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Alan Watts Discusses - Finding Truth
Alan Watts spoke about truth not as a fixed set of facts or doctrines, but as a living experience — something felt, perceived, and realized rather than intellectually “known.”
Here’s a detailed summary of his perspective on truth across his lectures and writings:
🌿 1. Truth Cannot Be Captured in Words
Watts often warned that language distorts reality. Words are symbols — useful tools, but not the truth itself.
He would say things like:
“The menu is not the meal.”
“The word ‘water’ will not quench your thirst.”
To him, truth is the direct experience of what is, not the verbal or conceptual description of it. When we mistake our ideas or beliefs for reality, we live in illusion — a mental map instead of the actual territory.
🌀 2. Truth Is What Is, Right Now
Watts saw truth as the reality of the present moment, free from the filters of judgment or expectation.
He taught that when you are completely awake to this very moment — not trying to label or control it — you encounter truth directly.
“The truth is not something you can catch. It’s like a cat — the more you chase it, the more it runs away. But if you sit quietly, it may come and curl up in your lap.”
Truth, in this sense, is not hidden; it’s too obvious to see because it’s always here — the simple “suchness” of things as they are.
🌊 3. Truth Is Beyond Duality
Watts drew deeply from Taoism and Zen, where truth includes both opposites — light and dark, good and bad, life and death.
He said that the search for “the true” as opposed to “the false” misses the point because truth encompasses both sides of the coin.
“The true reality is not this or that, but the pattern that includes both.”
In this sense, truth is the harmony of opposites, the Tao — the flow of all things beyond judgment or division.
🔮 4. Truth Is an Experience of Unity
For Watts, truth reveals itself when the illusion of separation dissolves — when you realize you are not a separate ego looking out at the universe, but the universe looking at itself.
“You don’t come into this world. You come out of it, like a wave from the ocean. You are not a stranger here.”
This realization — the unity of self and cosmos — is the ultimate truth. It’s what religions call “God,” “Brahman,” or “the Tao,” though Watts preferred to avoid those terms because they tend to become dogmatic.
🔥 5. Truth Is Playful and Paradoxical
Watts loved to point out that the truth of existence is often paradoxical — it can’t be confined by logic or moral absolutism.
He described life as “a divine game of hide and seek” — God (or the universe) hiding from itself by becoming human and then rediscovering its own nature.
“The truth of life is a kind of cosmic hide-and-seek. You are It — the universe playing at being you.”
Thus, truth is not serious in the conventional sense. It’s profound, yet playful — a dance between knowing and not knowing.
#CompassionateLiving
Spotify AlbumsMantras to Quiet the Soul
(This is a link to one of my albums on spotify A Place Called Peace)
https://open.spotify.com/album/7bMZqxq0TTw53NzK4akLrv?si=YpgZNBrfRmWDMq8T-RmYtA
(This is a link to one of my albums on spotify Just Breathe) See my coloring books! They are so awesome:)
https://open.spotify.com/album/7bMZqxq0TTw53NzK4akLrv?si=co15_qSeQjiIHTk0u5dUrw
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mettastateofmind/
Coloring Books:
Mindful Mandalas: An Adult Coloring Book
https://a.co/d/fnkFI0p
Angels are Among Us Coloring Book
https://a.co/d/7DomvY1
#CompassionateLiving #Mindfulness #LovingKindness #MindfulnessMusic
Disclaimer - Important Notice: The content provided on this channel, including but not limited to meditations, sound therapy, mindfulness practices, and general advice, is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Specific Music is from RaggetySam Creations, CAPCUT, or one of my youtube channel videos.
Credits & Attributions: RaggetySam Creations
YouTube Channels:
https://www.youtube.com/@raggetysam
https://www.youtube.com/@MettaMotivationDrWillow
https://www.youtube.com/@PearlsofWisdomAngelsAreAmongUs
https://www.youtube.com/@MettaStateofMind
Thank you for listening!
#CompassionateLiving
Spotify AlbumsMantras to Quiet the Soul
(This is a link to one of my albums on spotify A Place Called Peace)
https://open.spotify.com/album/7bMZqxq0TTw53NzK4akLrv?si=YpgZNBrfRmWDMq8T-RmYtA
(This is a link to one of my albums on spotify Just Breathe) See my coloring books! They are so awesome:)
https://open.spotify.com/album/7bMZqxq0TTw53NzK4akLrv?si=co15_qSeQjiIHTk0u5dUrw
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mettastateofmind/
Coloring Books:
Mindful Mandalas: An Adult Coloring Book
https://a.co/d/fnkFI0p
Angels are Among Us Coloring Book
https://a.co/d/7DomvY1
#CompassionateLiving #Mindfulness #LovingKindness #MindfulnessMusic
Disclaimer - Important Notice: The content provided on this channel, including but not limited to meditations, sound therapy, mindfulness practices, and general advice, is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Specific Music is from RaggetySam Creations, CAPCUT, or one of my youtube channel videos.
Credits & Attributions: RaggetySam Creations
YouTube Channels:
https://www.youtube.com/@raggetysam
https://www.youtube.com/@MettaMotivationDrWillow
https://www.youtube.com/@PearlsofWisdomAngelsAreAmongUs
https://www.youtube.com/@MettaStateofMind
Thank you for listening!
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By raggetysamAlan Watts spoke about truth not as a fixed set of facts or doctrines, but as a living experience — something felt, perceived, and realized rather than intellectually “known.”
Here’s a detailed summary of his perspective on truth across his lectures and writings:
🌿 1. Truth Cannot Be Captured in Words
Watts often warned that language distorts reality. Words are symbols — useful tools, but not the truth itself.
He would say things like:
“The menu is not the meal.”
“The word ‘water’ will not quench your thirst.”
To him, truth is the direct experience of what is, not the verbal or conceptual description of it. When we mistake our ideas or beliefs for reality, we live in illusion — a mental map instead of the actual territory.
🌀 2. Truth Is What Is, Right Now
Watts saw truth as the reality of the present moment, free from the filters of judgment or expectation.
He taught that when you are completely awake to this very moment — not trying to label or control it — you encounter truth directly.
“The truth is not something you can catch. It’s like a cat — the more you chase it, the more it runs away. But if you sit quietly, it may come and curl up in your lap.”
Truth, in this sense, is not hidden; it’s too obvious to see because it’s always here — the simple “suchness” of things as they are.
🌊 3. Truth Is Beyond Duality
Watts drew deeply from Taoism and Zen, where truth includes both opposites — light and dark, good and bad, life and death.
He said that the search for “the true” as opposed to “the false” misses the point because truth encompasses both sides of the coin.
“The true reality is not this or that, but the pattern that includes both.”
In this sense, truth is the harmony of opposites, the Tao — the flow of all things beyond judgment or division.
🔮 4. Truth Is an Experience of Unity
For Watts, truth reveals itself when the illusion of separation dissolves — when you realize you are not a separate ego looking out at the universe, but the universe looking at itself.
“You don’t come into this world. You come out of it, like a wave from the ocean. You are not a stranger here.”
This realization — the unity of self and cosmos — is the ultimate truth. It’s what religions call “God,” “Brahman,” or “the Tao,” though Watts preferred to avoid those terms because they tend to become dogmatic.
🔥 5. Truth Is Playful and Paradoxical
Watts loved to point out that the truth of existence is often paradoxical — it can’t be confined by logic or moral absolutism.
He described life as “a divine game of hide and seek” — God (or the universe) hiding from itself by becoming human and then rediscovering its own nature.
“The truth of life is a kind of cosmic hide-and-seek. You are It — the universe playing at being you.”
Thus, truth is not serious in the conventional sense. It’s profound, yet playful — a dance between knowing and not knowing.
#CompassionateLiving
Spotify AlbumsMantras to Quiet the Soul
(This is a link to one of my albums on spotify A Place Called Peace)
https://open.spotify.com/album/7bMZqxq0TTw53NzK4akLrv?si=YpgZNBrfRmWDMq8T-RmYtA
(This is a link to one of my albums on spotify Just Breathe) See my coloring books! They are so awesome:)
https://open.spotify.com/album/7bMZqxq0TTw53NzK4akLrv?si=co15_qSeQjiIHTk0u5dUrw
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mettastateofmind/
Coloring Books:
Mindful Mandalas: An Adult Coloring Book
https://a.co/d/fnkFI0p
Angels are Among Us Coloring Book
https://a.co/d/7DomvY1
#CompassionateLiving #Mindfulness #LovingKindness #MindfulnessMusic
Disclaimer - Important Notice: The content provided on this channel, including but not limited to meditations, sound therapy, mindfulness practices, and general advice, is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Specific Music is from RaggetySam Creations, CAPCUT, or one of my youtube channel videos.
Credits & Attributions: RaggetySam Creations
YouTube Channels:
https://www.youtube.com/@raggetysam
https://www.youtube.com/@MettaMotivationDrWillow
https://www.youtube.com/@PearlsofWisdomAngelsAreAmongUs
https://www.youtube.com/@MettaStateofMind
Thank you for listening!
#CompassionateLiving
Spotify AlbumsMantras to Quiet the Soul
(This is a link to one of my albums on spotify A Place Called Peace)
https://open.spotify.com/album/7bMZqxq0TTw53NzK4akLrv?si=YpgZNBrfRmWDMq8T-RmYtA
(This is a link to one of my albums on spotify Just Breathe) See my coloring books! They are so awesome:)
https://open.spotify.com/album/7bMZqxq0TTw53NzK4akLrv?si=co15_qSeQjiIHTk0u5dUrw
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mettastateofmind/
Coloring Books:
Mindful Mandalas: An Adult Coloring Book
https://a.co/d/fnkFI0p
Angels are Among Us Coloring Book
https://a.co/d/7DomvY1
#CompassionateLiving #Mindfulness #LovingKindness #MindfulnessMusic
Disclaimer - Important Notice: The content provided on this channel, including but not limited to meditations, sound therapy, mindfulness practices, and general advice, is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Specific Music is from RaggetySam Creations, CAPCUT, or one of my youtube channel videos.
Credits & Attributions: RaggetySam Creations
YouTube Channels:
https://www.youtube.com/@raggetysam
https://www.youtube.com/@MettaMotivationDrWillow
https://www.youtube.com/@PearlsofWisdomAngelsAreAmongUs
https://www.youtube.com/@MettaStateofMind
Thank you for listening!