The Art of Not Trying: How to Quiet Your Mind and Discover Satori
Insights from Alan Watts
In our always-on world, the quest for a quiet mind often feels like chasing a phantom. We meditate, we journal, we try to "stop thinking," only to find our minds buzzing louder than ever. It's a familiar modern paradox: the harder we try to achieve peace, the more elusive it becomes.
But what if the problem isn't your mind, but your trying? What if true mental stillness, and even profound spiritual awakening, comes not from effort, but from a radical act of letting go? This is the liberating, often paradoxical, wisdom of Alan Watts, echoed in the profound simplicity of Eckhart Tolle's "Power of Now."
Watts, with his characteristic wit and deep understanding of Eastern philosophy, often pointed out that trying to quiet the mind is like trying to smooth water with a rake – you only stir it up more. The secret, he suggested, lies in understanding that the mind, like the universe, is a self-regulating system. It knows how to be quiet, if only we'd stop interfering.
What is Satori? It's Not What You Think (Literally)
Before we dive into the "how," let's clarify the "what." You asked about Satori. In Zen Buddhism, Satori (悟り) is often translated as "enlightenment," but it's not a permanent state of bliss or an escape from reality. Instead, it's a sudden, intuitive awakening or flash of insight into the true nature of reality.
As Alan Watts described it in the video you shared, Satori is "ordinary everyday experience, just about two inches off the ground" [06:52]. It's the realization that the mundane, the everyday, the "unspeakable world" around us, is already the world of supreme ecstasy and brilliant energy [08:04]. It's not about transcending this world, but about seeing this world, as it is, with crystal clarity, free from the constant chatter and labels of the mind. It's the understanding that there's no fundamental difference between the transcendental and the everyday [07:02].
You don't "achieve" Satori through strenuous effort or by accumulating knowledge. It's more like waking up from a dream, or realizing you've had your glasses on your head the whole time. It's a recognition of what is, not an acquisition of something new.
So, how do we create the conditions for this recognition, without "trying" to force it? Here's an impactful list of "anti-steps" inspired by Alan Watts and the essence of "The Power of Now":
The Wattsian "Anti-Steps" to Discovering Satori:
Stop Trying to Stop Thinking (Embrace the Chatter)
The Paradox: Our first instinct when the mind is noisy is to fight it, to push thoughts away. But as Watts noted, "Just as constant talking prevents you from hearing others, constant thinking prevents you from experiencing life beyond your own thoughts. You end up thinking only about thinking" [00:09]. This resistance is the problem.
The Shift: Instead of trying to silence your mind, simply observe it. Acknowledge the thoughts without judgment or engagement. See them as clouds passing in the sky. When you stop fighting, the mind, surprisingly, often begins to settle on its own. This is the essence of mindful presence – not absence of thought, but presence with thought.
Dive into the "Unspeakable World" (Engage Your Senses Fully)
The Paradox: We live in a world of concepts and labels. We see a "tree," not the intricate dance of light and shadow on leaves. We hear "traffic," not the unique symphony of individual sounds. This conceptual overlay prevents direct experience.
The Shift: To "discover what life is truly about, you need to stop thinking" [00:32] and come into direct contact with the "nonverbal world" [00:39]. Engage your senses without naming or analyzing. Look at a flower and just see its color, its form, without thinking "rose" or "beautiful." Listen to sounds without identifying their source. Feel the air on your skin. This practice of "seeing beyond labels" [04:32] allows the richness of reality to flood in, revealing the infinite nature of color and sound [04:49].
Just Eat, Just Sleep: The Zen of Presence
The Paradox: We are masters of multitasking, even internally. We eat while planning, sleep while worrying. This constant mental division prevents full engagement with the present moment.
The Shift: As Watts recounted a Zen master's teaching: "When hungry, you just eat; when tired, you just sleep" [01:26]. The key is to be fully present in whatever you are doing. When you're eating, just eat. Taste every flavor, feel every texture. When you're walking, just walk. Feel your feet, notice your surroundings. This radical presence, the core of "The Power of Now," dissolves the mental noise by anchoring you to reality as it unfolds.
Act for the Sake of the Action Itself (Embrace Play, Not Purpose)
The Paradox: We are conditioned to act with a goal in mind, always trying to "get somewhere." This future-orientation creates a treadmill of dissatisfaction, a state Watts called Samsara [02:17].
The Shift: Engage in activities not for what they will get you, but for the inherent joy of the activity itself. Like dancing or singing, do it for its own sake [02:54]. When you work, work fully, not just for the paycheck or the promotion. When you love, love fully, not just for security. This "action without expectation" [02:17] frees your mind from the burden of future outcomes and allows creative, unburdened energy to flow.
Cultivate Stillness (As a Source, Not a Goal)
The Paradox: We often see stillness as an endpoint to be achieved after much effort, like a reward for quieting the mind.
The Shift: Watts suggested that the purpose of activity is to arrive at a state of contemplation or stillness [02:00]. This stillness isn't an empty void, but the fertile ground from which true creative action arises [03:15]. Practices like sitting meditation (zazen), while initially challenging, help you become comfortable with the mind's natural settling [03:40]. When thinking stops, the world becomes "incredibly interesting" [04:13]. This is not about forcing silence, but allowing the mind to return to its natural state of clarity.
Find a "Meaningless" Anchor (Bypass the Conceptual Mind)
The Paradox: Our minds are constantly seeking meaning, patterns, and narratives, even in silence.
The Shift: Watts suggested that focusing on something without inherent meaning, like a simple sound, can be a direct route to stopping thought [06:07]. This isn't about concentration, but about allowing the mind to rest on something that doesn't trigger further conceptualization. This can lead to a state of being "wide open" and even a preliminary Satori [06:25]. It's a gentle trick to bypass the analytical mind.
Realize the Ordinary is Extraordinary (The Ecstasy of "Suchness")
The Paradox: We chase extraordinary experiences, believing peace or enlightenment lies somewhere "out there," beyond our everyday lives.
The Shift: The ultimate insight of Satori is that "the ordinary world, when perceived without the chatter of the mind, is revealed to be the world of supreme ecstasy, full of brilliant, blazing energy" [08:04]. It's not about transforming reality, but transforming your perception of it. The moment you stop trying to escape or improve the present, you realize its inherent perfection and vibrancy. The "suchness" of things – the simple fact of their being – is the greatest mystery and joy.
Your Path to Un-Doing
The journey to a quieter mind and the potential for Satori is not about adding more to your to-do list. It's about a profound process of un-doing, of letting go of the mental habits that keep you entangled. It's about trusting the inherent wisdom of your own being and the universe itself. When you cease to strive, you open yourself to the effortless flow of life, and the ordinary reveals its sacred, ecstatic nature.
Ready to transform your relationship with your mind and discover the magic in the mundane?
It's time to stop trying to control outcomes and start living from a place of radical acceptance and profound resilience.
