a universe of alien physical objects.

On the Taboo Against Knowing who You are

The Book

Manu

Edward Steel

Greg Talbot

The game of life is examined, prodded, mocked and possibly dismissed. Watts denudes our cultural programmming and with his usual brio describes the "ultimate taboo". What is this ultimate taboo - that YOU are that ground of being, that inmost self is the material of the divine. Like any good koan, the answer is not important as the question it evokes. As a reader approaching the material critically, I found myself shocked by the ramifications and at the same time impressed by Watts metaphorical and playfulness language. At one point Watts uses the idea of a spider being captured by it's own web. Another example, with a college president never getting in front of his work, Watts illustrates a very modern problem, the chasm between society's technological progress and society's spiritual immaturity. Watts to me seems like a figure who brings some understanding between eastern and western practices. With that said, his understanding of the world is likely to an affront to many people's worldviews. Controversy is never a reason to dismiss a work, especially a thinker as original as Watts. My own problem with "The Book" is that it sometimes lacks organization, especially when compared to his tight audio lectures.

Heiki Riesenkampf

The book was confusing. Very deep and convoluted with a potentially strong message, but I did not get it. I believe it was not the right time for me to read this book.

Arturo Hernández

If you feel like jumping into a philosophical trip in the hopes of understanding who you are, what are you, how did you come here, why are you here and where could you be going, then this is an interesting book for you.

Ugis

Very interesting read. I am a fan of Alan Watts for quite some time now, but this was the first book that I actually read. And it is amazing what he was thinking about in the 60's. Lot of philosophical notes and food for thought. I think that soon I will try to expand my reviews and publish some more thoughts too. [reading time: 5h44m]

Josh Kuiros

Mt Tetzel

Tanner Christensen

Giving Static

Duality Diva

The Book On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are explores an unrecognised but mighty taboo - our tacit conspiracy to ignore who, or what, we really are. Alan Watts, key thinker of Western Zen Buddhism, explains how to reconsider our relationship with the world. We are in urgent need of a sense of our own existence, which is in accord with the physical facts and which overcomes our feeling of alienation from the universe. In The Book On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are, Alan Watts asks what causes the illusion of the self as a separate ego which confronts a universe of physical objects that are alien to it. Rather, a person's identity binds them to the physical universe, creating a relationship with their environment and other people. The separation of the self and the physical world leads to the misuse of technology and the attempt to violently subjugate man's natural environment, leading to its destruction. Watts urges against the idea that we are separate from the world. Nowhere is this idea more apparent than in the concept of cultural taboos. The biggest taboo of all is knowing who we really are behind the mask of our self as presented to the world. Through our focus on ourselves and the world as it affects us, we have developed narrowed perception. Alan Watts tells us how to open our eyes and see ourselves not as coming into the world but from it. In understanding the individual's real place in the universe, Watts presents a critique of Western culture and a healing alternative.

The Book On the Taboo Against Knowing who You are

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