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In this new edition of his acclaimed autobiography - long out of print and rare until now - Alan Watts tracks his spiritual and philosophical evolution. A child of religious conservatives in rural England, he went on to become a freewheeling spiritual teacher who challenged Westerners to defy convention and think for themselves. Watts's portrait of himself shows that he was a philosophical renegade from early on in his intellectual life. Selftaught in many areas, he came to Buddhism through the teachings of Christmas Humphreys and D. T. Suzuki. Told in a nonlinear style, In My Own Way combines Watts's brand of unconventional philosophy with wry observations on Western culture and often hilarious accounts of gurus, celebrities, and psychedelic drug experiences. A charming foreword by Watts's father sets the tone of this warm, funny, and beautifully written story. Watts encouraged readers to "follow your own weird" - something he always did himself, as this remarkable account of his life shows.… (more)
User reviews
But this book did. I picked it up at a bookstore, and started thumbing through it, which quickly led to me to sitting down to read it more deeply. Watts takes us on a fascinating tour of his childhood and adult life--his interest in Zen and other eastern influences, his ordination and his renounciation of his ordination, and his basic life, thought and influences. He says in the preface, that he is writing this book because he finds his life interesting. That is reason enough.
Reading this is a bit like seeing the face of the person you have always heard on the radio. There is little he says here that will make you think differently about his other work, but you will see it differently after reading this.
If you are a fan of Watts, I highly recommend this book.