Considering the coincidence of opposites inside the ‘human recreation,’ Alan ponders the straightforward but thought-provoking query: is existence critical?
On this episode of Being within the Means, Mark introduces a lecture from his father Alan Watts known as ‘Coincidence of Opposites’ – the primary discuss in a seminar known as ‘Studying the Human Recreation,’ given in 1965 on the College of Michigan to a small group of psychology and philosophy grad college students.
“One has to get used basically to the notion that various things could be inseparable—that what’s explicitly two, can on the similar time be implicitly one.” – Alan Watts
Waves & Troughs // Coincidence of Opposites
Opening this heady session, Alan Watts explores the universe by means of the lens of vibration—explaining how no matter we expertise by means of our senses has two features: on and off. Utilizing the metaphor of waves and troughs, he illuminates the coincidence of opposites – how contrasts like black and white, inside and outdoors, and self and non-self, really go collectively.
“Any expertise we now have by means of our senses—whether or not of sound, or of sunshine, or of contact—is a vibration. And a vibration has two features: one known as ‘on,’ and the opposite known as ‘off.’ Vibration appears to be propagated in waves, and each wave system has crests and it has troughs. So life is a system of ‘now you see it, now you don’t.’” – Alan Watts
Alan binds collectively opposites, unveiling distinction as oneness, on Ep. 13 of Being within the Means
Studying the Human Recreation // Is Existence Critical? // Trigger & Impact (11:08)
Considering numerous philosophical quandaries pertaining to ‘studying the human recreation,’ Alan ponders the straightforward but thought-provoking query: is existence critical? From right here, he highlights how trigger and impact aren’t really two separate occasions—they’re one in the identical.
“We start to see from a extra refined perspective: that occasions which might be known as ’trigger’ and ‘impact’ aren’t two occasions—they’re all the identical occasion, and we’re merely it and chopping it up into two items of functions of description.” – Alan Watts
Alan Watts & Corey Allen ponder the ‘cosmic drama’ of existence, on Ep. 12 of Being within the Means
Existence is Spontaneous // Letting Go // The Playful Universe (24:08)
What’s the distinction between the sunshine and the flash? Additional binding collectively seeming contrasts, Alan explores how motivation and motion are really one factor that we create separation between by chopping up actuality with our discriminatory brains. To shut, he illuminates how our existence springs spontaneously of itself, how letting go permits all of it to occur, and why the universe is actually playful like music.
“We merely cheated ourselves the entire method down the road – we considered life by analogy with a journey, with a pilgrimage which had a critical goal on the finish, and the factor was to get to that finish—success or possibly heaven after you’re lifeless. However we missed the purpose the entire method alongside: it was a musical factor and also you have been purported to sing or to bounce whereas the music was being performed.” – Alan Watts
Picture by way of AlanWatts.org