Alan Watts discusses the word tathata, which is translated from the Sanskrit as suchness or thusness. The term is used in Mahayana Buddhism to suggest how things look to a Buddha, to one who has experienced enlightenment or liberation and is, therefo... Read more

Alan Watts discusses the word tathata, which is translated from the Sanskrit as suchness or thusness. The term is used in Mahayana Buddhism to suggest how things look to a Buddha, to one who has experienced enlightenment or liberation and is, therefore, called a Tathagata—one who comes (and goes) thus. Watts shares the sense of this nonsense in Buddhist philosophy, and its practical demonstration in Zen. Less