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Taoism Way Beyond Seeking
"Although his famous voice and happy laughter are missing now, his penetrating vision remains, and his lectures become brilliant prose in book form." This volume in the "Love of Wisdom" library focuses on the more playful and artistic aspects of Taoism. Essays include "Being in the Way", "The Philosophy of Tao", and "Landscape, Soundscape" Alan Watts' lectures always drew a large audience of diverse interests, and these Taoist explorations of the "nature of nature" should introduce a new generation to Watt's thought.
128 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2001
About the author
Alan W. Watts
250 books8,282 followersAlan Wilson Watts was a British philosopher, writer and speaker, who held both a Master's in Theology and a Doctorate of Divinity. Famous for his research on comparative religion, he was best known as an interpreter and popularizer of Asian philosophies for a Western audience. He wrote over 25 books and numerous articles on subjects such as personal identity, the true nature of reality, higher consciousness, the meaning of life, concepts and images of God and the non-material pursuit of happiness. In his books he relates his experience to scientific knowledge and to the teachings of Eastern and Western religion and philosophy.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 7, 2020
"The beggar has heaven and earth for his summer clothes."
"In Zen practice, you have to regard yourself as a cloud, because, of course, clouds never make mistakes. Have you ever seen a cloud that was misshapen? Have you ever seen a badly designed wave? No. They are always right. They always do the right thing, and as a matter of fact, so do we."
<3
i lovelovelovelovelovelove this book!
"In Zen practice, you have to regard yourself as a cloud, because, of course, clouds never make mistakes. Have you ever seen a cloud that was misshapen? Have you ever seen a badly designed wave? No. They are always right. They always do the right thing, and as a matter of fact, so do we."
<3
i lovelovelovelovelovelove this book!
June 17, 2019
This is the first book I read, it was my introduction to Alan Watts. I have read this book no less than a dozen times. Each time I gain new insight.
February 3, 2026
Me parece un excelente libro para adentrarse en el taoísmo, mucha claridad práctica del autor. Creo que adentrarse en esta corriente hace más livianas las cosas.
March 11, 2026
I love u alan watts forevssssssss
gifted this book to a good friend i met in a yoga ashram in nepal, so i cannot remember all the quotes i most loved
but my main takeaways:
Wu Wei: do not force anything, what is meant to be will be; 'don't force a lock, you'll bend the key or break the lock'
-a spiritual life is a way of being, not a 'practice' or a chore, meditation is simply a way of being, not a task
-Tao & cosmic consciousness: Stanislas Julien, when translating Tao The King, described the way of 'Tao' as synonymous with cosmic consciousness: it is devoid of action, thought, judgement and intelligence
=it is the way of complete unforced stillness, so that everything happens the way it authentically by nature was meant to happen; the concept of Tao is allowing the flow of being, not forcing anything
"Your ordinary consciousness is the Tao".
-yin & yang: forcing wholly positive is artificial, you must embody everything- do not label it as good or bad as it all makes up into a whole, ties into jungian's 'shadow' theory- importance of integrating your shadow to become your whole embodied self
=Self-awareness alone is not sufficient; it must be accompanied by an acceptance of your own boundaries. Certain parts of our nature are fixed, and that is part of being human. Instead of resisting these emotions and limitations that cannot change, notice them, feel them, and then let them move through you.
-in meditation, allowing emotions to pass and treating them objectively with non-judgement- your emotions are temporary and not your identity: "Simply be aware of what actually is without giving it names and without judging it, for you are now feeling our reality itself instead of ideas and opinions about it."
Tao & the flow of water
=just as water, in naturally flows where space allows it to, it can be the softest element, but also the hardest element in quantity
'It is the way of the Tao to act without acting, to conduct affairs without the trouble of them, to taste without discerning any flavour, to consider the small as great, and the few as many, and to recompense injury with kindness'
I will say, I misunderstood taoism for being to always take the path of least resistance-which i felt misalligned with the necessary sacrifice needed for relationship and career success, but it is not about that, taoism encourages hard work so long as it is not driven by ego, anxiety, or social pressure: it must come naturally from within, and allign with your internal energy balance
gifted this book to a good friend i met in a yoga ashram in nepal, so i cannot remember all the quotes i most loved
but my main takeaways:
Wu Wei: do not force anything, what is meant to be will be; 'don't force a lock, you'll bend the key or break the lock'
-a spiritual life is a way of being, not a 'practice' or a chore, meditation is simply a way of being, not a task
-Tao & cosmic consciousness: Stanislas Julien, when translating Tao The King, described the way of 'Tao' as synonymous with cosmic consciousness: it is devoid of action, thought, judgement and intelligence
=it is the way of complete unforced stillness, so that everything happens the way it authentically by nature was meant to happen; the concept of Tao is allowing the flow of being, not forcing anything
"Your ordinary consciousness is the Tao".
-yin & yang: forcing wholly positive is artificial, you must embody everything- do not label it as good or bad as it all makes up into a whole, ties into jungian's 'shadow' theory- importance of integrating your shadow to become your whole embodied self
=Self-awareness alone is not sufficient; it must be accompanied by an acceptance of your own boundaries. Certain parts of our nature are fixed, and that is part of being human. Instead of resisting these emotions and limitations that cannot change, notice them, feel them, and then let them move through you.
-in meditation, allowing emotions to pass and treating them objectively with non-judgement- your emotions are temporary and not your identity: "Simply be aware of what actually is without giving it names and without judging it, for you are now feeling our reality itself instead of ideas and opinions about it."
Tao & the flow of water
=just as water, in naturally flows where space allows it to, it can be the softest element, but also the hardest element in quantity
'It is the way of the Tao to act without acting, to conduct affairs without the trouble of them, to taste without discerning any flavour, to consider the small as great, and the few as many, and to recompense injury with kindness'
I will say, I misunderstood taoism for being to always take the path of least resistance-which i felt misalligned with the necessary sacrifice needed for relationship and career success, but it is not about that, taoism encourages hard work so long as it is not driven by ego, anxiety, or social pressure: it must come naturally from within, and allign with your internal energy balance
September 1, 2026
waaaa. Que bueno que me haya dolido la cabeza ese día en Montevideo. Que bueno haber decidido volver a salir de casa pese a eso. Que bueno haberme cruzado con ese café y librería. Que bueno haber encontrado un amor por los libros y librerías. Que bueno haber decidido leer un libro de budismo. Y que bueno haber visto, casi un mes después, este libro en las estanterías de Cultura, y haber decidido comprarlo sin tener una noción de lo que realmente era, sólo por pura intuición y curiosidad. En lugar de decir "uh, vamos a aprender sobre taoísmo en internet y después decidir si vale la pena comprar un libro o no", pensé "esto se ve interesante, y lo que leo en la contratapa y algunas páginas resuena conmigo. vamos a llevarlo y ver que tal es". Y me encanta. Me encanta estar dejandome llevar por esa espontaneidad cada vez más. Y justo de eso trata esto, de la espontaneidad y fluidez del curso del agua, las nubes, las ramas, las manchas, la respiración; el tao <3
Parece ser que, como se menciona en un pasaje de este libro, en perspectiva las cosas resultan tener sentido. Hay una direccionalidad que no se evidencia en el momento, pero que cuando uno mira las estructuras y los sucesos en perspectiva, a la distancia, todo es parte de un todo. Ese dolor de cabeza en montevideo no fue más que parte de una historia completa, que sigue y seguirá siendo escrita !! Y que si me pongo más generalista no arrancó ahí, ni arrancó con el viaje a Montevideo, ni con mi nacimiento, ni con el taoísmo en sí, sino que arrancó con el universo, con el principio del espacio-tiempo, del cosmos, de vos y yo, de esa unidad.
Amé mucho lo que aprendí de esta filosofía leyendo este librito, y además me resultó muy bien escrito.
El tao es algo que necesitaba y algo con lo que quiero vivir de ahora en más. Es una noción tan tan bella del todo, tan sutil, tan simple y tan completa a la vez.
Quiero ser espontáneo y sutil como el río, como la nube, como el fuego, como las raíces, como la infusión difundiendo en el agua, como la galaxia espiral. Como el universo....... el cual ya soy; el cual ya somos ~~~~~~
Parece ser que, como se menciona en un pasaje de este libro, en perspectiva las cosas resultan tener sentido. Hay una direccionalidad que no se evidencia en el momento, pero que cuando uno mira las estructuras y los sucesos en perspectiva, a la distancia, todo es parte de un todo. Ese dolor de cabeza en montevideo no fue más que parte de una historia completa, que sigue y seguirá siendo escrita !! Y que si me pongo más generalista no arrancó ahí, ni arrancó con el viaje a Montevideo, ni con mi nacimiento, ni con el taoísmo en sí, sino que arrancó con el universo, con el principio del espacio-tiempo, del cosmos, de vos y yo, de esa unidad.
Amé mucho lo que aprendí de esta filosofía leyendo este librito, y además me resultó muy bien escrito.
El tao es algo que necesitaba y algo con lo que quiero vivir de ahora en más. Es una noción tan tan bella del todo, tan sutil, tan simple y tan completa a la vez.
Quiero ser espontáneo y sutil como el río, como la nube, como el fuego, como las raíces, como la infusión difundiendo en el agua, como la galaxia espiral. Como el universo....... el cual ya soy; el cual ya somos ~~~~~~
November 5, 2020
Reading this book is a confirmation of the feelings and thoughts that everyone in loneliness, silence and concentration probably reaches.
The genuine and disposition that comes from the heart of nature, the general consciousness and knowledge of which we are all a part, but we as human beings try to get away from it with the obstacles of our own world.
“Wu Wei : not forcing”
آيين تائو ؛ خوندن اين كتاب مهر تاييديه روى احساسات و افكارى كه هر كس تو تنهايى و سكوت و تمركز احتمالا نسبى بهشون ميرسه .
اصليت و سرشتى كه از دل طبيعت بيرون مياد ، شعور و داناى كلى كه هممون جزئى ازش هستيم اما ما آدمها با موانع ساختگى دنياى خودمون سعى در دور شدن ازش داريم.
"وو وِى : عدم اعمال زور "
The genuine and disposition that comes from the heart of nature, the general consciousness and knowledge of which we are all a part, but we as human beings try to get away from it with the obstacles of our own world.
“Wu Wei : not forcing”
آيين تائو ؛ خوندن اين كتاب مهر تاييديه روى احساسات و افكارى كه هر كس تو تنهايى و سكوت و تمركز احتمالا نسبى بهشون ميرسه .
اصليت و سرشتى كه از دل طبيعت بيرون مياد ، شعور و داناى كلى كه هممون جزئى ازش هستيم اما ما آدمها با موانع ساختگى دنياى خودمون سعى در دور شدن ازش داريم.
"وو وِى : عدم اعمال زور "
March 13, 2026
Todo es aprendizaje. Me llevo varios conceptos interesantes sobre los que seguir reflexionando a largo plazo y la certeza de que quiero indagar más en lecturas de esta índole. En palabras del autor, “el universo es mucho más amplio que la red que utilizamos para atraparlo”.
May 5, 2022
"Cuando llegue el infortunio, trátalo como una bendición
y, cuando llegue la fortuna, considérala un desastre".
y, cuando llegue la fortuna, considérala un desastre".
April 20, 2025
Increíble como era de esperar
December 4, 2025
divulgació avançada
December 14, 2020
El mejor libro de auto ayuda que existe
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews