Tao: The Watercourse Way
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- Author：Alan W. Watts
- ISBN：1788164466
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Summary
Following Alan Watts' acclaimed book on Zen Buddhism The Way of Zen， he tackles the Chinese philosophy of Tao。
The Tao is the way of man's cooperation with the natural course of the natural world。 Alan Watts takes the reader through the history of Tao and its interpretations by key thinkers such as Lao-Tzu， author of the Tao Te Ching。 Watts goes on to demonstrate how the ancient and timeless Chinese wisdom of Tao promotes the idea of following a life lived according to the natural world and goes against our goal-oriented ideas by allowing time to quiet our minds and observe the world rather than imposing ourselves on it。 By taking in some of the lessons of Tao， we can change our attitude to the way we live。
Drawing on ancient and modern sources， Watts treats the Chinese philosophy of Tao in much the same way as he did Zen Buddhism in his classic The Way of Zen。 Including an introduction to the Chinese culture that is the foundation of the Tao， this is one of Alan Watts' best-loved works。
The Tao is the way of man's cooperation with the natural course of the natural world。 Alan Watts takes the reader through the history of Tao and its interpretations by key thinkers such as Lao-Tzu， author of the Tao Te Ching。 Watts goes on to demonstrate how the ancient and timeless Chinese wisdom of Tao promotes the idea of following a life lived according to the natural world and goes against our goal-oriented ideas by allowing time to quiet our minds and observe the world rather than imposing ourselves on it。 By taking in some of the lessons of Tao， we can change our attitude to the way we live。
Drawing on ancient and modern sources， Watts treats the Chinese philosophy of Tao in much the same way as he did Zen Buddhism in his classic The Way of Zen。 Including an introduction to the Chinese culture that is the foundation of the Tao， this is one of Alan Watts' best-loved works。
Reviews
Stephen
，
I don’t understand all the high reviews。 Most of the book is just repetition of riddles。 “What is felt but not present， real but undefinable， ancient but modern， unable to be explained？ He has proven it’s impossible to explain because he can’t。 I really wanted to like this book but really gained very little from it。 It’s as if he were high and thinking out loud and someone wrote down his ramblings。 Although， I did like the first part about the influence of language on our perception。 He seems to I don’t understand all the high reviews。 Most of the book is just repetition of riddles。 “What is felt but not present， real but undefinable， ancient but modern， unable to be explained？ He has proven it’s impossible to explain because he can’t。 I really wanted to like this book but really gained very little from it。 It’s as if he were high and thinking out loud and someone wrote down his ramblings。 Although， I did like the first part about the influence of language on our perception。 He seems to be taking a scholarly approach， parsing the meaning of words and trying to translate the writing of others。 I suppose there is a place for this， but I don’t want an essay。 I want to hear from the traveler who can tell me how to travel the road。 This is one reason Buddha is so popular。 He said I’ve been there。 And if you follow these steps， you’ll increase your likelihood of getting there too。 I try to read regularly from many different philosophies Taoism， Hinduism， Buddhism， Christianity， Ancient Islamic Sufism。 From what I glean， the Tao is not a unique concept to Taoism。 In each， the most enlightened struggle to explain their spiritual experiences。 Either most are delusional or they are using different words to describe the same experience。 They all teach that if you quiet your mind， you can tap into a deeper place， a place a wide as eternity， but always available inside of each us， a firm calmness that flows in all directions。 For example:“。。。Eternal， Immense， Incomprehensible， Infinite in intellect and will and in all perfection。。altogether simple and unchangeable” Vatican Counsel“。。。most pure spirit， invisible， without body， parts， or passions。” Westminster Confession Probably， the most useful explanation I have found recently is from Eckhart Tolle， in The Power of Now。 In addition to definitions， he give simple suggestions for how to calm the mind to experience it more often。 。。。more
Ben Cohen
，
I read this book after finish Watt’s work “The Wisdom of Insecurity”。 While the former was more of a practical guide this book was more of a study guide， a roadmap into understanding the basics of Taoism， which is being utilized a lot in Watt’s philosophy。 It was an interesting glimpse into some of the Chinese traditions and their way of thought。In this book， Watt explains some of Taoism's most basic and simple （yet extremely beautiful） ideas。 Starting with what it is and its origins， the place I read this book after finish Watt’s work “The Wisdom of Insecurity”。 While the former was more of a practical guide this book was more of a study guide， a roadmap into understanding the basics of Taoism， which is being utilized a lot in Watt’s philosophy。 It was an interesting glimpse into some of the Chinese traditions and their way of thought。In this book， Watt explains some of Taoism's most basic and simple （yet extremely beautiful） ideas。 Starting with what it is and its origins， the place in history all the way from Confucius to Lao-Tau， it was an interesting part， he also touches on the limiting of words and explains what is Taoism to the best of his ability， explaining the things you can’t explain。Then he went over Yin Yang， being the two forces that govern life， both of them together create a sense of flow in the world。 He gave examples of it in everything， one doesn’t contradict the other， they complement each other。 Like life and death， if there is no death then what is life for？ It is a symbol for the harmony of the current moment， a way to show the saddle but unexplainable things in life， the ones that make life worth living， the ones that give you peace within all the chaos。Wu Wei is the third thing we learn， the concept of acting from a way of peace and instinct， letting things flow and go their course with peace and wisdom。 We are to let ourselves be dynamic and stretch for the present moment， which is a new beautiful one we know nothing of。 It shows the power in dissolving to the present moment。We finish with Da， the closest translation is a virtue。 This means acting from a place of love， not because we believe we need to be a that certain way or meet certain expectations。 In our age we believe we need to be something or act in a certain way， we rely on our willpower to stay that way and we don’t really want to do it but we still do， when we let go of that we are selfish and unable to really love。 Da doesn’t come from a set of rules or some philosophy， it’s not about thinking what is right and wrong。 It is about letting your flow dictate your actions from love and centricity， being naturally virtuous and loving。I will sum up by saying that this book is for ones who are searching to learn more about Taoism and ancient Eastern philosophies more than a practical or some sort of guide。 For that， I will recommend Watt’s book “The Wisdom of Insecurity”。 Nonetheless， this was interesting work and helped me to see where it came from and learn the history， which is always interesting。 。。。more
Marco Loya
，
Somehow I didn’t find this book as enlightening as I was expecting。 Maybe my expectations were the problem or maybe I read it too fast。 I will reread it some day。 Anyway， it would be great to also read The Way of Zen to compare the ideas in both books。 It’s a short read， so that’s nice。
Zach Wright
，
“Taoists do not look upon meditation as 'practice，' except in the sense that a doctor 'practices' medicine。 They have no design to subjugate or alter the universe by force or willpower， for their art is entirely to go along with the flow of things in an intelligent way。” “The human organism has the same kind of innate intelligence as the ecosystems of nature， and the wisdom of the nerves and senses must be watched with patience and respect。” “[W]hen "the rule of law" becomes absolutized and ever “Taoists do not look upon meditation as 'practice，' except in the sense that a doctor 'practices' medicine。 They have no design to subjugate or alter the universe by force or willpower， for their art is entirely to go along with the flow of things in an intelligent way。” “The human organism has the same kind of innate intelligence as the ecosystems of nature， and the wisdom of the nerves and senses must be watched with patience and respect。” “[W]hen "the rule of law" becomes absolutized and everything is done by the book or the computer， people call out in desperation for the intervention of a reasonable human being。” 。。。more
Carlos
，
Siempre es un placer leer a Alan Watts。Me ha impresionado gratamente lo robusto que era el libro en cuanto a la bibliografía y la recopilación de diversas fuentes。También me ha parecido interesantisimo y muy revelador， sobretodo la información acerca del tao。El Tao al ser tan antiguo y estar escrito en idioma chino （ el cual explica Alan en este libro que tiene un caracter más simbólico y no tan lineal como nuestro alfabeto ） tiene múltiples interpretaciones y si se traduce 20 veces por 20 tradu Siempre es un placer leer a Alan Watts。Me ha impresionado gratamente lo robusto que era el libro en cuanto a la bibliografía y la recopilación de diversas fuentes。También me ha parecido interesantisimo y muy revelador， sobretodo la información acerca del tao。El Tao al ser tan antiguo y estar escrito en idioma chino （ el cual explica Alan en este libro que tiene un caracter más simbólico y no tan lineal como nuestro alfabeto ） tiene múltiples interpretaciones y si se traduce 20 veces por 20 traductores diferentes cada uno le da su propia interpretación。 Por eso ha estado increíble poder leer la interpretación de alan y ademas fragmentos de interpretaciones de muchos otros que el considera eruditos。Al final acabas formandote una muy buena idea acerca del tao。 。。。more
David Sutton
，
The best book to introduce Chinese philosophy is The Tao of Pooh。 My biggest takeaway from Alan Watts is his analysis of Chinese writing with the idea that a pictographic language is more natural than a phonetic language。 It seems very unlikely that Chinese characters would take off as the universal written language， but the potential is there。
horselover
，
a good read but felt like a lot of reiteration from his broad view of Taoism in "Way of Zen" and i guess just too introductory for someone who has already familiarized themselves with Lao Tzu and his legacy。 Tried to read it then not as the academic work it appears to be but the final sendoff the introduction and back cover blurb take it as - one last simple statement from the wizened soon to be settled master， and I got some of that in the final pages and this I guess was what I liked most abou a good read but felt like a lot of reiteration from his broad view of Taoism in "Way of Zen" and i guess just too introductory for someone who has already familiarized themselves with Lao Tzu and his legacy。 Tried to read it then not as the academic work it appears to be but the final sendoff the introduction and back cover blurb take it as - one last simple statement from the wizened soon to be settled master， and I got some of that in the final pages and this I guess was what I liked most about it。 I think Taoism meant a lot to me at a certain point in my life but I am - for reason of the several contradictions admitted by Watts here - not so much a follower anymore， even as I respect and continue to take inspiration from many of its ideas。 So this was a strange read overall - I took less comfort from it than I had expected - but letting go of ideas is important too， without forgetting them。 。。。more
Cory Jones
，
Easy， short read about the basic philosophy of Taoism: Tao， Li， Wu-Wei， and Te。
Anu
，
3。5
Joshua Foster
，
Alan Watts is a joy to read。 He writes fantastically and eruditely and this book is no exception。 Taoism is a fascinating branch of philosophy and one that I believe still holds its own today after thousands of years。 Though I've read many Taoist texts over the years， this book really helped me conceptualise some of the main tenets of Taoism and situate it it in its context。 The calligraphy work by Lee Chinh-chang in this book， as well as Al Chung-liang Huang's commentary only added to the awe a Alan Watts is a joy to read。 He writes fantastically and eruditely and this book is no exception。 Taoism is a fascinating branch of philosophy and one that I believe still holds its own today after thousands of years。 Though I've read many Taoist texts over the years， this book really helped me conceptualise some of the main tenets of Taoism and situate it it in its context。 The calligraphy work by Lee Chinh-chang in this book， as well as Al Chung-liang Huang's commentary only added to the awe and equanimity I felt while reading it。 Pairs amazingly with the Feng & English translation of the Tao te Ching。 。。。more
Becca Evans
，
Not an easy read！ Deep， but worth the read。
Merijn
，
Allan Watts and Al Huang have written an accessible way of introducing the Tao。 Light-hearted and in understandable language， you get a grasp of nonduality and its subtle workings。Left with a light heart myself， I'd encourage all those who feel they are 'serious' and 'ambitious' to give this a try。 Allan Watts and Al Huang have written an accessible way of introducing the Tao。 Light-hearted and in understandable language， you get a grasp of nonduality and its subtle workings。Left with a light heart myself， I'd encourage all those who feel they are 'serious' and 'ambitious' to give this a try。 。。。more
Ramon Rouse
，
“The Tao is that from which one cannot deviate; that from which one can deviate is not the Tao。”
Ryan
，
I don't quite know why， but it seems anytime I set myself to reading one of Watts' books， I get distracted。 It's an odd， and admittedly frustrating phenomenon， especially since Watts' is a philosopher I hold as a personal "guilty pleasure" of sorts。 Mostly by this point， for his ever increasing devotion by New Agers who seem to almost think he was some kind of "ascended figure。" But moving away from teens wanting to act fancy， my procrastination was thankfully beaten for once。 It's a curious， de I don't quite know why， but it seems anytime I set myself to reading one of Watts' books， I get distracted。 It's an odd， and admittedly frustrating phenomenon， especially since Watts' is a philosopher I hold as a personal "guilty pleasure" of sorts。 Mostly by this point， for his ever increasing devotion by New Agers who seem to almost think he was some kind of "ascended figure。" But moving away from teens wanting to act fancy， my procrastination was thankfully beaten for once。 It's a curious， detailed， and oddly quite scholarly exposition on Taoism。 It's not some kind of "for the masses，" if you will， introduction to Taoism。 It is， to Watts at least， a proper work of scholarship into Taoism and it's encompassing effect and influence on Chinese culture。 Much is also devoted to the language itself， including the whole first chapter， and a fair portion of the rest is scattered with whole passages of Laozi and Zhuangzi in the original language。 That said， it does also have a rather unpolished feel to the text， another unusual aspect in comparison to Watts more well-known work。 This， I think it can be seen， is quite understandable， in it being the last book written before his untimely death in late-1973， leaving the work sadly unfinished。 I feel if he lived long enough to complete it， the occasionally stiff prose （especially in the last two chapters） would've been ironed out， as well as the work being in a proper finished state。 But what's left is quite good。 Being one with an interest in Taoism for a while now， I can't complain about it much personally。 However， as an introduction to Taoism: I do not recommend as a first choice。 Some preliminary knowledge is recommended， and a bit of patience for the restless reader。 。。。more
Lucas
，
In all his books Alan W。 Watts is writing about the same thing， here in this posthumous work he express it in its more perfect form。 Simple， though nuanced， I found out my psychic sensor won't allow me to speak it， so I'll be silent。You have had the nerve to be born human， and you are delighted。 But this body undergoes myriads of changes that never come to an end， and does it not thus afford occasion for joys incalculable？ Therefore the sage enjoys himself in that from which there is no possibil In all his books Alan W。 Watts is writing about the same thing， here in this posthumous work he express it in its more perfect form。 Simple， though nuanced， I found out my psychic sensor won't allow me to speak it， so I'll be silent。You have had the nerve to be born human， and you are delighted。 But this body undergoes myriads of changes that never come to an end， and does it not thus afford occasion for joys incalculable？ Therefore the sage enjoys himself in that from which there is no possibility of separation， and by which all things are preserved。 He considers early death or old age， his beginning and his ending， all to be good， and in this other men imitate him。 How much more will they do so in regard to that [Tao] on which all things depend， and from which every transformation arises！ 。。。more
Luke Sebree
，
Lifechanging。 Watts has a talent for grinding up meaty， mind bending spiritual/philosophical ideas into easily digestible chunks。 His explanations of polarity and mutual arising in the context of the Tao （being cannot exist without non-being， flowers grow alongside and cannot exist without bees and vice versa） reshaped my personal moral philosophy。 After reading this book I find myself thinking less in terms of the Western philosophy of upward progress that frames life and morality as a battle t Lifechanging。 Watts has a talent for grinding up meaty， mind bending spiritual/philosophical ideas into easily digestible chunks。 His explanations of polarity and mutual arising in the context of the Tao （being cannot exist without non-being， flowers grow alongside and cannot exist without bees and vice versa） reshaped my personal moral philosophy。 After reading this book I find myself thinking less in terms of the Western philosophy of upward progress that frames life and morality as a battle to be won （good wins out over evil， light over darkness， etc。） and more in terms of the Eastern philosophy of life as a non-linear， harmonious river where polarities arise with each other not in opposition to each other。 。。。more
Argel Landeros
，
A wonderful experience for a searching life…
Howard
，
Explained the main thrust of Taoist writing （I hesitate to add -ism as it's not really something you can - or can't - follow）， along with a little historiography and comparisons to Zen and Confucian philosophy。 Also had a few preachy diversions into major issues of the 70s like eco-friendliness and nuclear power。 I mean still true and relevant， but just， what's that got to do with the Tao， Alan？While I came out the other side with a little changed perspective on things， and finding myself using Explained the main thrust of Taoist writing （I hesitate to add -ism as it's not really something you can - or can't - follow）， along with a little historiography and comparisons to Zen and Confucian philosophy。 Also had a few preachy diversions into major issues of the 70s like eco-friendliness and nuclear power。 I mean still true and relevant， but just， what's that got to do with the Tao， Alan？While I came out the other side with a little changed perspective on things， and finding myself using nature-driven metaphors a lot more， I'm not sure I really gained a lot more than that。。。 the true Tao can't be expressed or forced， real leadership doesn't lead， ideas of separate things are illusory。 Maybe that's all there is to it， but I kinda wanted there to be more。Maybe mountains really are just mountains。 。。。more
Jackson Virtus
，
I've always struggled with the idea of religion。 I know some may argue that Tao is a philosophy， however I believe both to be true simultaneously。 This book gave me tremendous insight into what I picture is only a sliver of cultural insight to the east。 The tendency to understand polarity while simultaneously going with the flow and letting the river of life's course take you where it must， is a mindset which would have served me great use in the past。 However， as this book states in turn， there I've always struggled with the idea of religion。 I know some may argue that Tao is a philosophy， however I believe both to be true simultaneously。 This book gave me tremendous insight into what I picture is only a sliver of cultural insight to the east。 The tendency to understand polarity while simultaneously going with the flow and letting the river of life's course take you where it must， is a mindset which would have served me great use in the past。 However， as this book states in turn， there is only the present moment， all that has even been， and all that ever will be。 I must not get distracted by my past， as that is upstream now。 Downstream does not exist， for there is a new perspective。 The new perspective is one of the current moment， the path of least resistance， and living through it all at once without hesitation。 。。。more
Diego
，
Si alguna vez he dudado de ti， espero que me perdones， Alan Watts。 Iba con el miedo y la cautela que todo occidental del siglo XXI debe llevar cuando se acerca a un libro escrito por otro occidental， este del siglo XX， que trata temas de Oriente。 Sin embargo， he descubierto que El camino del Tao es en realidad un ejercicio de funambulismo hipnótico y revelador。 Watts no intenta sentar cátedra ni revelar un Oriente milenario y mitológico oculto tras una serie de filosofías de vida， tampoco se lle Si alguna vez he dudado de ti， espero que me perdones， Alan Watts。 Iba con el miedo y la cautela que todo occidental del siglo XXI debe llevar cuando se acerca a un libro escrito por otro occidental， este del siglo XX， que trata temas de Oriente。 Sin embargo， he descubierto que El camino del Tao es en realidad un ejercicio de funambulismo hipnótico y revelador。 Watts no intenta sentar cátedra ni revelar un Oriente milenario y mitológico oculto tras una serie de filosofías de vida， tampoco se llena de misticismo ni de intelectualismo para describir estas ideologías o epistemes。 En realidad， se muestra como un hombre falible y humilde que intenta volcar todo aquello que lleva aprendiendo durante su vida， esperando que alguien conecte de igual manera y pueda hallar así una ventana a una nueva visión del mundo。 。。。more
Nancy
，
Interesting read since Alan Watts died before this book was completed。 To me it seemed a little like a lecture transcribed。 Overall it was definitely mind expanding; I could only take in a couple of pages at a time。 I got the most out of the chapter called Te - Virtuality and in particular the discussion around Taoism and meditation。
Hansel
，
Co written with his friend and after Alan’s death。 The book compromised of calligraphy as well as quotation from many oriental sources。 As always， the style of writing is continuous and while it is hard to summarized， it is very easy to digest for those who read it。 So just read it :）
Brett Lawrence
，
A great introduction to the philosophy and practice of Taoism。 Would recommend to anyone interested in the subject。 Watts did a great job of introducing countless Westerners to Eastern philosophy。 Use this book as a starting point and explore the topic more。
Shreeram Bhattarai
，
Maybe I am expecting more from the book but it was wonderfully written。 The way of the universe is in its own way， it is not about how we do and how do we think。 There is a natural flow （Tao） that is there。 We shouldn't think or need anything at all。 We just need to be there and flow the water flow。 Wonderful book。 I really like some of the things but It would be great if it has some more。 Maybe I am expecting more from the book but it was wonderfully written。 The way of the universe is in its own way， it is not about how we do and how do we think。 There is a natural flow （Tao） that is there。 We shouldn't think or need anything at all。 We just need to be there and flow the water flow。 Wonderful book。 I really like some of the things but It would be great if it has some more。 。。。more
Daniel Cloutier
，
Das letzte Werk von Watts las sich jetzt mit Anfang vierzig doch etwas anders als damals in meinen Zwanzigern。 Es führt aber noch heute unterhaltsam und kompakt in die Grundlagen des Daoismus ein。
Joshua D
，
No substitute for reading the Tao Te Ching， but an excellent companion and perspective。 Watts， as always， is delightful and charming。
Jake Jeffries
，
This is a great book， especially when it hits chapter 3。 The first couple of chapters focused heavily on the Chinese language and is good primer for studying how to read it。 Currently I have no plans to learn it despite being drawn to their culture and traditions。 After that it delves into exploring the Tao and applications for life。 Alan has a great way of breaking it down into easier to understand bits even though the Tao is not meant to be understood。
Robert Tansey
，
Not a bad introduction but I could have done with less footnotes and calligraphy and a better explanation。 I am off to read another book on Tao。。。
Bob
，
Alan Watts' humor， Al Chung-liang Huang's simple joy， and the Tao: what's not to like here？！ Alan died before this book was finished， and Al Chung-liang filled in some of the blanks。 Mr Huang's "Embrace Tiger， Return to Mountain - the essence of Tai Chi" has been on my book shelf since 1974。 A wining combination， these two together， at the end of a remarkable life。 Alan Watts' humor， Al Chung-liang Huang's simple joy， and the Tao: what's not to like here？！ Alan died before this book was finished， and Al Chung-liang filled in some of the blanks。 Mr Huang's "Embrace Tiger， Return to Mountain - the essence of Tai Chi" has been on my book shelf since 1974。 A wining combination， these two together， at the end of a remarkable life。 。。。more
Przemyslaw Sha
，
The concept of Tao is said to be so simple and fundamental that explaining it with words is almost impossible。 Watts repeats after Lao Tzu that "the Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao"。 Natural languages are obviously restricted in their applications。 Don't even try increasing your bench press by reading books。 The worse thing though is that a sole act of defining often leads to rigidness， followed then by dogmas and codifications。 No surprise Taoists are skeptical about words。 The very The concept of Tao is said to be so simple and fundamental that explaining it with words is almost impossible。 Watts repeats after Lao Tzu that "the Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao"。 Natural languages are obviously restricted in their applications。 Don't even try increasing your bench press by reading books。 The worse thing though is that a sole act of defining often leads to rigidness， followed then by dogmas and codifications。 No surprise Taoists are skeptical about words。 The very essence of Taoism， picturized by water metaphors and the ying-yang symbol， is an opposite of the rigidness words might impose。Being aware that his book isn't on the eternal Tao， Watts does a really good job explaining what can be explained。 However， I expected something more。 Definitely a good introduction， sincerely recommended to all new adepts of The Watercourse Way。 。。。more
Reference
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