The Essential Lectures of Alan Watts

Season 1

TV-Y7
The Essential Lectures of Alan Watts video series was recorded in 1971 above Muir Woods, California, and in 1972 aboard the ferryboat the SS Vallejo in Sausalito. Produced by his son Mark and directed by long-time archivist Henry Jacobs, the series explores core philosophical themes that spawned over Watts' career.

Where to Watch Season 1

12 Episodes

  • Nothing
    E1
    NothingBasing his ideas on sensory perception and physical experience, Alan Watts makes a compelling argument that everything actually depends upon nothing for its very existence.
  • Ego
    E2
    EgoAlan Watts was concerned with the way we trap ourselves in words. He considered it unfortunate that we separate the "I" from reality and think of "I" in terms of how others see us or the image that we want to project. What is the answer?
  • Meditation
    E3
    MeditationAs Alan Watts explains, "A person who thinks all the time has nothing to think about except thoughts and loses touch with reality." He covers basic mediation techniques, including listening without naming and mantras or sonic meditations.
  • God
    E4
    GodTo many of us the image of God as a gray-bearded omnipotent and omnipresent supreme being has become implausible, yet the common sense notions of divine authority surrounding that image persist.
  • Cosmic Drama
    E5
    Cosmic DramaAlan Watts further explores the Hindu dramatic view of the universe, in which God plays all of the parts - all the while pretending not to know who he/she/it is!
  • Time
    E6
    TimeHere Alan Watts points out that our insistence that the past determines the present is nonsensical.
  • Work & Play
    E7
    Work & PlayAlan Watts swirls an orange on a string and shoots an arrow high into the air before explaining why the art of living is being paid to play - and to the extent that we feel compelled to work and survive, life becomes a drag.
  • Death
    E8
    DeathAlan Watts comments on the circle of life and our response to the surprising event of being born in the first place.
  • The More It Changes
    E9
    The More It ChangesAlan Watts speaks on our fascination with reproduction through media, and on the far out notion that human beings may just be one star's way of becoming another star!
  • Clothing
    E10
    ClothingAfter talking about growing up near London, Alan Watts demonstrates a variety of cultural garb and points out how each influences the way we live and feel. His choices of attire include a western business suit and a kimono.
  • Do You Smell?
    E11
    Do You Smell?Alan Watts speaks about our most repressed sense. Here he introduces viewers to the intricacies of incense in front of a small Buddhist altar, while commenting on the types of incense used in Church rituals and all across Asia.
  • Conversation with Myself
    E12
    Conversation with MyselfWhile walking in a field above Muir Woods, Alan Watts points to humankind's attempts to straighten out a wiggly world as the root of our ecological crisis.

Cast of Season 1

  • Alan WattsAlan Watts
  • Mark WattsProducer

 

  •   
  •   
  •   
  •   
  •   
  •   
  •   

Take Plex everywhere

Watch free anytime, anywhere, on almost any device.
See the full list of supported devices