The Right Teacher Appears

My spiritual journey has taken me through a remarkable spectrum of teachers and traditions. I first stumbled upon the teachings of Osho, whose insights captivated me early on in my quest. Later, I ventured deep into the Amazon to train with Shipibo shamans in Peru, working with sacred plant medicines like Ayahuasca, Chacruna, Mapacho, and more. Those years of dieta with the Shipibo tribe were absolutely mind-blowing—nature and spirit became my classroom, and life itself emerged as a profound teacher. At the same time I was heavily listening to Terence McKenna. Fast forward to the present, and I’ve found myself resonating deeply with the words of Alan Watts. Every night before sleep, I listen to his lectures on YouTube and feel a beautiful, 100% resonance with his wisdom. It’s funny how when the student is ready, the right teacher appears. In this article, I want to share who Alan Watts was, what he taught, and why his life and lessons are so inspiring.

Alan Watts: A Bridge Between East and West

Alan Watts (1915–1973) was a British-born American philosopher, writer, and speaker celebrated for introducing Eastern philosophy to Western audiences. In the mid-20th century, Western seekers were largely unfamiliar with concepts from Buddhism, Taoism, and Hinduism, but Watts had a rare gift for translating these ideas into plain English with wit and clarity. He became “perhaps the foremost interpreter of Eastern disciplines for the contemporary West,” as the Los Angeles Times noted, with the “rare gift of writing beautifully the un-writable”. In other words, Watts could articulate mystical insights in a way that made people smile and say “aha!” rather than scratching their heads.

Watts’s own life journey was as colorful as his lectures. Born in England, he developed an early fascination with Asian art and literature, which sparked his interest in Eastern spirituality. He moved to the United States in 1938 and, interestingly, became an Episcopal priest in the 1940s while exploring how to blend Christian mysticism with Eastern philosophy. Ultimately, formal religion couldn’t contain his curiosity. He left the church in 1950 and moved to California, where he joined the faculty of the American Academy of Asian Studies in San Francisco. There, he flourished as a teacher and even served as the academy’s dean, all the while deepening his understanding of Zen Buddhism, Taoist thought, and Hindu philosophy.

Watts gained popular appeal through media that were cutting-edge for his time. In the 1950s, he hosted a weekly radio program in Berkeley, captivating Bay Area listeners with insights from “The Great Books of Asia” and his musings “Way Beyond the West.” His 1957 book The Way of Zen became one of the first bestselling introductions to Zen Buddhism in the West. By the 1960s, he was a sought-after speaker on college campuses and a figurehead in the growing counterculture movement. Long-haired hippies, beat poets, and spiritual seekers alike found inspiration in Watts’s talks on consciousness and liberation. (He even dabbled in the era’s psychedelic explorations, experimenting with LSD and writing about altered states of awareness in works like The Joyous Cosmology.) Through these adventures, Watts never presented himself as a guru on a pedestal. In fact, he jokingly called himself a “philosophical entertainer” – a self-described “playful observer” rather than a spiritual master demanding devotion. This down-to-earth approach made his teachings both accessible and subtly profound.

Despite his reputation as an enlightened thinker, Alan Watts was very much human. He loved a good drink and a cigarette, could be irreverent, and wasn’t shy about admitting his flaws. In a way, that made him all the more relatable. He reminded people that spiritual insight doesn’t require holier-than-thou perfection; it can bloom in the midst of an ordinary, messy life. Watts’s life ended in 1973, when he passed away at the age of 58 at his cabin retreat in California. Yet, that was hardly the end of his influence. Thanks to hundreds of recorded talks and the rise of the Internet, Alan Watts’s voice continues to reach new audiences to this date.

Key Teachings of Alan Watts

Alan Watts’s teachings cover a wide range of philosophical and spiritual topics, always delivered with a mix of clarity, humor, and a touch of mystery. Here are a few key themes and insights that characterize his wisdom:

• The Illusion of the Ego: Watts often emphasized that our usual sense of self as a separate, isolated “ego in a bag of skin” is a misleading construct. In reality, we are not divided from the rest of the universe; rather, each of us is like a wave on the ocean – distinct in form yet inseparable from the whole. He urged listeners to recognize the illusion of separateness and see that “you” and the universe are deeply interconnected.
• Life as Play (Lila): One of Watts’s most delightful messages is that we shouldn’t view life as a grim battle or a strenuous test of worthiness. Instead, life is more like a dance or a piece of music – and the point is to dance while the music is being played, not to rush to the end. He borrowed the Hindu concept of “lila,” the divine play, suggesting that the universe is essentially playing with itself. This playful outlook encourages us to take things seriously and lightly at the same time, enjoying the grand cosmic drama without being weighed down by it.
• Being in the Present Moment: Long before mindfulness became mainstream, Watts taught the importance of fully experiencing the present. He warned about the trap of constantly chasing the future or dwelling on the past. “This is the real secret of life – to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now,” he would explain in various ways. By embracing the now, we align with the natural flow of reality (what Taoists call the “watercourse way” of going with the current).
• Embracing Paradox and Mystery: Watts had a knack for showing that spiritual truths often sound paradoxical. For example, he would say that in letting go of the need to control life, we find a deeper control; in accepting our uncertainty, we find real security. He delighted in these apparent contradictions, seeing them as koans (Zen riddles) that provoke a shift in consciousness. His talks often carry a sense of mystery – not to confuse, but to gently push our minds beyond black-and-white logic into a more intuitive, holistic understanding of existence.
• Self-Understanding over Self-Improvement: Unlike many motivational speakers or strict spiritual gurus, Watts did not force regimens of discipline on his audience. He believed insight was more transformative than mere willpower. “I’m not selling self-improvement, I’m exploring self-understanding,” he would imply. He encouraged people to question themselves and “consider a variety of worldviews” rather than following any single dogma blindly. In essence, he trusted that by truly knowing who you are, positive growth happens naturally.

A Lasting Influence and Personal Resonance

Alan Watts’s legacy lives on robustly. His books (over 25 of them) and countless recorded lectures continue to inspire new generations seeking meaning and balance in a fast-paced world. In the 1960s, his ability to communicate Eastern wisdom helped fuel Western interest in meditation, yoga, and spiritual exploration. Today, thanks to public radio archives and enthusiastic fans on the internet, you can hear his iconic voice delivering timeless advice on everything from the art of meditation to the nature of reality. It’s no wonder that trends show surges of young people discovering Watts’s work online — his teachings feel as fresh and relevant as ever.

On a personal note, I find Alan Watts’s blend of professionalism and playfulness incredibly refreshing. He speaks with the authority of a scholar and the ease of a friend sharing a late-night joke. There’s a spark of mischief in his voice, a reminder not to take ourselves too seriously even as we grapple with profound questions. After journeying with Osho’s meditations and the shamanic wisdom of the Amazon, encountering Watts feels like meeting a witty old sage who ties it all together with a laugh. His perspectives validate my own experiences — that feeling of unity I touched in Ayahuasca ceremonies or the realization that the universe is within us as much as we are within it — and he puts them into words that make me nod along in the darkness of my room, saying, “Yes, exactly!”

Conclusion

In the end, the journey through various teachers has taught me that truth wears many costumes. From the fiery discourses of Osho, to the jungle songs of Shipibo shamans, to the soothing, insightful monologues of Alan Watts, each teacher arrived just when I was ready for their lesson. It reinforces that age-old saying: when the student is ready, the right teacher appears. Alan Watts happened to be the right teacher for me at this stage, illuminating wisdom that resonates deeply with me. And yet, perhaps the most beautiful lesson he (and all true teachers) imparts is that the ultimate guru lies within. The highest level of mastery is realizing you are your own teacher — that the wisdom you seek has been quietly guiding you from the start. With gratitude for all the guides I’ve encountered, I step forward on the path, knowing that every experience is another teacher and that, ultimately, I carry the torch of insight within myself.