Alan Watts
Also known as Alan Wilson Watts
British-American writer (1915 to 1973) who popularised Zen and Eastern philosophy in the West.
At a glance
Main ideas
Zen as a way of life, Psychotherapy as liberation, Alienation from nature …
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The Wisdom of Insecurity, The Way of Zen, Nature, Man and Woman …
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- Watts was a writer and speaker who interpreted Buddhist, Taoist and Hindu philosophy for Western audiences.
- He trained as an Episcopal priest, left the priesthood in 1950, and moved to California.
- His radio talks on KPFA and books such as The Way of Zen made him a guide for the Beat Generation and the counterculture.
- His recorded lectures found new audiences online after his death.
Why it matters
- He was one of the main routes by which Zen and Taoist ideas reached Western popular culture.
Key facts
- Born
- 6 Jan 1915, Chislehurst, Kent, England1
- Died
- 16 Nov 1973, at the Mandala House in Druid Heights, California, aged 581
- Education
- The King's School, Canterbury; largely self-taught; awarded a master's degree in theology for Behold the Spirit (1947)1
- Priesthood
- Ordained an Episcopal priest in 1945; resigned in 19501
- Teaching
- American Academy of Asian Studies, San Francisco, from 1951 to 19571
- Radio
- Weekly programme on KPFA, Berkeley, from 1953 to 19621
- Books
- More than 251
Main ideas
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Zen as a way of life1
Zen joins the spiritual with work, life and art.
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Psychotherapy as liberation1
Psychotherapy could become the West's way of liberation if it dropped dualism.
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Alienation from nature1
He tried to ease modern Westerners' alienation from themselves and the natural world.
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Patterns in nature1
In the 1960s he was drawn to patterns that repeat from the smallest scales to the largest.
Books to start with
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Connections
Links
Sources
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