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Unfortunately all that is made available on the subject of death in our Western culture is our outdated religious ideologies and wishful thinking.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'.

If you would like to know more about Alan Watts and the Taoist philosophy, please visit my YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/TaoFAQ

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Alan
• Watts
• Taoism
• Daoism
• Death
• Dying
• Chinese
• Philosophy
• Yin
• Yang
• Cancer
• Fear
• Life
• After
• Oxymoron
• Meditation
• Emptiness
• Empty
• Mind
• No-Thing

[TheSenseiClay]

I love that these video comments are so smart, respectful and intelligent. thnx for showing me there are smart ppl on youtube who don't just "hate" or post dumb shit and etc.

[yinyangnature]

@TheSenseiClay That's so great to hear! We should never give up on our own species; an aperture in which the Universe is observing itself.

[horatiuakara]

i disagree. it is not like a cycle. only the inexistence part repeats. the life part does not. it only happens once. so how is it like a cycle?

[yinyangnature]

@horatiuakara If we are comprised from atoms, and these atoms are never static, but are forever in motion; who is to say the atoms that we are comprised of today will not comprise another entity at some future time?

[horatiuakara]

@yinyangnature That's irrelevant. it doesn't do anything whatsoever for this entity (me; this consciousness that my brain generates). you are talking about individual atoms that used to comprise us (like the rubble after a building demolition). it will never comprise the exact same entity / consciousness again. for us it's not like a cycle at all (only for our building blocks). for each individual, the brief period of life is more like an exception in the infinite nonexistence.

[yinyangnature]

@horatiuakara Indeed. Our atoms will never comprise the exact same entity again. But what makes us believe we are anything but an illusion of our sensory awareness? Our consciousness feels like the most significant part of what we are, yet this is only a fraction. Most of our bodily functions: the beating of our heart; cell division; digestion; the growing of our hair etc; all go on without our conscious awareness. Therefore, what we believe we are is only a very small part of what we truly are.

[yinyangnature]

@trainofaaron We fear death because most of us can't stand the thought our ego isn't eternal. Many spend hours in meditation, just for a brief glimpse of the emptiness behind ego. This is why meditation is often called "dying while still living". Yet Western culture continues to inflate our already over inflated egos in order to keep our highly materialist economy ticking over. Therefore our irrational anxieties are now so severe, most of us can't function without illicit or prescription drugs.

[yinyangnature]

@jatimatiktimoska What proof do any of us have there is anything real about our everyday lives? When we are asleep we are often unable to discern dreams from conscious reality. Who’s to say all our imaginings end there? It seems conceivable that we don’t really exist in Nature as our sensory awareness would have us believe. If this is the case, how can we die if we don’t exist as we feel we do? Maybe dying is merely the end of an illusion, of what we mistakenly believe is real.

[gamesDAMNED]

Please excuse me while I breathe into a paper bag and try not to panic...

[urasismet]

The concept of mortality is the truest, the most peacefull thing that has ever been known by men since of its first thought.

[somegamer1879]

And lastly...ask yourself if eternity exists. Then, whether is does or not, ask yourself how life fits into that situation. Alan said Hindus believe if u lived forever u'd eventually get bored, so life is the only way to stay entertained. Hmmmm...

[somegamer1879]

2 things to comfort u about it. 1. It has happened & will happen to every human being ever. 2. What ever it is that gave us life will be the same thing or process that will end it. And I also think eternal damnation trivializes what life is all about.

[somegamer1879]

"Used to be dead" such a different idea then, "wasn't born yet." I love Alan & think he's genius about almost everything, but no one will ever know what'll happen until it does. I have an uneasy suspicion that we will just be born again, but I hope there's at least some kind of heavenly intermission before we are.

[Pestilentich]

@kingofmilwaukee6969 Thank you so much! Have a very good day!

[kingofmilwaukee6969]

@Pestilentich It is called an "Enso." You can read about it in Wiki. The fact you are interested in the symbol says volumes.

[anusjuice69]

this is the wisest man I have ever heard talk

[acdc14terrace]

Where can I find the picture at 2:07???

[Pestilentich]

4:01 what is that called?