The Supreme Identity

By Alan W. Watts

Book Overview

Modern Civilization, Watts maintains, is in a state of chaos because its spiritual leadership has lost effective knowledge of man's true nature. Neither philosophy nor religion today gives us the consciousness that at the deepest center of our being exists an eternal reality, which in the West is called God. Yet only from this realization come the serenity and spiritual power necessary for a stable and creative society. One of the most influential of Alan Watts's early works, "The Supreme Identity" examines the reality of civilization's deteriorated spiritual state and offers solutions through a rigorous theological discussion on Eastern metaphysic and the Christian religion. By examining the minute details of theological issues, Watts challenges readers to reassess the essences of religions that before seemed so familiar and to perceive Vedantic "oneness" as a meeting ground of all things "good" and "evil." In addressing how religious institutions fail to provide the wisdom or power necessary to cope with the modern condition, Watts confidently seeks the truth of the human existence and the divine continuum. In this eye-opening account of "metaphysical blindness" in the West, Watts accents this dense exploration of religious philosophy with wry wit that will engage inquiring minds in search of spiritual power and wisdom.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 162654025X
• ISBN13: 9781626540255
• Release Date: November 2014
• Publisher: Allegro Editions
• Length: 204 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Dense and Potent

_The Supreme Identity_ is one of the more important among the earlier works by Alan Watts. It engages the reader with a rigorous theological discussion which is thought provoking yet mentally taxing. At times he lapses into hair-splitting minutae in examining theological issues, and the result is what the author himself admitted was a "sometimes tortuous argument". However, I would still recommend this one to anyone who wants to go right after the meat of Alan Watts' theology, or for those who wish read stuff from his earlier Christian stage as opposed to his later works, when he dealt almost exclusively with Eastern religion. Before you read this one, I would strongly suggest you read _Behold the Spirit_, which is more readable but just as profound as _The Supreme Identity_.

a mind's eye opener

when i first encountered this book in the mid-eighties i was a pastor of a small church in pennsylvania. i am now a dance musician at slippery rock university and must say that The Supreme Identity is probably watt's most enlightening work. it will be outright rejected and considered dangerous by probably most religious minded folks but that will only serve to make it more interesting to anyone who is ready for it's message. if you feel that religion in its current form is simply too small minded and practically irrelevant but don't know exactly why, then read this book. watts is not anti-religion by any means.but he courageously and clearly sets forth the truth of the human/divine continuum by elucidating the essence of vedantist realization. he uses clear and plain language with that wry humorthat endeared him to so many. this book changed my life nearly twenty years ago. i'm glad i read it and hope many find it in their hands in years to come..

Best book catagory, probably black listed

I'm a self made philosopher. I pick bits and pieces from many places, mostly introspection. This book documents the introspective reflections of someone like me. It traces an inward journey of redefining terms based upon spiritual reflection, instead of dogma. Watts was a professional in some religion, till religion became real to him. His fundamental shift, is documented, like a bridge for the reader to reflect upon their own most basic assumptions about the world. Often these assumptions are socially imposed, from (power based) corporate mechanisms in social consciousness. Reductionism, objectivity... Is subjectivity truth in itself, or are we forever trapped by what is trappable, ie. finite reality? That is, are we, (and all reality), essentially objects or subjects, machine or alive. The latter opens our prespective to include our own spiritual experiences, as primary guides to self-willed evolution. Where from a reductionistic view, these peak experiences are only chemical anomallies, held over from some evolutionary nitch. Having person experience as the primary guide in one's life, means authority is forsaken, and thus we see why this reductionistic mind set is so firmly brain washed into us, from the earliest of ages.