What Are You Reading?

[Charles David]

Greetings Family and Friends!

I'm sure that many of us enjoy reading on a regular basis, and, quite frankly, I am curious about what books are on your shelves, desks and minds.

I hope this thread can serve the purpose of encouraging and allowing people to talk about their reading in an informal and enjoyable way.

Please feel free to share as much, or as little as you like.

As Always,

Charles

[Charles David]

These days I have a Chinese theme going in my reading.

As an English teacher, there is a fair bit of professional reading I have to do. Happily, much of it is interesting. In one of my classes we are reading The Jade Peony by Wayson Choy. It is a story about the children of Chinese immigrants to Canada, set during the depression in Vancouver's Chinatown. It's main theme deals with the difficulties faced in negotiating between two different cultures, that of old China and modern Canada. Those who enjoy fictionalized personal narratives might enjoy it.

Over the past few weeks, I have been devouring the four volumes of The Book of Chinese Wisdom. Here is a brief description from the publisher's website(lazy me):

About The Book of Chinese Wisdom Series

The Book of Chinese Wisdom is the result of years of studying hundreds of Chinese classics in history, literature and philosophy, ranging from The Book of Changes to Tao Te Ching, from The Intrigues of the Warring States to The Records of the Historian, from Remarks of Monarchs to The Comprehensive Mirror to Rulers, from The Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms to The History of the Ming Dynasty, traversing the vast panoply of China’s history.
I approach the subject of Chinese classical wisdom with a view of applying it in our present-day life.

These four books do indeed contain a lot of wisdom which can be of use to us in our scholar-warrior studies. The stories of emporers, prime ministers and generals are especially worthwhile as they offer a lot of fascinating tales of strategy, diplomacy and wit in which the heros resolve difficult situations with brilliant, often unconventional means.

The books are written en face, with the English and Chinese versions side by side, which is, of course, valuable for the serious Chinese scholar (which I am not). For the beginning Chinese scholar (which I am), there are mini lessons on the history of basic characters.
My only criticism is the lack of a proper bibliography for those who wish to know the original sources of the texts. Nevertheless, these books are well worth having for the job they do of offering centuries of wisdom in an accesible form.

As a beginning student of Chinese, I have found this book, Reading and Writing Chinese by William Mc Naughton, to be well-structured and compelling. The reviews on Amazon are also quite good.

And finally, whenever I need a really wholesome dessert, I read Billy Collins' The Trouble With Poetry. Now, here is a man who has hung out with the sages.


Looking Forward As Always,


Charles

[Charles David]

Holden

I've also been dipping into The Catcher in the Rye, which I haven't read since I was a teen. I can't decide if Holden is harmless or horrible. It feels like one of those books that might be best dropped; perhaps that's why I haven't fully commited myself to finishing.

Why are so many books (and films and plays and TV shows) about really messed up people?

Perhaps that's why I enjoy the Book of Chinese Wisdom--because many of the tales are about upright, righteous, noble people.

Still,

Charles

[shaolin_mike]

This thread reminds that I also have about 5 books open near my bed and it doesn't look like I'm going to finish one of them anytime soon. Is it just me or is it harder to sit down and concentrate on finishing a book since becoming a regular internet user?

Ok hypothetical questions aside here are the 2 best that I'm reading at the moment:

A new Earth - Eckhart Tolle. From the German mystic who wrote the very famous book 'The Power of Now'. This book is a continuation of that work and expands on how being conscious of the now can help build a new society with different values. I really love this author's writing style, even just reading his books makes me feel calmer and more centred.

The Shock Doctrine - Naomi Klein. A really informative book about how governments and large corporations take advantage of 'shocks' (such as hurricanes terrorist attacks or large scale economic upheavals) and sometimes even plan their own. Klein is the much celebrated author of 'No Logo' which is an attack on the exploitation and oversaturation of branding in our society and was a good read too.

[AlexBaranosky]

The Ayurveda Encyclopedia

The Ayurveda Encyclopedia: Natural Secrets to Healing, Prevention, and Longevity

Ayurveda means "life science" in Sanskrit and is the 5000 year old holistic health science of India. The main philosophy revolves around balancing the individual to regain wellness, maintain wellness, and promote happiness and longevity.

This 686 page compendium of Ayurvedic knowledge is the best book on the subject that I have found.

It covers topics such as:

• History of Ayurveda
• Philosophy of Ayurveda
• Analyzing Your Constitution
• Herbology
• Nutrition For Your Constitution
• Pancha Karma: 5 Actions To Cleanse the Body Of Stored Waste/Toxins/Undigested Food
• Aromatherapy
• Yoga, Pranayama, Nada, Mudra, Bandha
• Sound Therapy
• Color Therapy
• Ayurvedic Psychology, Ethics, Spiritual Counseling
• Many Chapters Covering Specific Varieties of Illnesses

[Dougie]

Currently reading "buddhism for dummies" (gotta start somewhere right?) before i tackle Si TaiGung's "The Complete Book Of Zen" and "Sukhavati: Western Paradise".

Despite the Dummies monicker i'm finding it extremely interesting and well written

[George]

I'm currently reading "The Diamond That Cuts Through Illusion" - commentaries on the Diamond Sutra by the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh.


Best wishes,

[yasminejade]

I am currently reading "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio" or "Liaozhai Zhiyi" for the second time, a collection of nearly five hundred mostly supernatural tales written by Pu Songling in Classical Chinese during the early Qing Dynasty (description quoted from Wikipedia). It took me 6 months to finish reading all the stories.

[AlexBaranosky]

I'm currently reading "The Diamond That Cuts Through Illusion" - commentaries on the Diamond Sutra by the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh.


Best wishes,

Hey George,

Would you mind sharing some more details about the book? I am intrigued

[Charles David]

Happy Reading

Hi everybody,

It's great to hear your responses.

Mike,

My wife, Lara, also recently enjoyed Tolle's new book. I dipped into it a little bit but was never 'hooked.' Many Wahnam students have spoken very highly of it, so I'm sure that I will revisit it again soon.

Alex,

Thanks for that link. After I have gone deeper into Chinese medicine, I'll be sure to broaden my perspective by learning more about Ayurveda. Any comments on how the two sciences complement each other?


Hi Dougie,

I'm glad to hear that you are reading about Buddhism. Buddhism for Dummies is a pretty funny title. I am reminded of certain comic books on the Buddha's teachings. My son, Julian read the first book in just one day.

I hope no one gets the impression from your post that your Sitaigung's books are more difficult than others. In fact, I found his books on Buddhism to be the most simple I have read. That's not to say that I understand everything in them--much of the material is well above my current level of understanding (or was the last time I checked)--but just to say that the information is presented in a straightforward and practical way. I'm sure that you will love both The Book of Zen and Sukhavati.


George,

I hope that you will tell us more about the book you are reading. Thich Nhat Hanh is one of my favorite Buddhist writers. It is worth remembering that your Sigung has an unfinished manuscript of his commentary on the diamond sutra. Perhaps this would be a good time for us to ask him if he would consider finishing and publishing it.

Yasmine Jade,

I have had a quick peek into "Strange Stories." One of the stories I taught last year, "Planting a Pear Tree" was from that book. I reproduce it here for our pleasure.

PLANTING A PEAR-TREE

A COUNTRYMAN was one day selling his pears in the market. They were unusually sweet and fine flavoured, and the price he asked was high. A Taoist[1] priest in rags and [p 9] tatters stopped at the barrow and begged one of them. The countryman told him to go away, but as he did not do so he began to curse and swear at him. The priest said, “You have several hundred pears on your barrow; I ask for a single one, the loss of which, Sir, you would not feel. Why then get angry?” The lookers-on told the country-man to give him an inferior one and let him go, but this he obstinately refused to do. Thereupon the beadle of the place, finding the commotion too great, purchased a pear and handed it to the priest. The latter received it with a bow and turning to the crowd said, “We who have left our homes and given up all that is dear to us[2] are at a loss to understand selfish niggardly conduct in others. Now I have some exquisite pears which I shall do myself the honour to put before you.” Here. somebody asked, “Since you have pears yourself, why don’t you eat those?” “Because,” replied the priest, “I wanted one of these pips to grow them from.”

So saying he munched up the pear; and when he had finished took a pip in his hand, unstrapped a pick from his back, and proceeded to make a hole in the ground, several inches deep, wherein he deposited the pip, filling in the earth as before. He then asked the bystanders for a little hot water to water it with, and one among them who loved a joke fetched him some boiling water from a neighbouring shop. The priest poured this over the place where he had made the hole, and every eye was fixed upon him when sprouts were seen shooting up, and gradually growing larger and larger. By-and-by, there was a tree with branches sparsely covered with leaves; then flowers, and last of all fine, large, sweet-smelling pears hanging in great profusion. These the priest picked and handed round to the assembled crowd until all were gone, when he took his pick and hacked away for a long time at the tree, finally cutting it down. This he shouldered, leaves and all, and sauntered quietly away.

Now, from the very beginning, our friend the countryman had been amongst [p. 10] the crowd, straining his neck to see what was going on, and forgetting all about his business. At the departure of the priest he turned round and discovered that every one of his pears was gone. He then knew that those the old fellow had been giving away so freely were really his own pears. Looking more closely at the barrow, he also found that one of the handles was missing, evidently having been newly cut off. Boiling with rage, he set out in pursuit of the priest, and just as he turned the corner he saw the lost barrow-handle lying under the wall, being in fact the very pear-tree the priest had cut down. But there were no traces of the priest—much to the amusement of the crowd in the market-place.

Yes, I think I shall look again into this interesting book.


Thank you, everyone, for your posts.



Happy Reading,

Charles

[Omar]

My bookshelf is a mixed bag. There is all of Sifus great books offcourse, currently i'm reading the one on Chinese medicine, but its "on hold" as I'm reviewing "The art of Shaolin Kung fu" due to my planned course this summer.

Theres also a really bricksized edition of "The Lord of the Rings" as well as two other books by Tolkien, some old books from university, the book about taoist master Wang Liping, and a copy of the I Ching and also Tao Te Ching.

Plus some random novels bought at airports around the world, and copies of "Guinness world records", its sort of a family tradition that I get one of those every Christmas. Did you for example know the worlds longest ear hairs belongs to a man in India, and that they are 18.1 cm (7.12 in) long? Well if you did not know, now you do.

That's all I can recall now, there is still a lot of books that I have not unpacked since the last time I moved. If I let them sit long enough it will be like receiving a large book present the next time I unpack.

[AlexBaranosky]

Thanks for that link. After I have gone deeper into Chinese medicine, I'll be sure to broaden my perspective by learning more about Ayurveda. Any comments on how the two sciences complement each other?

My pleasure

In my opinion the two sciences are highly complementary.

Both sciences emphasize balance.

Both sciences use pulse diagnosis and tongue diagnosis.

Ayurveda has a simple way of assessing your constitution. Each person has three qualities, called doshas: Vata (wind), Pitta (fire), Kapha (phlegm). After they assess which of these three doshas is most prominent in you they then use their many techniques to reduce the ones that are in excess and increase the one(s) that are deficient.

Ayurveda puts heavy emphasis on the digestion. They say that most diseases come from having a weak digestion. A weak digestion leads to undigested foods. These undigested foods, called ama, end up clogging up the channels in the body, as these undigested foods clog you up they cause all sorts of problems.

Therefore Ayurveda's first plan of action is to make sure your diet is one that doesn't unduly tax the digestion, as well as being balanced for your predominant dosha or doshas.

The second course of action is to use methods designed to reduce the ama that is already built up in your body. Milder forms of these methods can also be used as upkeep for healthy individuals, to promote greater health and well-being.

Chinese Medicine, like Ayurveda, has in depth knowledge about how individual foods will affect a person's balance. Also, Chinese Medicine has similar concepts to the "digestion causes disease"... For example in Chinese Medicine if you have a weak spleen (which is in charge of digestion), like many Americans, then what happens is Dampness begins to build up. Dampness is much like the concept of ama.

Also, Ayurveda has different Yoga postures that will help to open blocked nadis, which is the Indian equivalent to chi channels. And I believe Ayurveda considers that as you improve the digestion, ama(which is not only in the digestive tract, but can be found all through out your body) is cleared around your body thus improving the flow of prana (chi) throughout the nadis (channels).

Any question? Let me know

All the Best,
Alex

[Alex McLeod]

Oooh. A thread on books. Books are my favorite.

I just finished reading (about 4 hours ago now) The Power of Less. It was pretty good, with helpful tips on simplifying your life in order to get more important things done. Especially good, I think, is his approach to forming habits, which I'm probably going to adopt, although I'm pretty sure that most of that process is on his website for free.

Last week, I was finally able to obtain a copy of "A Course In Miracles" which is apparently by Jesus, or at least dictated by Jesus to the athiest woman who actually did the physical writing. In the text so far (I've only read about 200 pages of it), he has said many things I've read from another source: Sifu, any time he writes or speaks about Buddhist concepts. The words are different, but the meaning is pretty much the same. Of course, it shares the general Christian outlook on not saying much about the afterlife, and talking only about what you need to do in this life to get the desired result. I'm afraid it will take me at least a year to go through the Workbook portion of it, as I'm going slightly slower than the anticipated pace of one exercise per day maximum. (I forgot on Sunday, and Saturday, I was just lazy with it) So, it'll take me at least 367 days from the day I started to complete.

Maybe I'll get to describing the books on my bookshelf when I wake up after I get home at 7, but I doubt it. There are so many books there from years of collecting that just titles would take up as much space as the previous paragraph. At least. I don't know if that's a good habit or a bad habit that I got from my dad, but I've got a library.

[Charles David]

The Gospel

Hi Omar,

Thanks for the snapshot of your current reading. It sounds like you are reading a lot of classics. Needless to say, I also read Sifu's books regularly. These days I am looking at the Four Gates set in his Complete Book of Shaolin Kung Fu.

Alex B.,

Thanks for the comparison of Ayurveda and Chinese medicine; the similarities are striking indeed.

Alex M.,


I'm glad that you are pleased about this thread. I am sure that the scores of Scholar Warriors out there have plenty of wonderful books on their bedside tables that others would enjoy hearing about. (Don't be shy.)

I have never looked at The Course in Miracles but my mother has reported to me that she knows a number of people whose lives were dramatically transformed by doing the course. I had no idea that it was "written by Jesus." That certainly is intriguing.

Before practice tonight, I was reading The Gospel According to Jesus by Stephen Mitchell. I really cannot recommend it highly enough: it is a fabulous book. A real chase-the-money-changers-from-the-temple kind of a book.

Next time I will share with you some contemporary American Zen poetry I have been reading. Real stare-at-the-stars-in-wonder kind of poetry.


By the way, I also have more books than I will ever be able to read. I think it needs to be that way.


Still Yours,


Charles

[Niall Butchart]

Excellent thread!

I have just finished 'Fighters Heart' by Sam Sheridan. Light reading and interesting but I skipped the chapter on dog fighting. He tries MMA, Mauy Thai, Brazilian Jujitsu, western boxing etc. Good light read.

Also just finished Musicophilia by Jonathan Sacks about the effect of music on the brain in patients with mental illness and how music is sometimes the only thing which keeps those people connected to others. Very interesting but quite heavy going.

I recommend Angry White Pyjamas by Robert Twigger. A superbly well written account of training with the Tokyo Riot Ploice on the year long Aikdo course. Good descriptions of contemporary Japan and daily training/ suffering!

I keep a collection of Sigungs books hand and am alway amazed at how what I thought was a simple sentence in the book three years ago I now see has many and more profound meanings.

Have a few books on various other things on the go as well. Troublesome Words by Bill Bryson, excellent book by a wonderful author. Och I have tons of books reading is great.

Thanks to everyone for sharing your book choices too. Broadens the horizons.