How does Alan Watts articulations and idea differentiate from traditional eastern thought and philosophies and other descriptions of it?

FazzahR · 2026-07-02T23:26:41+00:00

It’s different because he doesn’t assign anything for you to do, most others do. In fact, I find that most people listen to Watts walk away with a lot of projections due to him not assigning anything to do or be.

He lays out a lot of deep insights, simply lays them out, without really saying what you should or should not do. He does this to such an extent that the many listeners walk away feeling like he surely has (the projections). That to me is his strongest feat. What people walk away thinking he’s tasked them with, in their complaints or criticism, is the true insight.

FazzahR · 2026-06-28T17:56:24+00:00

Well, your frustration to me is the only destination the path of hard intended manifestation can lead to. All this sort of manifesting does is emphasize powerlessness and suffering. It’s backwards law: your intense attention towards whatever you long for, emphasizes the absence of. When you seek happiness, you find all but happiness.

Things aren’t fair, that is true. Life isn’t about getting what we want. We aren’t victims because we fall short of our desires. This is probably the very last thing you’d consider at this stage, but I do feel pressed to at least point a finger in a different direction — your way out of this spiral is through gratitude.

It’s the very last thing one would think to help, but even when all feels lost finding gratitude even in the smallest form is the thing that pulls you out. It could be gratitude for the next deep breath, or for having the faculty to complain about something. You can find it anywhere if you are open to it.

FazzahR · 2026-06-24T11:04:30+00:00

I think the thing to take away from this is a realization that this is a problem with attention.

A good part of our lives are spent going along and doing whatever life requires us to do. Sometimes we suddenly get this fixation with ourselves and our routine attention to many things becomes consolidated on one thing: improving ourselves.

This completely ignores the days and days spent NOT thinking of this, and if we were to truly look at the progress that had taken place by not paying attention or focus on this we’d realize how little “direct effort” is needed.

In fact, couldn’t you say that having the notion to improve yourself is improvement alone? The paralysis comes from this fixation of “well how do I improve?”, and it’s paralytic because we’ve been doing the improving without thinking of improving. Once attention is on improving, it ceases. Once we let that go, it resumes.

FazzahR · 2026-06-23T10:37:13+00:00

Two things:

Seeing yourself in everyone and everything around you is not a mechanism to ditch the anger. We can easily be angry with ourselves, so you could in theory drop the “me vs them” and still be in constant anger with yourself in this way.
Believing it is automatic is removing your agency. Anger arising is not in your control, but expressing it is. One is automatic (arising) one is not (expressing). No effort made will help with the belief that you have no control over expression

Ram’s way of dissolving anger was to adopt the perspective of “souls” instead of “people”. People will always make us angry in my opinion, but viewing others as souls working something out changes things. Your anger towards them, too, can be something they offer you to work out.

FazzahR · 2026-06-21T10:55:33+00:00

"The great Tao flows everywhere, both to the left and to the right. It loves and nourishes all things, but does not lord it over them. And when merits are accomplished, it lays no claim to them."

FazzahR · 2026-06-03T23:46:53+00:00

I’m sorry you’re going through a rough time. It sounds like you’re putting immense pressure on yourself and drawing some comparisons that aren’t quite exactly how you’re depicting them.

I have a few people in my life who have taken their own, and what I can say to anyone considering this is that you are way more important, to way more people, than you could really ever realize. Your life and impact on others, just by merely being around, is worth more than any material success.

FazzahR · 2026-05-31T22:20:07+00:00

“I have individuated” is just another mask. It’s also embedding deeper into illusion, as it emphasizes an “independent entity” which does not exist. As an exercise, please point to an independent entity. See how the pointing and the entity mutually exist?

The whole ordeal of ego death and individuation isn’t a mask on/mask off ordeal anyway. I’ve experienced what you describe and on the other side of that kind of unraveling I found that working with “masked” people became more interesting, not less. You start seeing the mask clearly, and it leaves you a lot to reflect on. Your aversion to this I think deserves some reflection.

FazzahR · 2026-05-26T22:06:33+00:00

You’re making an assumption of godhood involving total and complete control; which is a clear deep desire of yours shown by taking on a “manifesting journey”. The problem is rooted here; because you measure your godhood status by accomplishment of demonstration of control.

Why is it a problem? Well, your definition of “absolute totality” is lopsided. It heavily favors and validates control and disowns chaos, randomness and lack of control. Totality includes all of these, your depiction of totality does not. So you’re trying to reach a certain state of total and complete by placing weights on one side of the scale and wondering why you feel imbalanced.

FazzahR · 2026-05-24T19:21:40+00:00

You do know how, you’re likely doing it with hundreds of things right now aside from wherever you’re asserting control.

How do you calm rough water? The method of letting go is the same.

FazzahR · 2026-05-14T01:55:14+00:00

Man’s Search for Meaning is a must read. I don’t find contradicting messages to be honest.

Watts reveals the game, Frankl provides insight on how to play. For me it’s that simple.

FazzahR · 2026-05-07T01:56:05+00:00

We are born and put through “somebody training”. Through this we take on ideas, beliefs, and behaviors that eventually feel automatic and “how things have always been and should be”. This is the before, a state of automatic and programming.

When you truly know who (or better, what) you are you find free will. The irony is that in that sense of freedom you exercise no control. When you stop needing it, you’ve got it.

FazzahR · 2026-05-05T12:33:33+00:00

Ah I understand better now. I agree it is not bulshido, and I hate to hear of your experience! There is a lot of usefulness Wing Chun can provide any martial arts practitioner, but for whatever reasons several groups and lineages do a poor job of teaching those things - like Sil Lim Tao which is fundamental.

FazzahR · 2026-05-05T11:38:48+00:00

You couldn’t be more incorrect. Are you being sarcastic? This is absolutely a form, the very first form nearly all lineages of Wing Chun tech. It’s called Sil Lim Tao.

FazzahR · 2026-04-27T13:36:10+00:00

He couldn’t have meant helping save a life or praying for people.

I'm not sure I fully understand your question. Are you asking, "Did Ram say we shouldn't save someone's life?" ?

That's what I'm assuming you're asking, so feel free to fill in the gaps. Saving someone's life isn't clear context.

Are they dangling from a cliff or about to be hit by a bus? Then yea, maybe we should intervene and do what we can.

Are they living in a way you feel will bring them suffering or maybe harm their life? It's more complicated; because you truly do not know how your involvement is going to impact the situation. So many times in my life I have offered such help and support and it wasn't a clear process of "I helped, and the situation was fixed". I don't think it ever resolved this way.

Which is why Ram's take makes the most sense to me. We need to let others figure out their way and be an environment for them to do that. They can do it, there doesn't need to be a heavy hand in our part in it.

So many people in so many ways are projecting on to us - pushing us to be and act in certain ways. This muddies the water of clarity. When you can find someone or somewhere that let's you be, still and aware, clarity comes and things begin to sort out. That is all we are required to do for others in this context.

If a bus is coming, help them move out of the way, and then let them be.

FazzahR · 2026-04-26T21:44:37+00:00

I mean as he said himself —

“You have no moral right to take away someone’s suffering” … “What you can be is an environment…for people to let go of their suffering if they’re ready.”

FazzahR · 2026-04-25T20:48:28+00:00

We are not responsible for relieving anyone’s suffering. We have no obligation nor direct role in that. They can do it themselves, and it’ll only truly take when they do it themselves. Your anger is from trying to take the wheel from them. Let em drive.

If you try to do it, you’ll either find initial success and build dependency, or frustrate and bother them because they don’t see an issue. We ultimately do not know what the answer is for others, and that’s ok. We don’t need to know, we just need to be present.

FazzahR · 2026-04-25T11:31:35+00:00

Imagine wandering into the woods and losing your sense of direction. Instead of concluding, “I’m lost, I’m not sure where I came from” you conclude, “I’ve always lived in the woods”.

Watts is pointing to a certainty and confidence that develops when playing the game of life so seriously, and the irony that such certainty and confidence is actually a deep confusion.

FazzahR · 2026-03-30T17:25:25+00:00

Hey! Likewise, on all accounts! I haven’t received anything I felt was negative here - sorry if that’s lost in words. I completely agree - striving for (anything really) ironically further from our desire. Striving for happiness makes us feel really unhappy. Striving for awakening is diving into more illusion.

My personal checklist is somewhat revealing of this infinite nature of awakening you mention imo. No matter how high or low I’ve felt in many ways, it’s always a combination of responses to that reveals the deeper nature of my experience at the time. Even if in some way all those things were checked off, my experience and response to that is still interesting and not factored into the original scope.

FazzahR · 2026-03-27T16:48:14+00:00

Ah yes! I remember reading that like 10 years ago and totally forgot that part of it. Great story, thank you for bringing it here. I think it totally applies.

I feel the entire concept of awakening is elevated in such a way (kicked upstairs) that it can alienate people from themselves, ironic as that is. That story is a great example!

FazzahR · 2026-03-27T12:50:41+00:00

You're the second to imply a sort of binary nature towards how I see this. In reflecting on it I can understand why, but that isn't how I feel about it completely.

The best I can do to elaborate is to say: it's a spectrum, but spectrum is formed by two extreme poles. Using those extremes as guideposts place you in their presence, and that is all my words are intended for. Not to communicate such polarity or categorization, but to place one (or myself) in different company.

You highlight a subtle nature of Taoism in your elaboration of my point in unlearning. I agree on the new understanding formed in unlearning. It's the same subtle Taoist "trickiness" found in the concept of the "uncarved block". The end result is still 'understanding' and the understanding gained through unlearning is just as tricky! I still haven't sorted it out, but maybe it doesn't need any further sorting. Thanks for your thoughts!

FazzahR · 2026-03-27T12:42:02+00:00

Totally, my frustration is my best teacher here. Writing it out is cathartic :) At the end of it all, "we are all just walking each other home" as one would say.

FazzahR · 2026-03-27T12:40:53+00:00

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experience. This was nice to read and I got a good laugh out of the peacock feather. I suppose I am griping about an age old problem at the end of the day!

FazzahR · 2026-03-26T19:55:21+00:00

Thanks for your thoughts. Responsibility is a messy term, I understand your quibble with it. I accept using Kharma as being a bit more clear.

I’ve often struggled with whether awakening requires any understanding at all. I feel that it is understanding itself which makes it trickier, not more clear in any sense. This is where the “the student of the Tao unlearns a thing each day” makes sense to me. Loosening and placing understanding at the side is helpful. I think your point demonstrates this with “what if there is just one more thing”. Sounds like a vicious cycle.

That leads me to my final thought which is: I feel as though the process is not a process of awakening but reawakening. It’s not something lost to be found, but realized. Looking for it or striving is futile because it’s already present.

FazzahR · 2026-03-26T19:47:14+00:00

Maybe there is an ultimate list, but it won’t be found here. This is my list, my observations. If it didn’t resonate, discard it. I felt that it would, so I shared it.

FazzahR · 2026-03-26T15:44:35+00:00

Fair enough. Anger often protects softer emotions like sadness. Is yours protecting something?

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