The Book on the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are
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- Create Date：2021-06-11 08:54:52
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Alan W. Watts
- ISBN：028563853X
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Summary
Alan Watts asks what is the cause of the illusion that the self is a separate ego， housed in a bag of skin， and which confronts a universe of physical objects that are alien to it。 Rather a person's identity （their ego） binds them to the physical universe， creating a relationship with their environment and other people。 The separation of the self and the physical world leads to the misuse of technology and the attempt to violently subjugate man's natural environment， leading to its destruction。
Explaining man's role in the universe as a unique expression of the total universe， and interdependent on it， Alan Watts offers a new understanding of personal identity。 It reveals the mystery of existence， presenting and alternative to the feelings of alienation that is prevalent in Western society， and a vision of how we can come to understand the cosmic self that is within every living thing。
Explaining man's role in the universe as a unique expression of the total universe， and interdependent on it， Alan Watts offers a new understanding of personal identity。 It reveals the mystery of existence， presenting and alternative to the feelings of alienation that is prevalent in Western society， and a vision of how we can come to understand the cosmic self that is within every living thing。
Reviews
Alexander Al-Feghali
，
great listen， loved thinking to it， his few takes on science however are rooted in ignorance， lovely otherwise
Damián
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No words to describe IT （it’s a pun）。
Ryan
，
There are some really profound insights in here， unfortunately they're buried in a stream of consciousness that's difficult to get through and often feels contradictory to the message。 I like Watts a lot， but would recommend other works of his before this。 There are some really profound insights in here， unfortunately they're buried in a stream of consciousness that's difficult to get through and often feels contradictory to the message。 I like Watts a lot， but would recommend other works of his before this。 。。。more
Ashley Jane
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I love reading Alan Watts books。 They seem to stretch out my thoughts to other possibilities。 I don't need proof that something is "the truth" for me to find it interesting and worth considering - many people hold countless beliefs dear to them without any proof whatsoever， and I think that is totally okay。 My main takeaway from this is that life should be play。 It doesn't have to be so dire and serious。 Death isn't something that needs to be feared - it's just the opposite end of the pole - a p I love reading Alan Watts books。 They seem to stretch out my thoughts to other possibilities。 I don't need proof that something is "the truth" for me to find it interesting and worth considering - many people hold countless beliefs dear to them without any proof whatsoever， and I think that is totally okay。 My main takeaway from this is that life should be play。 It doesn't have to be so dire and serious。 Death isn't something that needs to be feared - it's just the opposite end of the pole - a part of the cycle。 Looking at life in this way， taking it as it comes and being present， has really eased many anxieties and annoyances。"Once you have seen this you can return to the world of practical affairs with a new spirit。 You have seen that the universe is at root a magical illusion and a fabulous game， and that there is no separate 'you' to get something out of it， as if life were a bank to be robbed。。。 It is all part of the illusion that there should seem to be something to be gained in the future， and that there is an urgent necessity to go on and on until we get it。 Yet just as there is no time but the present， and no one except the all-and-everything， there is never anything to be gained - though the zest of the game is to pretend that there is。" 。。。more
John Crosby
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essential
Persephone Abbott
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"To idolize scriptures is like eating paper currency。" I thought I would try the reverse: To eat scriptures is like idolizing paper currency。 I thought there was a problem， edit: To idolize scriptures is like framing paper currency。 Or: To frame scriptures is like idolizing paper currency。 Why scriptures and not scripture？ I would think it might work out better。 Scripture: paper currency。 Scriptures: paper currencies。 And so on。 There is a bit of hypnotism， the way Watts uses alliteration。 He ev "To idolize scriptures is like eating paper currency。" I thought I would try the reverse: To eat scriptures is like idolizing paper currency。 I thought there was a problem， edit: To idolize scriptures is like framing paper currency。 Or: To frame scriptures is like idolizing paper currency。 Why scriptures and not scripture？ I would think it might work out better。 Scripture: paper currency。 Scriptures: paper currencies。 And so on。 There is a bit of hypnotism， the way Watts uses alliteration。 He even throws in hooks every so often， something about sex， or feasts on his reader's paranoias。 Then as he rambles on he often ends a paragraph in complete obliteration of his subject， landing someplace negative。 I felt as if Watts too often brought out an eraser and cleared the chalk board when his ideas stalled。 But he had to put down something， a sermon which more than often revealed his Judeo-Christian background and rejection of his Judeo-Christian background （black and white I'm guessing or white and black）。 Problematic: what or who is he writing for？ Amebae-people？ There was one moment when I thought Watts actually was on to something and then he went off kilter trying to reexplain it all。 I felt Watts dredged up bits of Kant every once in a while， and his lack of specific knowledge of the universe shows plainly:"We have now found out that many things which we felt to be basic realities of nature are social fictions。。。。These fictions include:1。The notion that the world is made up or composed of separate bits of things。" Presumably elements？ "2。That these things are differing forms of some basic stuff。" Chemical compounds？"3。 That individual organisms are such things， and that they are inhabited and partially controlled by independent egos。" Mr。 R。 Hubbard is on board。Totally cringeworthy are his assertions of understanding Asian （the whole continent） thought。 。。。more
James
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Too much thinking about thinking and questioning of questions。
Wade Z
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Absolute recommendation for anyone in the West looking to force a funnel of understanding into some of the basic facets of non-dualism without wanting to go through the whole meditation route; not that this book makes meditation/yoga/fasting/source texts/praying/spiritual jazz irrelevant， but rather Watt's use of analogies/metaphors expresses these basic paradoxes in as clear of a manner as I have seen。For people who struggle with the idea that they are truly alone， or whom don't understand why Absolute recommendation for anyone in the West looking to force a funnel of understanding into some of the basic facets of non-dualism without wanting to go through the whole meditation route; not that this book makes meditation/yoga/fasting/source texts/praying/spiritual jazz irrelevant， but rather Watt's use of analogies/metaphors expresses these basic paradoxes in as clear of a manner as I have seen。For people who struggle with the idea that they are truly alone， or whom don't understand why we exist at once as free but also within a pre-determined society with pre-determined moral obligations， or that don't understand why others are the way they are， or how the limitations of words can ever express anything important， or that don't know where to start with the hard problem of consciousness， or that don't understand how to approach death。 The Book sure as heck won't give you the "right answers"， but it will definitely give you a fresh perspective （unless you're really heavily into Eastern culture， in which case it might provide some cool ideas about Buddhist ideas of vibin'）。（also if anyone's read Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions？ It's super weird that I read the two one after the other？ You'll see why， but someone's either heavily inspired by the other， or idk we have 2 wise men） 。。。more
Suzanne
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This was a very difficult read for me！ With 7 pages of notes in Google Docs， I'm still trying to make sense of it， but I do think the concepts are important。 For example， to not see myself as separate， to abandon cause and effect and that opposites are not in conflict are presented as all parts of oneness。 Oneness leads to treating ourselves and others better so why does that pinch my brain？！ It's easier to digest in print， but the moment I think hard about it I am most uncomfortable。 I do remem This was a very difficult read for me！ With 7 pages of notes in Google Docs， I'm still trying to make sense of it， but I do think the concepts are important。 For example， to not see myself as separate， to abandon cause and effect and that opposites are not in conflict are presented as all parts of oneness。 Oneness leads to treating ourselves and others better so why does that pinch my brain？！ It's easier to digest in print， but the moment I think hard about it I am most uncomfortable。 I do remember that neulogically big learning involves discomfort and that propels me to keep rereading my notes。 。。。more
Juan Carlos
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Genial！ Un libro que muestra una perspectiva de la realidad más。。。 real。 Creo que es un libro complejo sin embargo sencillo， un libro que nos acerca más a nosotros mismos desde una posición menos egoísta， un libro que además demuestra， a través del lenguaje， la limitación del mismo lenguaje， un libro que deja ver la interdependencia de todo， mediante ejemplos de algo。 Es una maravilla de libro， Alan Watts me sigue sorprendiendo cada vez más， siendo un mediador entre oriente y occidente， lo que h Genial！ Un libro que muestra una perspectiva de la realidad más。。。 real。 Creo que es un libro complejo sin embargo sencillo， un libro que nos acerca más a nosotros mismos desde una posición menos egoísta， un libro que además demuestra， a través del lenguaje， la limitación del mismo lenguaje， un libro que deja ver la interdependencia de todo， mediante ejemplos de algo。 Es una maravilla de libro， Alan Watts me sigue sorprendiendo cada vez más， siendo un mediador entre oriente y occidente， lo que hace es abrir mentes。 Siempre que leo o escucho algo de este man， es como el emoji de :mindblown: ， sale una explosión de mi cabeza que me deja estupefacto y maravillado al mismo tiempo。 Recomendado。 。。。more
Dylan Bean
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Woah man
Rodion
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The style of the author is nauseating。 He's trying to explain some basic Buddhist ideas over and over again with a very pompous manuscript， which he calls the Book （something like his own alternative Bible）。 There are some interesting bits here and there， but in general it's a mediocre， contradictory and vain reading。 The style of the author is nauseating。 He's trying to explain some basic Buddhist ideas over and over again with a very pompous manuscript， which he calls the Book （something like his own alternative Bible）。 There are some interesting bits here and there， but in general it's a mediocre， contradictory and vain reading。 。。。more
John Leyden
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Dense but fascinating。 Learning that shorter books can take even longer to read。
Rebecca Ho
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Some golden nuggets in a sea of pretention and fluff
Yasmin Ahmed
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One of the best books I have ever read。 If you want your mind blown/recalibrated/reset/emptied， and if you’re willing to question and contemplate your most passionately held convictions about you， the world， purpose， etc， then no book will satisfy and teach you like The Book。
Claudiu
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a masterpiece， a master’s piece
Timothy
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"The most strongly enforced of all known taboos is the taboo against knowing who or what you really are behind the mask of your apparently separate， independent， and isolated ego。" "The most strongly enforced of all known taboos is the taboo against knowing who or what you really are behind the mask of your apparently separate， independent， and isolated ego。" 。。。more
Ashley Roberts
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20% of this book is actually the philosophy Watts set out to write about， the other 80% is rambling tangents which dampen the impact and grandiosity of the topic at hand。 I wouldn’t call it a bad book， just not what I was looking for。 A lot of Watt’s statements I disagreed with， but this was such a headache to read I can’t actually remember what they were。 I think it’s about time American white men stopped writing poor expressions of eastern faiths if I’m being quite honest。 Watts presents himse 20% of this book is actually the philosophy Watts set out to write about， the other 80% is rambling tangents which dampen the impact and grandiosity of the topic at hand。 I wouldn’t call it a bad book， just not what I was looking for。 A lot of Watt’s statements I disagreed with， but this was such a headache to read I can’t actually remember what they were。 I think it’s about time American white men stopped writing poor expressions of eastern faiths if I’m being quite honest。 Watts presents himself as an interpreter of Hinduism and Taoism but how can a man as wealthy as him be a purveyor of this knowledge when his very existence as a wealth hoarder contradicts the core elements of these faiths。。。。 annoying。 Whatever。 Just read the Bhagavad Gita。 。。。more
Marilyn Mann Harris
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Everyone recommends Alan Watts and I loved many of his YouTube videos。 I listened to this as an audio， and it had a lot of good， motivating info。 I’d recommend it。
Markus Molina
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I haven’t read too much of his stuff， but I’ve seen a few YouTube videos and I find myself nodding along to Alan Watts’ thoughts and words quite a bit， considering life， ego， meaning， etc。 For me， it’s the best kind of thought provoking。 I didn’t necessarily agree with everything in this one， but I loved it all anywho。 The connectedness of everything， the difficulty in putting complex ideas into words， wrestling with our own egos， why we make art， all very lovely， all in this book。 Made me feel I haven’t read too much of his stuff， but I’ve seen a few YouTube videos and I find myself nodding along to Alan Watts’ thoughts and words quite a bit， considering life， ego， meaning， etc。 For me， it’s the best kind of thought provoking。 I didn’t necessarily agree with everything in this one， but I loved it all anywho。 The connectedness of everything， the difficulty in putting complex ideas into words， wrestling with our own egos， why we make art， all very lovely， all in this book。 Made me feel calm and in the present。 。。。more
Dee Rogers
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A book that essentially changed my life。。。。
Oliver Elliott-Rye
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Coming around to another present I got many， many moons ago - going as far back as five years perhaps and given to me by my nan and uncle for Christmas。 I believe I had only just begun a major interest in philosophy at that point， and a part of me regrets sitting on this for so long because this would have been the perfect book for somebody only just beginning a journey into philosophy。 Watts' book delivers a spin on eastern philosophies in a way that is candid and understandable to a western au Coming around to another present I got many， many moons ago - going as far back as five years perhaps and given to me by my nan and uncle for Christmas。 I believe I had only just begun a major interest in philosophy at that point， and a part of me regrets sitting on this for so long because this would have been the perfect book for somebody only just beginning a journey into philosophy。 Watts' book delivers a spin on eastern philosophies in a way that is candid and understandable to a western audience with no faux intellectualism， he even states the aim of The Book is to only be read once as the knowledge presented within should be fairly obvious and not hidden away for multiple interpretations。 It's a discussion on modern philosophy， metaphysics and the place of religion and spirituality in a world seemingly moving past those things at a quick fire rate。 His basic premise of the interconnectedness of all things is hardly the most groundbreaking idea but it is the presentation here that stands out and while Watts may waffle occasionally， his delivery is scientific and every idea is given discussion and demonstration creating a very easy read with a wry sense of humour cutting through some of the dryer areas。 What Watts is able to do here is very similar to what the Dalai Lama achieves in Becoming Enlightened， in the proposition of big spiritual ideas in a practical and useful way， and while the Dalai Lama's book is essentially a meditation guide for the practising Buddhist， Watts does not aim from a religious perspective and instead targets humanity's inquisitive nature， in his presentation of a new way of thinking that feels like a successor to Hindu theorising。 Watts' The Book presents a premise that seems deceptively simple and then proves his point， just like any strong argument should in a book that should hopefully bring a fresh perspective to those that read it and while I may disagree with some of the ethical decisions Watts concludes， the thinking of the text is concrete and well-realised。 。。。more
J。D。
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Pretty good book。 There are several really great philosophical points made in this that really shift your perspective。 The only down side is that， despite it being a relatively short read， I feel like it could have been shorter。 The last 1/5th of it felt a little nuanced and droning， and really just repeated many of the points made earlier in the work。 The ending also was a bit out if nowhere。 But eh， still a great read overall。
Naroka
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There are some interesting ideas here to be sure。 They are however buried amongst mountains of irrelevant metaphors， anti-technology rants and whatever else popped into Watts head whilst he was writing。 In retrospect I would probably just google the salient points and avoid the purchase。
Wei-Ting
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"In looking out upon the world， we forget that the world is looking at itself—through our eyes and IT's。" "In looking out upon the world， we forget that the world is looking at itself—through our eyes and IT's。" 。。。more
Ethan Tang
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Absolutely incredible and eye opening。 It encourages a complete overhaul of how we view ourselves， life， and the universe。 This is my new favorite book， by far。
Fivequotebookchallenge
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How do you define yourself？ By your body？ By who you are with？ By what you own？ By what you believe？ The book challenges western thinkins's notions of the self and what follows is an alternate perspective on our place in the universe。。。The elephant in the room is that we are taught what we should be focusing our attention on and as a result this changes our outlook on the world。 The sun is the centre of the universe but Alan Watts presents the theory that you are the centre of your own world。 A How do you define yourself？ By your body？ By who you are with？ By what you own？ By what you believe？ The book challenges western thinkins's notions of the self and what follows is an alternate perspective on our place in the universe。。。The elephant in the room is that we are taught what we should be focusing our attention on and as a result this changes our outlook on the world。 The sun is the centre of the universe but Alan Watts presents the theory that you are the centre of your own world。 A self-centred approach to life perhaps， but the self is the perspective through which we see the world。 What if - similar， to the old computer racing games; we don't move through the world maybe the world moves through and around us。 This is but one of the challenging thoughts of Alan Watts presented in this book。Alan Watts was a philosopher， writer and lecturer who popularised eastern spirituality with a western audience amidst the political and social change of the 1960s and 1970s。Recommended for those interesting in philosophy and alternate spiritual theologies。Rating: 4。5 / 5@fivequotebookchallenge 。。。more
Anthony Thompson
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At a certain point， when I'm reading authors， even great ones， I find myself treading on similar ideas and themes continuously。 At times it's frustrating， but it's also comforting to feel like you understand what a person was getting at， when their ideas feel worn to you。 Like a great pair of jeans。 If this was my first encounter with Alan Watts， I'd think this book nothing short of genius。 And it really is that， but it's hard to not recommend someone to just go and listen to him talk these idea At a certain point， when I'm reading authors， even great ones， I find myself treading on similar ideas and themes continuously。 At times it's frustrating， but it's also comforting to feel like you understand what a person was getting at， when their ideas feel worn to you。 Like a great pair of jeans。 If this was my first encounter with Alan Watts， I'd think this book nothing short of genius。 And it really is that， but it's hard to not recommend someone to just go and listen to him talk these ideas out。 He's a powerful orator， and his ideas play out best when he's expressing them to an audience。 I happen to be a fan of the auditory medium， so reading him via paper-back just didn't have the same punch。 "Irrevocable commitment to any religion is not only intellectual suicide; it is positive unfaith because it closes the mind to any new version of the world。 Faith is， above all， open-ness-- an act of trust in the unknown。" 。。。more
Caroline H
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I’m confused。 Much to ponder。
Jeevan Sahota
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