Person
Alan Watts
Spirituality & Myth
Philosophy & EthicsWho is Alan Watts in the Agency editorial?
Alan Watts was an English writer and speaker known for presenting Buddhism, Taoism and other Eastern traditions to Western audiences. The Agency editorial names him twice: Issue.6 credits him with a quotation about living days by presence and not by productivity, and in Creative.11 the author says Watts taught him the meaning of Nirvana.
In short
Alan Watts is named in two editions of the Agency editorial. Issue.6, on time and consumer psychology, tells readers not to push themselves too hard and to be present and intentional, then shows a quotation box credited to him: "Stop measuring days by degree of productivity and start experiencing them by a degree of presence". In Creative.11 the author is the interviewee. Speaking of spiritual richness, he says that Alan Watts taught him the true meaning of Nirvana, which means to exhale: as a noun, a place of perfect peace and happiness; as a verb, letting go of air, giving and not taking. The editions say nothing else about him.
Key facts
- Which quotation does Issue.6 credit to Alan Watts?
- A sentence about ceasing to measure days by degree of productivity and experiencing them by a degree of presence. It appears in a quotation box, credited to Alan Watts, without a source.
- What does the author say he learned from Watts?
- In Creative.11 he says Watts taught him the true meaning of Nirvana, which means to exhale: letting go of air and not absorbing it, giving and not taking.
- Where does Alan Watts appear in the Agency editorial?
- In two editions: Issue.6, as the credit of a quotation box about presence, and Creative.11, where the author, interviewed, says Watts taught him the true meaning of Nirvana.
Who was Alan Watts?
Alan Watts was an English writer and speaker who lived for much of his life in the United States. He is known for books and talks that presented Zen Buddhism, Taoism and Hindu thought to Western readers, among them The Way of Zen. The years and the other card facts of this entry come from outside the editions and are marked for verification.
How do the editions use Alan Watts?
In Issue.6 he appears only as the credit of a quotation box near the start of the edition, right after the author asks readers to be present and intentional and not just productive. The edition does not comment on the quotation or say where it comes from.
In Creative.11 the mention is part of the author's answer about spiritual richness, which he calls a byproduct of trying to understand the meaning of love. He first cites Plato's Symposium and then says that, in the same way, Alan Watts taught him the meaning of Nirvana as exhaling. He adds that he talks about his philosophy of life in his book Farewell, Aurora.
Source editions
Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.
- Issue.6 - Time & Consumer Psychology In CrisisRead the edition
- Creative.11 - Thiago PatriotaRead the edition