Thank you for posting this. I'm glad to see you are getting some support. It's important stuff.
I was very lucky. Alan Watts was my introduction to Zen and it happened when I was only 17 years old. That was 1967. I struggled with his concepts but they truly resonated with me and affected my entire life. From there I branched out to Huxley, Fromm, Suzuki, Lao Tzu, and for a long time considered myself a Taoist and to this day think my "way" is that of Nature.
All of this quest for reality insulated me from the excesses of the 60s and 70s. I actively sought out psychedelic drugs to use as tools, not simply to get loaded like my contemporaries.
If you get the message, hang up the phone.
Watts
I also heeded this message when my trips all went to the same place, a place I had been to so many times. You'll never get to the moon in a hot air balloon.
I was also lucky that I have a non-addicting personality. It's easy for me to put down things that people get hooked on, mostly because I don't get much euphoria out of them.
Watts' teachings only took me so far. I realized that he was not enlightened himself. He was simply the finger pointing at the moon, a moon he probably never visited.
I soon discovered the master Meher Baba who, like Ekhart Tolle and Peace Pilgrim, experienced instantaneous enlightenment. When the fruit is ripe it drops from the tree of its own accord. Baba took an oath of silence and only communicated with had gestures and a chalk board. "In my silence hear my word of words."
When you are ready the teacher will appear.
My own coming of age happened in Mexico in 1970. I met a woman who was a follower of Maharishi. She taught me how to meditate. Her simple instructions were simply to sit in a comfortable position and watch your mind. As a thought arises, simply look at it, recognize it and then let it go, while following it inwardly down to its source. I did that for three days, approximately 2 hours total. On the final day the thought of my own self surfaced. I recognized it and let it go. Boom! Nirvana. In Zen that experience is called Satori. But I could not stay. As soon as I recognized it it was over and sadly, I have never been back. The experience, however, changed my life entirely.
This was truth beyond all doubt. I envisioned how following the teachings of these people would change the world and was very enthusiastic. But Mara is powerful and the tree of life is full of green fruit that still needs to ripen. The world has since regressed from bad to far worse.
Undoubtedly Alan Watts realized this too and is probably why he died in his sleep from alcoholism in 1973.
Thank you, @citizenzero, so you have quite some life in the past. 1967 is three years before I saw the light of day.
Do you have a recommendation of a book from Lao Tzu, I do not know anything of him. Or a website you can point me to?
Yes, I hear you. Drugs are often used out of context and a deeper meaning. In particular nowadays as we grew out of tribes and do not have connections to the higher realms or gods or whatever. I don't know though if I would like to exist that way. But this question is idle.
The quote from Watts is hilarious!! Thank you, I will keep it forever!
I think Watts for sure had his own precious moments. And also I do not know about people who lead a life without difficulties or were in a way awakened that nothing could shake themselves. Therefor I find it kind of clever to take a figure which one can idealize but should also not forget that even the most ideal figure (like Buddha or Jesus) were known for becoming sick or sad.
I find many good teachers through the Internet, in particular audio recordings from German monks or former ordained ones who came back after a long time participating in monastic life.
The meditation technique you describe I hear a lot. Also I heard all different kinds of other techniques but as I do not meditate myself I cannot speak from any practice. Never felt Satori. But I heard exactly what you say from the monks and that people who had this experience once would like to come back to it and can't repeat it. I guess it is a little bit comparable with hitting the basketball hoop after throwing the ball backwards without thinking? Only better?
I would also say, that "Maras" companion like "Maya" is powerful, too and all their children like "doubt, "hate" and "ignorance" - it's a long way to become more calm during life.
The world was always evil and bad in one way and good and full of love in another way. Depends where you look, no?
Lao Tzu is responsible for the Tao Te Ching which is the foundation for Taoism. None of the great sages of the world wrote, since they realized the abstract and therefore limiting value of words. The Tao Te Ching came about when war was about to be waged in the part of China where Lao Tzu resided. As he passed through the gates of the city on his way into exile, the guard recognized him and begged him to sit awhile and relate his wisdom before he left. True or not, it's a good story.
Lao Tzu and Confucius knew each other and the Buddha also lived in this century, 500 years before the Christ. I knew some Christian crossovers when I was a chiropractor. The whole ashram (5 people) were my patients. These fellows believe that Jesus, during his missing years from about 13 to 30 years old, hitched a ride down the silk road to India where he became enlightened and then came back to Jerusalem where the Jews promptly killed him for his heresy. Makes sense. I'm sure the Buddha was known to the west by then. These guys aren't enlightened, but they are certainly trying. They're good, joyful people, dress in sack cloth, live communally, are celibate and vegetarian and work hard making religious Icons that they sell via a catalog to churches around the world.
Watts was sort of like an orbiting satellite. He could see the truth and looked at it from all angles, but he never let go enough to fall all the way to the planet.
Another wonderful teacher in the Watts tradition is Joseph Campbell. He was a comparative religion teacher who searched for the unifying theme of all religions and mythology. Though not totally enlightened himself, he, like Watts, is capable of relating on an intellectual level. When he found he was dying of cancer, he made many hours of video of his life's work. Definitely worth the time to watch them all.
One of my favorite sages is Peace Pilgrim. She is the ultimate Slacker to be emulated. She achieved liberation spontaneously on night while walking in the moonlight after deciding that instead of living her life to see what she could get, she'd live her life to see how much she could give. The threat of nuclear war after WW2 was her motivation.
The world of man is evil in its delusions. If there is a Satan it is the ego itself. Deny the ego and god is right there smiling. The world of Nature is as it is. Nothing more. That's why I prefer it.
Now you have lots of reading to do. :)
Indeed, have a great thanks. That is a lot to read and look through. I will take my time for that. If not now, for sure later on.
I appreciate your effort in giving me an overview of your favorites.
The story with Jesus and Buddha I already heard and thank your for reminding me. I found it hilarious and was picturing Jesus coming back to Jerusalem with what he had learned from Gautama Siddharta and that the two of them had some good conversations, drank tea and calmly watched a tiger walking by. LOL!
What were you treating your patients for? Was it all physical (chiropractic) or did you do also meditation with them? Where was it?
My practice was purely physical, though I occasionally did some emotional therapy. I tried to teach people how to take care of their bodies, what to eat and what to avoid eating. I discovered that low back pain was mostly of emotional origin just as neck pain and headaches related to stress.
After many years I gave up and my opinion of people in general took a nosedive. Only a few followed my recommendations and they benefited greatly. The rest simply wanted me to fix them, the way a mechanic fixes a car. The body doesn't work that way. You need to quit abusing it and let it heal. They didn't want to give up sodas, to do stretching exercises, to lose that 30 pounds around their middle that was wearing out their hips. They refused to take responsibility for their own bodies. 16 years later I was preaching the same sermon that I did the day I opened my door. I finally didn't care if people got better or not. At that point I decided I couldn't be a doctor any longer so I closed my doors.
I'm meeting the same resistance to spirituality. Eventually I'll stop this too.
my interpretation of what you say is that of resignation. It sounds as if people aren't worth it. ... I want to ask you, if those people who benefited from what you had to offer made a positive and lasting effect on their people and if you have checked that. When I would be Jesus I would ask you: Doesn't even the one make a difference who was healed through your help & empathy?