Out of Your Mind

4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars | 801 ratings

Price: 29.66

Last update: 08-12-2024


Top reviews from the United States

Justin Kessler
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read!
Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2024
One of my favorite philosophers. Well written and thought provoking.
shopper 101
5.0 out of 5 stars Speechless
Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2014
Its hard to believe these lectures are 50+ years old. There is absolutely no sense of these tracks being dated in any way. I can listen to the same lecture/episode/track over and over again; like others, I just like listening to his voice. I was already familiar with AW as I used to have some of his tapes in my car in a previous era.

Very few lemons in this bunch, in fact, perhaps only two or three out of the 100+ sections. Best investment I've made in some time.

Its difficult to summarize the content. Perhaps a simple table of contents would be useful (sure wish amazon would make a habit of publishing these!).

CD 1. The nature of consciousness, Part 1
1. Intro
2. Our image of the world
3. The myth of the ceramic construct
4. The myth of the automatic universe
5. A wiggly world
6. A game that's worth the candle
7. An independent system
8. Whose game is it?
9. The world as a drama

CD 2. The nature of consciousness, Part 2
1. Intro
2. Being aware of awareness
3. Captivated by the drama
4. The game of hide and seek
5. Consciousness beyond awareness
6. How do we define ourselves?
7. What it is to see
8. The road to here
9. A re-examination of common sense

CD 3. The web of life, Part 1
1. Intro
2. What did you forget?
3. A spontaneous life
4. Seeing beyond our separateness
5. Intervals between what happens
6. Existence as a function of relationship
7. Understanding the unitive world
8. An implicit agreement
9. To be aware of the melody

CD 4. The web of life, Part 2
1. Intro
2. Web as mutuality
3. The nature of selfishness
4. A perfectly genuine act
5. The sound of rain needs no translation
6. What game would you like to play?
7. Is is serious?
8. An invitation to act

CD 5. The inevitable ecstasy, Part 1
1. Intro
2. Undifferentiated vs. differentiated awareness
3. The marriage of an illusion to a futility
4. The awareness of a baby
5. The fallacy of misplaced concreteness
6. The sensation of the happening
7. Of pain and suffering
8. Must life go on and on?
9. A natural satori
10. The aversion to death
11. The eroticism of pain
12. The spectrum of vibrations

CD 6. The inevitable ecstasy, Part 2
1. Intro
2. Seeing beyond the game
3. A conspiracy we play on ourselves
4. The illusion of the ego
5, The meaningless life
6. This is the game
7. So what is the problem?
8. Every incarnation is this one
9. The state of nothing
10. The line of least resistance

CD 7. The world as just so, Part 1
1. Intro
2. To say what can't be said
3. Zen's appeal to the West
4. Direct pointing
5. The origins of Zen
6. The golden age of Zen
7. No mind, no deliberation
8. Who are you?
9. Disturbing confusions of the mind
10. Who is the thinker behind the thoughts?

CD 8. The world as just so, Part 2
1. Intro
2. Escaping the tangle
3. The in defines the out defines the in
4. The Japanese Zen monastery
5. Entering the temple
6. Answering the koan
7. Seeing past the illusion
8. The decline of modern temples
9. The truth of the birthless mind

CD 9. The world as self, Part 1
1. Intro
2. The totality of all being
3. Awareness of the self
4. The fundamental I
5. Self as play
6. The rhythmic dance
7. Rules of the game
8. The Hindu Yogas
9. Western difficulty with Hindu mythology

CD 10. The world as self, Part 2
1. Intro
2. The human world as self
3. Stages of citizenship in India
4. Shedding the masks
5. The limits of self-awareness
6. The role of the trickster
7. The journey to where you already are
8. Fear of enlightenment
9. The Yoga Sutra
10. How not to use the mind
11. Gamesmanship in spiritual practice
12. A place for the hermit

CD 11. The world as emptiness, Part 1
1. Intro
2. The essence of Hinduism
3. The Four Noble Truths
4. The cause of suffering
5. The Eight-Fold Path
6. The Five Good Conducts
7. Presence of mind
8. A finger point at the moon
9. The nature of change
10. The mystery of change
11. Peaks and valleys go together as one

CD 12. The world as emptiness, Part 2
1. Intro
2. The Buddhist attitude of change
3. Willing to die
4. A happy death
5. Raising the alarm
6. The world as Void
7. Voiding the Void
8. Consider death now
9. Thunderous silence

Some of the titles give a concrete idea of the content, others give no idea of the content, and others are just pure poetry and wordplay.

How to say what cannot be said!
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars The easiest Alan Watts book to understand
Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2024
Alan watts describes the constantly changing world and acceptance of this change in an easy to understand way. A must read.
GHB
5.0 out of 5 stars A GRAND LIBRARY ADDITION
Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2017
I was thrilled to discover this set of recordings, which are both informative and entertaining. I don't know that someone with little or no knowledge of eastern religions and/or Buddhism would benefit as much as someone who does have some background because the talks were recorded specifically for those with an assumed familiarity to the subject. Still, for me, they not only helped clarify and expound upon some teachings, but also offered historical reasoning. I enjoyed hearing Alan Watt's speak. He has a great sense of humor, a very easy to follow way of teaching and expounding on each subject, and the material presented here is fairly comprehensive. I've listened to the entire set and intend to do so again. It's perfect for long distance air travel, or any kind of travel (since you can load the CDs onto your iPod, or your car stereo, etc.). But if you copy them to your iPod, you'll have to be careful to add a preface numbers and Disc titles in your iTunes playlist so that all the lectures play back in their proper order (001.01 for Disc One, talk one, etc.) and will advance automatically through the series. Don't let the fact that these lectures were recorded in the late 1960's deter you if you have an interest in Eastern religions. The material is timeless. And in some ways, I think the Watts lectures stick closer to the base teachings better than a lot of the newer books available today that can only focus on specific subjects one at a time (like Mindfulness, or the Four Noble Truths, etc.). This library is a WEALTH OF INFORMATION for those seeking to learn about or expand their knowledge of ethic based philosophies/religions. Mr. Watts not only addresses Buddhism, but also Hinduism, and other Eastern and Western religions, and how they differ and compare to/from one another. This series of lectures is an excellent resource.
Shannon Verbal
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent philosophical work from one of my favorite authors on ...
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2017
Excellent philosophical work from one of my favorite authors on the philosophy of religion. He has Western and Eastern perspectives that seem to provide a balanced look at each to form a complete paradigm shift for the reader. I recommend this for Zen students especially.
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Came Fast
Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2023
Came fast and as promised.
Lyndsay L.
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing collection
Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2023
I am a huge Alan Watts fan. Mostly i listen to his lectures on You Tube, but sometimes they are only 10 minute fragments. This collection is wonderful!! You can hear the complete lectures exactly as they were recorded. This is a must for any fan of his work. I have read most of his books but when you hear his actual voice expressing the same thoughts it is a more satisfying complete experience.

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