Thusness Audio CD – Audiobook, January 6, 2015

I was a big fan of Alan Watts in the 70s and 80s, but this material seems a bit dated now (to be completely honest, however, I don't know when this was recorded). Great things have been taking place with Buddhism in recent years--deeper and expanding understandings of those "Perennial Philosophies." I am following Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism these days, and the one thing that now attracts me so strongly, that was missing in the earlier days of Ram Dass, Alan Watts and many of the earlier pioneers, is a much greater emphasis on the practice of compassion and wisdom. The 60s and 70s are scornfully derided as the "Me" Decades; the emphasis on practice back then was much about personal fulfillment and enlightenment and less attention paid to the welfare of others. Fritz Perls a quite popular Gestalt therapist in the 60s summed up the ethos of the age with, “I do my thing and you do your thing. I am not in this world to live up to your expectations, and you are not in this world to live up to mine. You are you, and I am I, and if by chance we find each other, it’s beautiful. If not, it can’t be helped.”This "ego-centrism" hidden in the Western take on Buddhism was a necessary step, I believe, just as it is necessary for an adolescent needs to be ego-centric to do her life's work of developing the answer to "who am I?" As Erick Ericson says in his "Eight Stages of Man" (written before much attention was paid to more inclusive language), having completed some stable sense of identity through adolescent naval gazing, moving into adulthood means an expanding caring of others and diminishing focus on self. This continues throughout life with our expanding sense of caring about others and diminishing focus on ego-centric needs. From young adulthood, with a focus on the well-being of a significant other, to those in our immediate surrounding, then our wider social community and finally, in the last stages of life, increased about, and understanding, one's place in the entirety of life (is it any wonder that Grandmas and Grandpas can be the most gentle and kind of all humans?)I am deeply indebted to the early Western pioneers of Eastern philosophies and religion like Watts and so many others. Through their youthful excitement and enthusiasm in bringing East to West, they launched an important movement in the West that still grows.

I found this was a good one to teach an older friend of mine about the openness of religions.

The audio quality of these recorded lectures is poor, but the content, especially in the last of the four lectures, is *amazing.* Watts has the gravitas and speaking style of a 19th century professor, giving long, thoughtful talks on central topics. This is some of the best Buddhist literature I've ever read. I look forward to his other lecture recordings. -Ryan Mease

EN: A very valuable lecture from Alan Watts globally on Buddhism and specifically on Thusness. I have listenned this lectures many times, and I still find it rich of knowledge and ideas on many topics related to Buddhism, and therefore still quite enjoyable.FR: C'est un cours très intéressant sur le Bouddhisme en général, et l'ainsité et particulier. Ce cours est riche en contenu sur de multiples sujets relatifs au Bouddhisme, si bien que je l'ai écouté plusieurs fois sans jamais en être fatigué, et je pense le réécouter encore plusieurs fois avant de l'archiver.