Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
In the newly released first half of Man in Nature, Alan Watts invites us to rethink what we mean by “self” and “world.” You are not a separate being dropped into nature from the outside. You are an expression of nature itself - the whole living universe appearing here, now, as you.
Watch Man in Nature Pt. 1 now.
The complete talk is also available in The Tao of Philosophy series and The Works, featuring over 135 hours of Alan Watts’ original recordings.
Transcript “Basic to all Hindu thought is the idea that the world is Maya. That is a Sanskrit word which means many things. It means magic, illusion, art, play. All the world's a stage. And in the Hindu idea, there is the ultimate reality of the universe, is the Self, which they call Brahman or Atman. That's what there is: the Self. Universal, eternal, boundless, indescribable. And everything that happens, happens on the Self. Like you say, “it's on me.” “The drinks tonight are on me.”
In the newly released first half of Man in Nature, Alan Watts invites us to rethink what we mean by “self” and “world.” You are not a separate being dropped into nature from the outside. You are an expression of nature itself - the whole living universe appearing here, now, as you.
Watch Man in Nature Pt. 1 now.
The complete talk is also available in The Tao of Philosophy series and The Works, featuring over 135 hours of Alan Watts’ original recordings.
Transcript “Basic to all Hindu thought is the idea that the world is Maya. That is a Sanskrit word which means many things. It means magic, illusion, art, play. All the world's a stage. And in the Hindu idea, there is the ultimate reality of the universe, is the Self, which they call Brahman or Atman. That's what there is: the Self. Universal, eternal, boundless, indescribable. And everything that happens, happens on the Self. Like you say, “it's on me.” “The drinks tonight are on me.”
