Alan Watts

i recently read "the book" by alan watts after a friend hounded me for months about it. definitely interesting. how we are all different manifestations of the same god, because god was bored and is now attempting to experience every possible type of human emotion through us. sort of the complete opposite of existentialism, i guess. very interesting theory, but this has now become my friend's life. he allows himself to do whatever he pleases (sexually, illegally, etc) because he insists it is god controlling his impulses, attempting to get a cheap thrill. i think he's using it as a bit of a cop out, but it's quite entertaining listening to him say whatever is on his mind because they are "god's thoughts."

 

definitely. you know, the major flaw i saw with the book was...the actual writing of the book itself. watts explains how god is playing hide and seek with itself--that is to say, god doesn't want to realize that i am god, you are god, he is god, she is god, etc. god doesnt want this secret to be revealed to itself, as it can lead to madness (justified murder, for example) . why, then, did god use alan watts to reveal this massive secret to all those uncontrollable "little gods" such as my friend? the writing of the book actually counteracts its thesis.

 

It seems from this thst God isn't playing 'hide and seek' then, but just 'hide' - that is if He wants only illusion etc, and doesn't want us to find out who we really are.

It's a mis-representation of the concept of Divine Lila.

 

again, i have to go back to blaming the actual writing of this book for mass publication. indeed, the ideal plan would be to strictly play "hide"...but so many people are aware of this theory now that in fact it has become "hide and seek". the illusion has been revealed. the latter part of the book is watts explaining what to do with yourself once you've learned who you "really are." by that point, its too late for some.

 

& how does this differ from the martian teachings from valentine michael smith
(in heinlein's _stranger in a strange land_ )

 

Is it? I think that your friend has not realized he is god, but just likes the idea for an excuse to be an egotistical jerk. He has the concept but not the realization.

Also, hasn't it always been hide and seek? All those ancients were trying to find god or a spiritual path or whatever. Mankind has always been seeking.

Can someone explain this idea of Lila? I've read Watt's book, but BillBlackBlake, you confused me with what you said. Is it supposed to be just "hide"? Or is it misrepresenting the idea of Lila to think God only wants to hide? The question I guess is this: does god want us to see through the illusion? Wouldn't that end the game, considering we are god?

 

Lila means really the play of the Divine. Looking at it in terms of God playing hide and seek with Himself is only one view of it.
You ask if God wants us to see through the illusion; un-equivocally yes. The whole purpose of all the various yoga systems is to realize the Divine, to attain to a spiritual illumination and rise above the world of relativistic illusions. And the idea is that those who created these systems had themselves attained such realization.
So, from our point of view, we should aim to awaken to knowledge of Him by whatever means. That is our yoga.
From the Divine perspective - one line of teaching is that this universe is God's method of manifesting in form that which was hidden before in His unmanifest being. That is His yoga. Part of Him has become involved in this world of matter, part of His being has apparentlt accepted these limitations for the purpose of manifestation and creation.
What is God? Thats obviously too big a question for this thread, but in one aspect we can say God is pure and absolute consciousness. That is, if we consider God as transcendent, existing in Himself above this manifestation.
But here in the material world, this original consciousness is hidden.
In the universe we see that this consciousness is only partially expressed in animal and human life in its 'natural' state. However, the teaching is that with yoga we can awaken a higher consciousness in ourselves - or That will become conscious in us. The figure of fully realized Avatars, gurus and so on is the model of such an advance for the consciousness.
This is a very brief summary of one view, anyway.
But even in the most traditionalist of Hindu views, God's Lila is thought of as an appearance in the lower world in order that humans may come to know Him. 'He becomes as we are that we may become as He is' (William Blake).

Hope that hasn't just added to your confusion.

Om Shanti.

 

Pretty much cleared it right up! Thanks. I was just thinking maybe god is hiding for a reason, and didn't want to be found out. I see that that may not be such a precise view of it.