Alan Watts and the Stone Buddha | Enlightenment lies beyond the material

“Alan Watts and the Stone Buddha"

The story goes something like this:

One day, the famous Western philosopher and writer Alan Watts was giving a lecture on Zen Buddhism. As he was speaking, an audience member noticed a beautiful stone Buddha statue on the stage. The audience member asked Watts if he thought it was appropriate to have such a beautiful statue in a Zen talk, as Zen emphasizes the importance of non-attachment and non-materialism.

Watts responded by picking up the statue and holding it in front of the audience. He then said, "This stone Buddha is not the true Buddha. It is simply a representation of the Buddha. In the same way, your thoughts and ideas about the Buddha are not the true Buddha. They are just representations. The true Buddha is something beyond all representations."

With this simple act, Watts demonstrated the Zen concept of non-attachment and non-dualism. He reminded the audience that material objects, including religious symbols, are not the ultimate reality. Instead, the true reality lies beyond all conceptualizations and representations. The story of Alan Watts and the stone Buddha continues to inspire many people to this day.

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