Alan Watts - Death

The speaker of this highly enlightening video on death is Alan Watts (1915 - 1973). A philosopher specialising in the Ancient teachings of the Far East, Dr Watts was instrumental in introducing Eastern philosophy to Western culture during the 1960s.

Nevertheless, it is important to understand that Alan Watts was not attempting to replace our Western religions with those of Asia; as this would simply be replacing one form of grasping with another and in Eastern philosophy grasping is a cause of suffering.

Unfortunately all that is made available on the subject of death in our Western culture is our outdated religious ideologies and wishful thinking. Yet most of us intuitively recognise "Life after death" is an oxymoron; making this very down-to-earth lecture by Watts a breath of fresh air.

As it is commonly observed in Nature and illustrated by the Yin-Yang motif, every aspect of Nature has a equal and corresponding opposite. Therefore it is highly unlikely our current awareness would be directly followed by more of the same. It seems logical that any period of awareness would be followed by an equal period of non-awareness.

Initially non-awareness may be confused with darkness or isolation and very much feared. Nevertheless, we already experience periods of non-awareness during dreamless sleep and meditation; yet these encounters with 'Emptiness' are the most relaxed and stress free periods we ever experience.

It is little wonder 'empty mind meditation' is often referred to as 'dying while still living'. This is simply because it is through this practice we can often glimpse the 'Emptiness' behind consciousness and therefore overcome our very deep-seated fear of 'No-thing'.

• Category

  Education

[MissMaria1988]

My experiences i my life has been showing me there is no death. This has nothing to do with a believe system. It is based upon my experience :)

[yinyangnature]

We need to examine on what basis we are making all our assumptions. We assume we are alive merely because we feel this is true. Yet whenever examined, nature is always found to be counter intuitive. From this understanding, it isn't a great leap to realise that most of what we assume is reality, is actually an illusion; and we really don't exist as we feel we do. Therefore, how can we die, if we really don't exist as an isolated ego? Death is really just the end of the illusion of separateness.

[Afflictive Knight]

You would know it . with sufficient intelligence and some time you will notice it as a global ex(dark matter)

[IceJones29]

Beautiful and 100% true my friend. That's why we're all here. To gain knowledge of this sort. Once we understand these things, you don't come back here. The circle of reincarnation is broken and you are free.

[Honeysucklebommie]

Physically speaking;we're material measuring devices with a very narrow perspective.if we think and feel only in the physical matter realm,then we repel and attract opposites.Religion is the other way and does the reverse. There is the real space to be in, The only real void is in between the points.If you are really awake let go of the edges or the ends that bumped you awake.Observe, dont judge, be free,let go of the banks of the river of life.Anti matter is mostly everything, it isnt nothing.

[Jonathan Gresham]

"How, if you hear that the man newly dead is, like the man newly born, still living man - one same, existent Spirit - will you weep? The end of birth is death; the end of death is birth: this is ordained!" - Bhagavad Gita (The Song Celestial: 2)

[Jonathan Gresham]

"I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again ... no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." - Jesus Christ (John 3:3-8)

[Orang3troll]

But just because one didn't notice the white doesn't mean that there is no white. Of course, if you look at a wall painted black, you won't see anything white. You wouldn't even know what black was if you didn't know what white is.

[Afflictive Knight]

Ofcourse you can have black without white , You would just didn't notice

[DrayFly]

Without religion there would be no Alan Watts. You cant have one without the other. You cant have black without the white. They emply eachother

[Giovanni Grimaldi]

The moment you fall asleep you are awakened. When you wake up it´s all an illusion and a dream