You're It!

On Hiding, Seeking, and Being Found

By: Alan Watts

Narrated by: Alan Watts

Length: 12 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's Summary

Life is the ultimate game of hide and seek... and the good news is that you're it! With the combination of playful irreverence and penetrating insight that made him a legend in Western philosophy, Alan Watts investigates the surprisingly liberating concept of "the universe as play" found at the heart of Hinduism, Zen, and other wisdom traditions.

Carefully selected by his son and archivist Mark Watts, You're It: On Hiding, Seeking, and Being Found features more than 10 hours of newly restored historic talks from the "spiritual entertainer" who helped define Eastern thought to audiences in the West. Here is a rare chance for listeners to experience the enduring brilliance of one of the greatest spiritual voices of the 20th century.

©2009 Sounds True (P)2009 Sounds True

All the Watts you'll ever need

This series of lectures is a comprehensive compilation of Watts teaching on Buddhism, Zen, Hinduism and Taoism. Plus there is also the humor of his one-of-a-kind philosophy based on years of studying the Eastern religions and philosophy. As an Anglican Priest he also has great insights into Christianity. Once you've listened to this you've got everything Watts had to give. Although like me, you may find yourself drawn to rehearing these humorous and insightful talks over and over again.

Excellent!

I had never heard of Alan Watts. I've heard many other philosophers like Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra and others explain eastern/western spirituality, but the way Alan Watts explains it is very easy to understand and profound. I would have to say this is one I'll listen to several times.

brilliant

This man is a genius. The audiobook is perfect for people who are tired of the "spin" associated with spirituality and want to deepen their understanding of the possibilities & philosophies of the human condition.

My thinking was provoked.

Alan Watts died 11 years after I was born, and I had not been exposed to his work until now. And I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this recording of his discussions. It made me think. It made me laugh. It confirmed some of my deepest held convictions and dispelled a few misconceptions, especially my opinions, which apparently were not well formed and insufficiently researched, of Zen Buddhism and Hinduism. This collection of Watts speaking before small groups of people some time in the late 60s or early 70s is poorly recorded and often long, but it felt perfectly captured and all-too-short to my ears.

A life changing look at ancient philosophy

I've listened to Alan Watt's for years but this collection is unique. Over several recorded talks he ties keys themes of the great faiths into a common liberating thread. No particular religious point of view is needed and neither are they demeaned. Like so many profound ideas, you may not get it on the first pass but after hearing it from more than one point of view it becomes clearer than ever.

The perfect audio for those who love to think

So many people out there like to present thoughts and ideas in a way that gives you the answer.....The answer from their perspective. Alan Watts, in "You're It!" presents thoughts, ideas and perspectives that encourage you to think for yourself. He does not tell you what to do, or how to do it....He allows you to arrive at that on your own. What you do with it is up to you.

Alan Watts does not speak "like" anything....He is an intellectual (An intellectual is a person who uses intelligence (thought and reason) and critical or analytical reasoning in either a professional or a personal capacity.) and if this sort of thing bores you....Well, listen to it three more times.

I find that I randomly select a chapter and listen for a bit every day.....It's that good.

This book will transform your life!

Alan Watts is a man of immense intelligent. The most brilliant man who ever lived! He is a master at painting concepts & ideas with words. His words have the power to shatter your world into million pieces. His wisdom is from another realm, since he has tapped into that infinite intelligence and he can speak from that space. If you truly give this book a chance you will be transformed by it. You will know the truth as he knows it, this truth will be directly experienced by you, it won't be just another idea, believe system, philosophy or thought swimming in your mind, but you will directly know this truth to be self evident and you will be liberated. Know this then "What you take to be the thinker ...of the thought....is just one of the thoughts." :) Tat Tvam Asi

Though repetitive, essential Watts

Watts does repeat himself about the yin and yang of life at times but it correlates to what he talks about in that specific lecture. Nevertheless, this lecture runs deep into a beautiful view of the world and the individual. It fits well with "Out of Your Mind." I recommend OYM first then this one. Both are equally interesting that touch different topics. Highly recommended!

Alan Watts is groovey.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Just discovered him, so I guess that makes me late to the party. Better late than never.
Makes complex ideas digestible and interesting. One of the few authors I would listen to a book and then listen to it again immediately.

Any additional comments?

Currently reading The Wisdom of Insecurity. Another treasure trove of insights.

Yeah. If Alan Watts is an intellectual, so am I

Would you listen to You're It! again? Why?

Parts of it are worthy of listening to more than once.

Any additional comments?

"Your It" is really a mixed bag. It is possible that some of the negative reviews were from people who didn't actually finish the lectures. But for some of the glowing reviews, I must say...it wasn't that good.

After starting it, the whole first 2 - 3 hours, I kept thinking, wow, if this guy is an intellectual, then so am I! Mr. Watts made me laugh out loud a few times, but really, he can manage to say a whole lot about nothing (Watts must be the original Seinfeld). I almost gave up on the thing as well.

However, it did get better toward the middle of the series, and toward the end was really good. If it hadn't been for the last few hours, I would have given it 3 stars instead of 4.

What I discovered about myself while listening to this is, if I were a better public speaker, I could have come up with a lot more interesting things to talk about. And I must say,
it is a little ego boost to find out you are an intellectual. That fact alone must be worth an audible credit. Yes?

I think Mr. Watts is good as simplifying things, but he simplified things so well that he managed to almost turn them into nothing other than him rambling.

But with all that said, when it was good, it was good. There is even another book by the Mr. Watts that I might take a chance on. Again, I don't feel the lectures were as mind blowing as the glowing reviews, but the book wasn't as bad as the negative reviews, either.

I think that Alan Watts is gifted, in that he can really break things down in a way that is understandable. But...I also think that sometimes this can be distracting, and he could have sped things up a little by leaving them a little more complicated.

Watts' words chime like a bell, inexplicably clear

The experience of hearing somebody talk has never been so fruitful. Watts' clarity and spirit resonate with wonderful energy, reverence an humour.

I listened to the entire 12 hours over the course of a week. I am now about to start listening all over again. The intellect of the man is unrivalled in its expression through the spoken word.

For many years I have been loath to think of the spiritual, due to an association with the seemingly flimsy concepts of the main theistic religions.

It is sometimes tempting to dichotomise a view of the world into scientific or spiritual terms - Alan Watts' genius is in his unrelenting, logical and passionate questioning of all preconceptions, which reveals to us that all our ideologies and rationalities are founded upon ultimately fallible principles.

His philosophical rigour is formidable, but his spirit playful. I think that listening to this audiobook would, to varying degrees, irrevocably alter anybody's world view. A gift.

Strange audiobook

Where does You're It! rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Anything with Alan Watts name on is gong to be enigmatic and motivating. His form of pragmatic spiritualism is great for western listeners as he's mediating between his understanding of eastern philosophy/spiritualism and western culture. This book is not really a book, it's a recording of some his lectures in America. The audio quality is not great - imagine watching lecture video filmed from the middle row. But his content is great and hearing the audience and the way he works with them is as intriguing an experience as reading some high minded literature. It makes you wonder how much his charisma was a cause for his popularity as we're his ideas.Not your regular audiobook and requires some dedicated listening - I tend to dip in and out every few weeks - I enjoy it every time.

Could have been better

Anyone familiar with Alan Watts knows what to expect from this.
The downside is how the makers have put it together. They have formed it into ‘sessions’ like they should be the one deciding what you hear and shouldn’t.
This results in sessions ending before Alan has even finished the point but the makers have decided you’ve heard all they want you hearing of that specific point so they go on to the next session. Several sessions later you may find it comes back to something mentioned in a previous session resulting in a somewhat distorted and confusing course.
Other downside is sometimes you can hear what is about to be said by Alan faintly at a low volume like he is at the front of the room and you at the back, then you hear it repeated at the normal level of the book. This produces a really annoying echo effect where you can’t concentrate on what he is saying because you are already hearing what he is going to say next. At the beginning it’s like watching someone on a merry go round, it’s not that bad; as time progresses however you find your head getting sore and the whole thing difficult to follow.
The final downside is the layout of the chapters. Common sense would tell you if the makers have broken it down into sessions that each chapter would be the corresponding session; you’d be wrong. One chapter can have several sessions so if you want to go back to a session to listen again because there was something relevant or important in it; you’re going to have to skip through manually until you find it and then save it because first time round you don’t know what is going to be relevant and what isn’t until you finish it.
Conclusion is great as always from Alan; abysmal layout and formatting from the makers.

amazing

This book is exceptional. You can learn and understand so much from listening to this very clever, funny man. I would rate it with ten stars if I could.

You really are your own God.

If you could sum up You're It! in three words, what would they be?

This is a clearly illustrated ancient message, put across in excellent audio format.

What other book might you compare You're It! to, and why?

I compare this to the likes of David Hawkins, for its depth, intelligence, and educational value.

What does the narrator bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Alan Watts is a superb, charismatic performer, who brings passion, enthusiasm and most of all a down to earth feel about it.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I listened to it a bit at a time because of its educational purpose.

Any additional comments?

Alan Watts was a talented educator, who knew his subject extremely well.

Best philosophy book

If you could sum up You're It! in three words, what would they be?

Simple, fun, understandable

Any additional comments?

Allan Watts talks about philosophy in a fun, practical way which is easy to understand and to translate/use in everyday life. Highly recommended!

If you have a hole in your life, get this.

Alan Watts is the real deal. He left the world with a lot of audio & video material for us enjoy, long before we had YouTube. Yet his work has stood the test of time, and is a bit of a YouTube star,



You will not be disappointed with this audio collection. Lots for you to contemplate on, and plenty of laughs, and stories along the way, to help you understand what he is talking about.

very comprehensive

covered all the angles Very good book Well delivered

Loved it
Deep Funny Thought Provoking

Beautiful, simple, and self empowering

Chose this as my first free audiobook, what an incredible investment.. having already listened to a few of Alan's lectures through youtube, I was fully aware of I what I was getting here, and was not disappointed.
An insightful, useful and inspiring book, delivered with perfect pacing, making it easy to digest. Read with humour and true passion.

Entertaining and informative

Recommended this one to friends. Found the presentation informative and entertaining. Followed up on a number of his suggestions re further reading.
Ann