Alan Watts

Alan Wilson WattsÊ(6 January 1915 Ð 16 November 1973) was a BritishÊphilosopher, writer, and speaker, best known as an interpreter and populariser ofÊEastern philosophyÊfor aÊWesternÊaudience. Born inÊChislehurst, England, he moved to the United States in 1938 and beganÊZentraining in New York. Pursuing a career, he attendedÊSeabury-Western Theological Seminary, where he received a master's degree inÊtheology. Watts became anÊEpiscopalÊpriest in 1945, then left the ministry in 1950 and moved toÊCalifornia, where he joined the faculty of theÊAmerican Academy of Asian Studies.↵↵Watts gained a large following in theÊSan Francisco Bay AreaÊwhile working as a volunteer programmer atÊKPFA, aÊPacifica RadioÊstation inÊBerkeley. Watts wrote more than 25 books and articles on subjects important toÊEasternÊandÊWestern religion, introducing the then-burgeoning youth cultureÊtoÊThe Way of ZenÊ(1957), one of the first bestselling books onÊBuddhism. InÊPsychotherapy East and WestÊ(1961), Watts proposed that Buddhism could be thought of as a form ofÊpsychotherapyÊand not a religion. He consideredÊNature, Man and WomanÊ(1958) to be, "from a literary point of viewÑthe best book I have ever written."2ÊHe also explored human consciousness, in the essay "The New Alchemy" (1958), and in the bookÊThe Joyous CosmologyÊ(1962).↵↵Towards the end of his life, he divided his time between a houseboat inÊSausalitoÊand a cabin onÊMount Tamalpais. Many of his books are now available in digital format and many of his recorded talks and lectures are available on the Internet. According to the criticÊErik Davis, his "writings and recorded talks still shimmer with a profound and galvanizing lucidity."3