BUDDHISM
THE RELIGION OF NO-RELIGION
THE EDITED TRANSCRIPTS
ALAN WATTS at a seminar aboard the SS Vallejo, 1966
BUDDHISM
THE RELIGION OF NO-RELIGION
THE EDITED TRANSCRIPTS
TUTTLE Publishing Tokyo | Rutland, Vermont | Singapore
Paperback published in 1999 by Tuttle Publishing, an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.
www.tuttlepublishing.com Copyright © Mark Watts 1996 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior permission from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Watts, Alan, 1915–1973. Buddhism, the religion of no-religion: the edited transcripts/ by Alan Watts. —1st ed. xii, 98 p. ; 23 cm.—(Love of wisdom library) ISBN 0-8048-3056-8 1. Buddhism. I. Title. II. Series: Watts, Alan, 1915-1973. Alan Watts “Love of wisdom” library. BQ4055.W356 1996 294.3—dc20
95051266 CIP
Photo courtesy of Alan Watts Electronic Educational Programs ISBN 978-0-8048-3203-8 ISBN 978-1-4629-0167-8 (ebook)
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Dedicated to the living teachings of Shunryu Suzuki, Roshi
CONTENTS Introduction I. The Journey from India II. The Middle Way III. Religion of No-Religion IV. Buddhism As Dialogue V. Wisdom of the Mountains VI. Transcending Duality
INTRODUCTION
T
he widespread influence of Buddhism is due in part to the skill with which a way of liberation, first taught in ancient India, was refined by its teachers and became accessible to people of diverse cultures. For, as Alan Watts commented during a seminar aboard his ferryboat home in Sausalito, California, in the late sixties: e Hindus, the Buddhists, and many other ancient peoples do not, as we do, make a division between religion and everything else. Religion is not a department of life; it is something that enters into the whole of it. But when a religion and a culture are inseparable, it is very difficult to export a religion, because it comes into conflict with the established traditions, manners, and customs of other people. So the question arises, what are the essentials of Hinduism that could be exported?