Dualisms, Avatars, Enlightenment, and The Perennial Philosophy

The problem with Western society (and much of Asian society as well) is something called a 'dualism'. We arbitrarily hack Nature in two, creating two previously non-existent parts, and then obsess about the disparity between them. Examples: mind/matter; good/evil; spirit/flesh; and two of the most egregious ones: God/Man and God/Universe.

Numerous religions and schools of philosophy have been built up around this insanity, with the adherents arguing back and forth, or in many cases killing each other, over what amounts to semantics. Even the debate between atheists and religionists misses the point, because there is a Middle Way that avoids all the contentious jabbering.

The real world is right in front of your face, plain as day. You don't need credos and catechisms to grasp your place in the Universe. Tell your 'monkey mind' to shut up and your 'existence' is no longer an issue or problem.* But of course, that is the trick, isn't it? A trick that very few humans have accomplished throughout the ages.

Those that have--Buddha, Lao-Tzu, Bodhidharma, Krishnamurti, perhaps even Jesus--have typically devoted their lives to helping others find enlightenment, once they have found it themselves.

Enlightenment is a curious thing. It has been written about extensively, but most who have experienced it (see list above) say it is 'nothing special,' beyond words. I myself have been on the 'cusp' of attaining enlightenment many times--at least I think I have. There are times when I look at myself in the mirror and there's that odd feeling that I'm not really 'there'. I suppose if I were to pursue this further...

On the other hand, most spiritual teachers are quick to point out that the harder one tries to grasp at enlightenment (satori, nirvana, or simply 'it'), the most elusive 'it' is. The old addage of 'beating a drum in search of a fugitive' comes to mind.

Aldous Huxley had another name for The Middle Way; he called it The Perennial Philosophy. Basically it's the central message of Buddhism, Taoism, and Hinduism, after you strip away all the cultural trappings.

I have been studying these three 'ways of liberation' since I was an undergrad--I was inspired to do so after reading "The Book" by Alan Watts--and I feel ever more strongly that a greater awareness of these teachings among the general populace might be a way of diverting us from our present disastrous course.

Wishful thinking, of course, because The Middle Way has never been a major ideology of any country or race of people. History tells us that humans will continue to fight and destroy each other, no matter how many avatars appear to remind us of our folly.

*Experienced students of The Perennial Philosophy will, of course, recognize that this statement is in itself a dualism, because 'you' and 'the world' are in fact one and the same thing.

A List of Books by Alan Watts (from Wikipedia):

Watts, Alan W. (1932). An outline of Zen Buddhism. London: Golden Vista Press.
Watts, Alan W. (1937). The legacy of Asia and Western man: a study of the middle way. London: John Murray.
Watts, Alan (1940). The meaning of happiness: the quest for freedom of the spirit in modern psychology and the wisdom of the East (1st ed.). New York: Harper and Row.
Watts, Alan W. (1947). Behold the spirit: a study in the necessity of mystical religion. London: John Murray. ISBN 0-394-71761-9.
Watts, Alan (1950). Easter: its story and meaning. New York: H. Schuman.
The Wisdom of Insecurity: A Message for an Age of Anxiety. Pantheon Books. 1951. ISBN 0-394-70468-1.
Myth and Ritual in Christianity, Thames and Hudson, ISBN 0-8070-1375-7, including essay "God and Satan"
The Way of Zen. Pantheon Books. 1957. ISBN 0-375-70510-4.
Watts, Alan (1958) Nature, Man and Woman
Beat Zen Square Zen and Zen, contained in:
Watts, Alan (1960) This Is It and Other Essays on Zen and Spiritual Experience, Pantheon Books, ISBN 0-394-71904-2
Watts, Alan (1961) Psychotherapy East and West, Pantheon Books, ISBN 0-394-71609-4
Watts, Alan (1962) The Joyous Cosmology: Adventures in the Chemistry of Consciousness
The Two Hands of God: The Myths of Polarity
Beyond Theology: The Art of Godmanship, Pantheon Books, ISBN 0-394-71923-9
The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are. Pantheon Books. 1966. ISBN 0-679-72300-5.
Nonsense, illustrations by Greg Irons (a collection of literary nonsense), San Francisco: Stolen Paper Editions
Watts, Alan (1970) Does It Matter?: Essays on Man's Relation to Materiality, Pantheon Books, ISBN 0-394-71665-5
The Art of Contemplation: A Facsimile Manuscript with Doodles
In My Own Way: An Autobiography 1915–1965. Pantheon Books. 1972. ISBN 9781577315841., Vintage Books pocket edition 1973, ISBN 0-394-71951-4, New World Library edition, 2007, ISBN 1-57731-584-7
Cloud-hidden, Whereabouts Unknown: A Mountain Journal, Pantheon Books. Also published in Canada in 1974 by Jonathan Cape, ISBN 0224009729