Zen Buddhism with Alan Watts (Sunday radio)

Roy (of Hollywood) Tuckman, KPFK FM, Pacifica Radio, Wisdom Quarterly

The Book by Alan Watts is a stunning essay on “the taboo against knowing who you are.” In particular, he offers a devastating critique for any looking to “change the world” (Illustration: Randal Roberts/Ianmack.com).

What's the meaning of American music and life? (More)

Alan Watts Sundays, 8:00 am PST, 11:00 am EST
KPFK (90.7 FM), Los Angeles or listen worldwide
For more than 40 years Alan Watts has earned a reputation as one of the foremost interpreters of Zen and Eastern philosophies for the West. Listen free online.

Beginning at the age of 16, when he wrote essay for the journal of the Buddhist Lodge in London, he developed an audience of millions who were enriched through his books, recordings, and lectures on radio, television, and in public appearances.

In all, Watts has written more than 25 books and recorded hundreds of lectures and seminars, all building toward a personal philosophy he shares candidly and joyfully with his and listeners throughout the world.

His overall works have presented a model of individuality and self-expression that can be matched by few philosophers. The three main sources for Alan Watts tapes and information are:

• Pacifica Radio Archives (800) 735-0230, pacificaradioarchives.org
• MEA (866) 492-8446, wattstapes.com
• Electronic University (800) 96-WATTS, alanwatts.com
  

More can also be found at: alanwatts.net and alanwatts.com

• Message from the Interim Program Director about Tuckman
  

Alchemical Magick and Mystery

Tanja Laden (Supernatural LA Weekly, Sept. 19, 2011)

Alchemy lab, Long Beach conference (Erica Marie Liscano/laweekly.com)

Int'l Alchemy Conference: Getting Magickal and Mysterious in Long Beach

Whether it's through Kundalini yoga, Vedic astrology, Feng Shui, Wicca, or Kabbalah, the people of Los Angeles have always been willing to go to any lengths to find answers to the unexplained, especially with 2012, a magnet for New Age theories, a few months away.

But if this year's International Alchemy Conference is any indication, those lengths don't exactly include driving to Long Beach.

The annual International Alchemy Conference got its start in 2006 at the convention-center Mecca of the United States: Las Vegas. It moved to L.A. two years later, where it continued to attract what organizers describe as "the largest gathering of alchemists in 500 years."

According to many exhibitors, this year's modestly-sized crowd was a symptom of the alchemists' move from the Los Angeles Convention Center, and lane closures in both directions of the Long Beach Freeway didn't help.

Despite the distance and thinner crowds, the 2011 International Alchemy Conference was still a success, especially since all proceeds benefited Japanese relief efforts by way of the Golden Pyramid of Peace. More

Chi (breath energy) explained

Howstuffworks.com

In Taoism, chi is the force that animates the universe (©2007 Publications Int'l, Ltd.)

Chi [breath, spirit, spiritus, prana, qi] is a primal substance that animates the universe in Taoism, a mysterious force at the center of ancient Chinese myths and legends that also brought attention to Tai Chi and the Tao [sometimes defines simply as the way or the path of least resistance].

Chi is the force that sets the world and everything in it into motion. Chi is also the force that sustains all things once they are created. [In Buddhist Abhidharma, chi is the "air element," one of the four fundamental characteristics of matter. It is responsible for movement and does not refer to mere oxygen entering and exiting the body. It refers to a far more subtle energy that diffuses throughout the body just as wind does.]

The Idea of Chi

The Taoist concept of chi is not easily accepted by Westerners. It is not a concept that appears in our mainstream religions [except for Christian texts in Latin that speak of spiritus and the "holy spirit," where spirit means "breath"] or philosophies [except for the now defunct theory of the Four Elements]. More

• Introduction to Taoism and Chi
• Chi: The Life Force
• The Influence of Chi
• Personal Chi
• Experiencing Chi
• Chi and Breathing
• Cultivating Chi
• Eastern Spirituality articles
  

Buddhism meets Taoism (videography)

Buddha in Bhutan (Michael Foley Photography)

Brenda Smage reads Prof. Rev. Dr. James Kenneth Powell II's scholarship on Taoism, Buddhism, and medieval China. Buddhism spread "hippie-like" from Dharma bum wandering ascetic scholars on the Silk Road. They settled in Loyang, hanging around with the Taoists/Daoists. Before long they have taken over the spiritual-philosophical landscape. Confucianists came to the rescue: T'ang Dynasty persecution put an end to Theravada Buddhism. (It eradicated Sarvastivada Buddhism, the original and much maligned "Hinayana" school). As the original teachings from India and Central Asia were driven out of China, only the overly wooden Ch'an (Zen) and overly devotional "Pure Land" traditions survived.

(Open Source Buddhism)

• Buddhist India: landlocked Ladakh, the roof of the world