Alan Watts - There is Nothing to Obtain - (Metta State of Mind

Description

That’s a profound question — and one of Alan Watts’ central insights. His teaching that “there is nothing to obtain” (sometimes phrased as “there is nowhere to go, nothing to seek”) is rooted in Zen Buddhism, Taoism, and non-dual philosophy. It’s about realizing that the spiritual search itself can become the final obstacle to awakening.

Here’s a deep look at what Watts meant:

🌿 1. The Paradox of Seeking

Watts said that the very act of seeking enlightenment keeps you from it.
When you seek, you imply you don’t have what you’re looking for — and that assumption is the illusion itself.

“You can’t get what you already have. You can’t go to where you already are.”

He compared spiritual striving to chasing your own shadow — the harder you try, the more it eludes you. Awakening happens not through effort or accumulation, but through letting go of the search itself.

🌊 2. You Are Already It

One of his favorite Zen sayings was:

“Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.”

This expresses the idea that there’s no higher state to reach — no golden prize waiting beyond ordinary life.
You are already what you are seeking. You and the universe are not two things.

Watts would say that when you finally give up trying to “attain” the divine, you realize you were never apart from it.

“You are the universe playing at being you.”

🪞 3. Letting Go of the “Improvement Game”

In the West, we are trained to think of life as a progress narrative — we must become better, wiser, richer, or more spiritual. Watts challenged this conditioning.
He argued that the idea of “self-improvement” often masks self-rejection — the belief that you are somehow broken or lacking.

“You are under no obligation to be anything other than what you are. The only real sin is that you don’t realize it.”

For him, the moment you stop trying to improve or purify yourself into enlightenment, you allow reality to reveal its perfection — as it already is.

🕊️ 4. The Tao and Effortless Action

Watts drew heavily on Taoism’s principle of Wu Wei (無爲) — “non-doing” or “effortless action.”
He explained that the universe unfolds spontaneously, without striving, and so should we.

“Trying to control the world is like trying to smooth out the waves of the ocean. You only make more waves.”

When you stop struggling to make life something other than what it is, a natural harmony emerges — the Tao flows through you.

🔮 5. The Moment Is Already Complete

From Watts’ view, the entire notion of “attainment” is a trick of time — the mind’s belief that fulfillment lies in the future.
But truth, beauty, and enlightenment can only exist now, because now is all there ever is.

“If you can’t find it in this moment, you’ll never find it.”

Thus, realization is not something added to life — it’s the recognition that nothing is missing.

#CompassionateLiving

Spotify AlbumsMantras to Quiet the Soul

(This is a link to one of my albums on spotify A Place Called Peace)
https://open.spotify.com/album/7bMZqxq0TTw53NzK4akLrv?si=YpgZNBrfRmWDMq8T-RmYtA

(This is a link to one of my albums on spotify Just Breathe) See my coloring books! They are so awesome:)
https://open.spotify.com/album/7bMZqxq0TTw53NzK4akLrv?si=co15_qSeQjiIHTk0u5dUrw

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Coloring Books:
Mindful Mandalas: An Adult Coloring Book
https://a.co/d/fnkFI0p

Angels are Among Us Coloring Book
https://a.co/d/7DomvY1

#CompassionateLiving #Mindfulness #LovingKindness #MindfulnessMusic

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