Book Review. "Become What You Are" by Alan Watts

I read a lot of spiritual literature searching for answers that could potentially help me to go through my path. I dived into the philosophies of Hinduism and Buddhism, but I knew almost nothing about Chinese and Japanese philosophies. I revealed for myself Allan Watts last year as a person who translated Eastern thought to Westerners, as a godfather of Zen in America, and a very famous and popular writer, as well as a public speaker on spiritual topics. As a reader who deeply appreciates the wisdom of spiritual literature, I approached "Become What You Are" with high expectations. However, I found his book complicated to understand because of the dense terminology and complex concepts from all philosophies and religions, sometimes I realized that I understood each single word but there was no meaning at all in the sentence, or even in the full page. He is perceived by others as a person who makes complicated concepts very simple, but I did not find it in his book. I prefer his videos (past recordings of his speeches) to this book, as during speeches he really is very simple in transmitting information.

I could not tell that I disliked the book, not at all, I found a lot of insights and useful thoughts, especially about Chinese and Japanese philosophies dived into the realms of Zen. The problem was that my expectations were very different and I anticipated something similar to Sadhguru, Deepak Chopra, Eckhart Tolle, etc. But he is Alan Watts, not others and he is writing in a very different manner.

In conclusion, while "Become What You Are" may resonate deeply with millions of other readers, I found it`s not my favourite book that I can read and reread numerous times revealing each time new answers.

I remain open to revisiting Alan Watts' other works in the future, hoping to discover more insights for my own self-discovery and personal growth.

March 26, 2024.