Become What You Are

by WATTS, ALAN W.

• ISBN13: 9781570629402
• ISBN10: 1570629404
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2003-03-11
• Publisher: Shambhala

Summary

"Life exists only at this very moment, and in this moment it is infinite and eternal. For the present moment is infinitely small; before we can measure it, it has gone, and yet it exists forever. . . . You may believe yourself out of harmony with life and its eternal Now; but you cannot be, for you are life and exist Now."-fromBecome What You AreIn this collection of writings, including nine new chapters never before available in book form, Watts displays the intelligence, playfulness of thought, and simplicity of language that has made him so perennially popular as an interpreter of Eastern thought for Westerners. He draws on a variety of religious traditions, and covers topics such as the challenge of seeing one's life "just as it is," the Taoist approach to harmonious living, the limits of language in the face of ineffable spiritual truth, and the psychological symbolism of Christian thought.

Author Biography

Alan Watts (1915–1973) was a renowned lecturer and the author of nearly thirty books, including The Way of Zen and The Book.

Table of Contents

Editor's Preface	vii
The Paradox of Self-Denial	1	(9)
Become What You Are	10	(2)
The Finger and the Moon	12	(7)
Importance	19	(2)
Tao and Wu-Wei	21	(7)
Lightness of Touch	28	(2)
Birds in the Sky	30	(7)
Walking on the Wheel	37	(2)
The Language of Metaphysical Experience	39	(16)
Good Intentions	55	(2)
Zen	57	(7)
The One	64	(7)
Is There An Unconscious?	71	(7)
That Far-Off, Divine Event	78	(7)
The Parable of the Cow's Tail	85	(5)
The Second Immortal	90	(7)
The Problem of Faith and Works in Buddhism	97	(24)
Tomorrow Never Comes	121	(3)
What Is Reality?	124	(3)
The Birth of the Divine Son	127