''Behold the Spirit: A Study in the Necessity of Mystical Religion'', a book by

Alan Watts Alan Wilson Watts (6 January 1915 – 16 November 1973) was an English writer, speaker and self-styled "philosophical entertainer", known for interpreting and popularising Japanese, Chinese and Indian traditions of Buddhist, Taoist, and Hindu ...

(1915–1973), was first published in 1947 by John Murray Publishers (London). This book is a reworking of Watts'

Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United State ...

divinity degree thesis. Its importance lies partly in its exposition of Watts' earliest attempt to reconcile traditional

Anglican theology Anglican doctrine (also called Episcopal doctrine in some countries) is the body of Christian teachings used to guide the religious and moral practices of Anglicans. Approach to doctrine Anglicanism does not possess an agreed-upon confessi ...

with a mystical,

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

based approach, but also as a personal expression of the

mystical experience Scholarly approaches to mysticism include typology (disambiguation), typologies of mysticism and the explanation of mystical states. Since the 19th century, mystical experience has evolved as a distinctive concept. It is closely related to "mystic ...

. At the time of his appointment as the Episcopal chaplain at Northwestern University in 1944 he was said to be "wildly popular on campus, and his books were received in progressive religious circles as challenging and compelling." This book is the most extensive example of his early effort to find a non-dualistic interpretation of Anglican theology in terms of ''

The Perennial Philosophy ''The Perennial Philosophy'' is a comparative study of mysticism by the British writer and novelist Aldous Huxley. Its title derives from the theological tradition of ''perennial philosophy''. Social and political context ''The Perennial Ph ...

'' as expounded in Aldous Huxley's 1945 book of that name and later made popular in the talks of

Joseph Campbell Joseph John Campbell (March 26, 1904 – October 30, 1987) was an American writer. He was a professor of literature at Sarah Lawrence College who worked in comparative mythology and comparative religion. His work covers many aspects of the ...

References

1947 non-fiction books Anglicanism Books about religion Books by Alan Watts {{Christian-book-stub