![]() Mark opens this collection of Alan’s engaging talks on living Zen by blowing our mundane formulas, all our matter and measurements, out of the water. Yet this is also the trick and fallacy by which we fail. We have even framed the Buddha and his teachings as something measurable something categorized-rules, rituals, and forms to which we adhere. ![]() Talking Zen starts wisely with an early talk of Alan’s discussing how we must dissolve all of our concepts-our “frames” by which we measure pretty much everything. And then, with joy, we can read and include the pauses where we know Alan would have laughed, and hear him chuckle in our mind. ![]() And reading these words, genuinely reading them and rereading them, letting their meanings penetrate profoundly and with purpose, is the gift of this book. Recordings of many of Alan’s talks can be found online today, which means we can still delight in his delivery and, if you are someone akin to myself, savor his voice, pace, passion, intensity, and humor while reading his words in print. Here in 2022, we have a new, expanded version skillfully edited by Alan’s son Mark, who has worked tirelessly to ensure that we can still benefit from his father’s intellect and vision.Īnd it does not disappoint: “Zen Bones” is the last chapter of Talking Zen-a lecture we can readily find online, hear Alan’s own delivery, and note how honestly penned the transcript is, with modest tweaks for a more flowing read. The result is a philosophical adventure that will enlighten readers of all religious backgrounds.A couple of decades ago, toward the end of the last century, 1994 saw the release of Talking Zen, a small collection of transcribed lectures given over 40 years earlier by Alan Watts (1915–73) pertaining to the nuts and bolts of Zen, or Ch’an, Buddhism. From beginning to end, Watts employs his keen intellect and vast erudition to uncover hidden connections between seemingly unrelated events. He also delves into several tantalizing historical enigmas, such as: - Why is Christianity's most sacred holiday named after a pagan goddess? - Is Jesus Christ historically unique, or is he just another example of the "dying-and-rising god" archetype common in antiquity? - How was the date of Easter calculated by the patriarchs of the early Church? - Where did the tradition of the Easter egg come from? (Could it be African?) The book closes on a lighthearted note, with a collection of weird and wonderful Easter folk traditions old and new. In the course of the journey, Watts unravels the multilayered symbolism of Easter and places the holiday within the broader context of world religions. He begins on the scorching plains of Bronze Age Mesopotamia, wanders the marble temples of imperial Rome, enters the glittering cathedrals of medieval Europe, and eventually lands in modern America. ![]() In Easter: Its Story and Meaning, Watts goes in search of the lost origins of Easter, taking readers with him on a kaleidoscopic tour of history, anthropology, and myth. Philosopher Alan Watts proposes that these curiosities are vestiges of a tradition far older than Christianity. Yet Easter has become associated with a perplexing jumble of non-Biblical customs: colorful eggs, chocolate rabbits, evening bonfires, children's songs, mischievous games, and more. For millions of believers around the world, it encapsulates the central message of Christianity. THE FORGOTTEN PAGAN ORIGINS OF CHRISTIANITY'S MOST EMBLEMATIC CELEBRATION "Easter - by whatever name it may be known - is a theme common to almost every religion and every people." - Alan Watts Along with Christmas, Easter Sunday is one of the two most popular celebrations on. Easter: Its Story and Meaning (Trade Paperback / Paperback)
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |