
Philosophies of Asia is part of the Essential Lectures Collection. Philosophies of Asia was one of the first Essential Lecture series compiled in 1972 after Alan’s son Mark began to assemble a collection of core talks. The series serves an inspired introduction to Far Eastern ways of liberation, including Hinduism, Taoism, and Zen Buddhism.
Originally mastered for cassette the series was updated and remastered for CD in the mid-90’s and was also released to public radio as part of the Love is Wisdom program.
1.2.12. – Intellectual Yoga
The word yoga, as most of you doubtless know, is the same as our word yoke. Y-O-K-E. And the Latin word iungere, to join. Join, junction, yolk, union, all these words are basically from the same root. And so likewise when Jesus said my yoke is easy he was saying...
1.2.11. – Taoist Way – Pt. 3
In the philosophy of the Tao, iIt is said, it's always being said this is. You read this in every art book about Chinese art that in Chinese painting, man is always seen as in nature rather than dominating it. You get a painting in titled poet drinking by moonlight....
1.2.10. – Taoist Way – Pt. 2
It is believed generally in India that when a person sets out on the way of liberation, his first problem, is to become free from his past karma. The popular theory of Karma, of the word that literally means action or doing in Sanskrit, so that when we say that...
1.2.9. – Taoist Way – Pt. 1
The philosophy of the Tao is one of the two great principal components of Chinese thought. There are of course quite a number of forms of Chinese philosophy, but there are two great currents which have fairly molded the culture of China and they are Taoism and...
1.2.8. – Eco Zen – Pt. 2
The object of Buddhist discipline or methods of psychological training is as it were, to bring about a state of affairs in which the individual feels himself to be everything that there is. The whole cosmos, focused, expressing itself here. Now, in that way, your...
1.2.7. – Eco Zen – Pt. 1
I suppose most of you have heard of Zen. But before going on to explain any details about it I want to make one thing absolutely clear. I am not a Zen Buddhist. I am not advocating Zen Buddhism. I'm not trying to convert anyone to it. I have nothing to sell. I am an...
1.2.6. – Introduction to Buddhism – Pt. 2
Many of the problems that are now being discussed by modern logicians are unbeknownst to them already in the ancient Indian books. Problems of semantics, problems of meaning, problems of the nature of time and of memory. All these were discussed with very very...
1.2.5. – Introduction to Buddhism – Pt. 1
The idea of a Yana, of vehicle, comes from the basic notion or image of Buddhism as a raft for crossing a river. This shaw is ordinary everyday consciousness, such as we have, mainly the consciousness of being an ego or a sensitive mind locked up inside a mortal body....
1.2.4. – Mythology of Hinduism – Pt. 2
This is the world of the Deva. And this is the same root from which we get both divine and devil, but Deva means angel. The highest and most successful beings in the universe, and so opposite this is the world of narac, naraka, who are the most unsuccessful .These are...
1.2.3. – Mythology of Hinduism – Pt. 1
I wonder, I wonder, what you would do if you had the power to dream at night, any dream you wanted to dream. And you would of course be able to alter your time-sense and slip, say seventy-five years of subjective time into eight hours of sleep. You would, I...
1.2.2. – Relevance of Oriental Philosophy – Pt. 2
The point that I wish to make most strongly, is that behind a vital religious life, for the West, there has to be faith which is not expressed in things to which you cling. In ideas, opinions, to which you cling in a kind of desperation. Faith is the act of letting...
1.2.1. – Relevance of Oriental Philosophy – Pt. 1
Theology has not, as a matter of fact, had a very distinguished record in promoting the study of other than the Christian religion. And this is rather puzzling. Most study of comparative religions that goes on in theological schools has historically been missionary...