When we have Questions about the I.P. who do we ask?

I have a Question about lesson 2 The Self: The Book. And I need to talk to someone who is in charge of the I.P. to answer it. Who do I talk to?

SilverWolf

You can ask here in this thread, alternatively if you want to do it privately, I'm sure any knight would help you if you pm them.

To be more precise, I am trying very hard to understand "The Book" under the lesson "The Self" and though there are parts that I get, then it goes into parts that seem like they are "filler words" that make the chapters more complicated than it needs to be.

It seems like the lesson is like a Nasa Engineer that wrote instructions on how to build a space shuttle hands my 5 five year old son the instructions and says "here you go, build it" and he is expected to understand how to build it.

Is there a different lesson that teaches the same thing but is not as metaphyiscal? I feel like the only way I can reply to each chapter is to copy and paste each chapter and then write a commentary on each part on why I feel the way I do about each part. Any suggestions on what to do? Can I suggest that this lesson be replaced with something else that teaches the same thing? Are there alternatives that could be suggested ?

Welcome to Watts I found that the audio version of this book was helpful. You may also want to do as you hinted at in your post. Pull out quotes that you found meaningful and expound on them. No one is expected to "get" it all. Just do what you can. If you want to talk about it Chapter by chapter, I can be of some assistance there. I'm available via pm, chat or skype. Just let me know

I appreciate it Rosalyn, I'll first try adding little footnotes on breaking down the chapter first. However, if I still have issues I definately will take you up on your offer to talk about it via skype. Thank you so very much to both you and Edan

haha :laugh: I said that alot in my journal 'This guy is going on and on and on for an entire book length to deliver a one line message'

I did both book & audio and read the book twice. Just write out your thoughts on the matter ((Including what you said here)) and I am sure it will be fine

Journey, not destination.

We all already know the answers.

Some of us just need it explained for 300 pages before it sinks in.
Some of us need to practice it for 20 years before it becomes apparent that we've been doing it for the past 20 years.

Reading Watts is like living life. We all already know why we're here... Some of us ignore it. Some of us get annoyed of the same thing every day.

Yes, it's repetitive. But, living inside of it is comfy and exciting. It's like a warm pouch on a kangaroo. hahah.

Like people have said here: take it in little chunks at a time. Don't get overwhelmed. Don't take it like Watts is an author.

Any Knight will help, should you ask...

And I include myself if you want to speak about it...

I love Watts, but I talk like him, so there might be a good reason, :whistle: ...

:lol:...

I too found the audio better for myself, and listened many times, and have gone back and re-listened...

For me, it was like listening to a beloved teacher who, at times, WAS talking over my head, but everyone does when we are first learning a topic, whether its fixing a radiator, replacing a toilet, or talking metaphysically...

Someone with knowledge, talking at you is going to confuse you, if you dont know what a wax ring is...

It is the seal between the toilet and the sewer pipe on your toilet, for those that dont know, lol...

Just go along and listen/read what you can, and explain what you understand...

In a year, you may understand more....

TO some, he repeats what he says, because they already understood what he was saying... He is saying it in different ways, because some metaphors will be above the head of some, and not other folks, and those folks wont understand the second, but will the first...

And some will get it all, and some will not...

Did confuse everyone?

:lol:...

I enjoyed that Watts never tried to simplify his message for me in the Book, but I also found some moments that, as I was reading them the first time, seemed like simple repetition. If I may though, I'd suggest that you read the whole book first, and then go back over the chapter you're having trouble with. I found that once you get to the end, everything clicks into place. Heck though, this is my third time reading The Book cover-to-cover and I'm still picking out great bits of knowledge from its pages.

I agree with Rosalyn too though: definitely check out the audio version. The one I listened to on YouTube actually had excerpts from some of Watts' talks at universities and the like, which for some reason helped make everything settle into coherence.

In the end though, The Book is designed to be the foundational starting point of inquiry, not the end of inquiry. You will be left with questions unanswered, and that's the point! :laugh: It just gets you far enough to where you should be capable of seeking out more questions for yourself.

SilverWolf - I had many of the same questions and frustrations, but ultimately that became the lesson of The Book for me. Some people seem to identify with Watts. Some don't. What I realized is discovering that I don't get the way Watts writes sometimes is as valuable as the stuff I understand. If something doesn't sit quite right with me when I read it, I ask myself why. Exploring those questions have really helped me decide what is right for my path as a Jedi.

TL;DR version: If I don't get it, maybe I'm not supposed to. It was worth trying anyway because at least now I know about something I don't know.

Also, there are some who might think he's a complete wanker, who happens to luck out with a few bits of wisdom falling out of his mouth. It's important to understand that, even if one might find him at times arrogant and abrasive to one's own set of ideals, it isn't required that you absolutely agree with everything he says, or that you subscribe whole-heartedly to all that he might seem to proclaim as "truth". It's quite alright to disagree. If you find that you *do* disagree with some parts, write out why, and how YOU see them to be

I have a question as well.
Lesson 6, Part 5. Paganism is an extremely broad term. I have the same feeling about Hinduism, but I'll probably be writing about one of the sects I know a little bit about for that. To be honest, I'm not sure what an essay on Paganism actually entails, being as it is so broad -- and does it include Neopaganism?

Its about what you find, and why its so broad....

We would like some kind of understanding of what "paganism" is...

Like, an overview...

Tip about any IP Material:

There are no wrong answers.
There are also no right answers.

Formulate your own impressions, your own interpretations, your own understanding but just as importantly, your own confusions.

About Watts:

Don't approach Watts like you approach most "reading for information" sources. Watts doesn't go from start to point. He picks an idea, and then dances to that point in multiple ways to give you more than way of looking at it. Even if you understood one way he puts it, keep reading (or listening) because the next way he explains it can give you even more on it.