Alan Watts [1915 – 1973] was, for many, the author who first introduced eastern philosophy to western readers, and in a very accessible way. Here's an excerpt on a theme we've explored many times in this blog –– "instinct" vs. intellect. One finds almost universal agreement among artists, poets, musicians that, when at the peak of creativity, intellect takes a back seat:
Working rightly, the brain is the highest form of “instinctual wisdom.” Thus it should work like the homing instinct of pigeons and the formation of the fetus in the womb — without verbalizing the process or knowing “how” it does it. The self-conscious brain, like the self-conscious heart, is a disorder, and manifests itself in the acute feeling of separation between “I” and my experience. The brain can only assume its proper behavior when consciousness is doing what it is designed for: not writhing and whirling to get out of present experience, but being effortlessly aware of it.