by Fede » Thu Mar 24, 2011 8:56 am
I have been brought up to adore literature, poetry and language, all my life. My parents always encouraged us to have a book at hand, always open, always read, in order to broaden our minds, deepen our education, and understand literature more deeply. I loved to read, as a child, and would choose books over TV any day.
When I first came to Buddhism, and began to practice in earnest, all of my reading material was Buddhist literature. I devoured books by TNH, The Dalai Lama, Pema Chodron, Lama Surya Das and others.
I found that I developed an aversion to fiction and novels, because they seemed trite, trivial, superficial, shallow and irrelevant.
Every time I thought of reading one, I was put off by the sheer attachment and grasping of the protagonists, and critiqued it in Buddhist terms, from a Buddhist perspective.
Over time, I began to read other non-Buddhist books again, but they were informative, thought-provoking and educational.
Recently, many people raved about the three books by Stieg Larsson ("The Girl....." Trilogy) and I decided that, if so many people were raving about them, they had to be good.
I read the first, initial interest and curiosity turning into perseverance as I read through it, and finished it feeling decidedly cheated and wondering what all the fuss had been about.
I attempted to venture into the second, and gave up.
I found them...an unnecessary distraction to my life.
However, 'The Book Thief' is one that has left an indelible mark on my psyche, and I also enjoyed the novel 'The Time Traveller's Wife' (although I haven't seen the film, and it has received mixed reviews).
The Book Thief focuses on the experiences of a young German girl in war-time Germany, who develops a good friendship with a Jew.
The Time traveller's wife plays with time and space, attachment, detachment, suffering and compassion.
So now, I seem to have become more selective, more discriminating, more discerning about the literature I take up.
It has to do something for me, in order for it to be worth my while.
I don't see this as a sensual pleasure. I see this as implementing Right Understanding, Right View and Right Awareness.
"Samsara: The human condition's heartbreaking inability to sustain contentment." Elizabeth Gilbert,
'Eat, Pray, Love'. Simplify: 17 into 1 WILL go: Mindfulness!Quieta movere magna merces videbatur. (Sallust, c.86-c.35 BC)
Translation:
Just to stir things up seemed a good reward in itself. 
I am sooooo happy - How on earth could I be otherwise?! 
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