Alan Watts, whose The Way of Zen, (1957) was a major bridge between western and eastern religions, apparently drew on a medley of somewhat esoteric resources, in his formative years, and mixed in circles that included Orage, Gurdjieff, and the shadowy Demetrius Mitrinovic. Alan Watts (January 6, 1915 to November 16, 1973) ) whose books provide many Americans with their only contact with Buddhism, also penned the notable, The Wisdom of Insecurity (1951). The latter is where we find:
In reality we cannot compare joy with sorrow. Comparison is possible only by the very rapid alternation of two states of mind, and you cannot switch back and forth between the genuine feelings of joy and sorrow as you would shift your eyes between a dog and a cat. Sorrow can only be compared with the memory of joy, which is not at all the same thing as joy itself.
Like words, memories never really succeed at catching reality... Memory never captures the essence, the present intensity, the concrete reality, of an experience.
Among his many titles is the lesser known, Behold the Spirit: A Study in the Necessity of Mystical Religion, (1948 ). Although Watts did not encourage regular use of psychedelic drugs, he failed to understand the difference between accidental awakening which most experience in some manner, and the accidental awakening of someone who undertakes soberly a disciplined path.
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