The Peculiar Truth about the Alcoholic Buddhist, Alan Watts
- Dan Spencer
- Nov 7, 2023
- 2 min read
Few people were more instrumental in bringing Eastern philosophy and religion to the West like Alan Watts.
He was born in England in 1915 and grew to be a gifted student. His early fascination with Asian culture came from reading Sax Rohmer’s fictional tales about Fu Manchu.
As a teenager, Watts studied Eastern philosophy. His father took him to a Buddhist Lodge where young Alan discovered his lifelong calling.
At age 17, he wrote his first book, An Outline of Zen Buddhism.
At age 23, he moved to New York City where he began lecturing about spirituality.
1944: He was ordained an Episcopal priest.
Six years later, he relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area.
1956: He began a radio program in Berkeley, CA about spirituality and philosophy that could be heard across the country. His show and lectures were often presented without notes as stream of conscious oratory.
Watts wrote more than 25 books about Eastern philosophy and religion.
Both the Beat Generation and the Hippies were attracted to his teachings. He became a Sixties counterculture guru.
His real life was complicated.
He was married three times. Alimony payments kept him publishing and lecturing constantly.
Despite being a vegetarian long before that lifestyle was common, Watts was a lifelong smoker and only began drinking in middle age - although he’d been doing drugs for years before that. Friends said he rarely exercised or meditated. With three wives and many alleged affairs, Watts had a sexual appetite, too.
Buddhism teaches that life is suffering - and Watts seemed to have suffered from physical and mental stress, which reportedly led to his drinking.
The Buddha also teaches that we can end suffering and achieve nirvana by letting go of our desires.
Watts’ drinking became excessive.
As an acclaimed Buddhist and self-professed intellectual, Alan Watts might have seen his own unchecked cravings as spiritual shortcomings. But not everyone practices what they preach. And you can’t blame the messenger.
November 16, 1973: Alan Watts died at age 58 from a heart ailment possibly attributable to smoking and alcoholism.
Although he passed away 50 years ago, his recorded lectures are highly popular on YouTube to this day.
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