The books in your home?

[mewtwo]

how many spiritual books do you have in your home? when do these become a material thing? basically what i am asking is, see well once i read a book a couple of times i am pretty much done with it cause i feel i have internalised the book. So then i might give it away or sell it or something. Does anyone on here feel the same way as me? or the opposite?

 

With me it is a balancing act, with collecting things or letting them go. i like stuff but i always have to ask myself ok what good is a nicnak sitting around in your house it does not do anything.

 

So then i normally try to give the object unto god or Buddha etc. sometimes this works sometimes not.

 

A very simple practice and you can do this with anything like a flat screen TV at your local bestbuy. But um imagine the item going into your heart center, then is shoots up the sushumna and goes to Buddha or god or wherever.

 

Thanks

[~riverflow]

I have a tonne of books, almost all directly related to philosophia (mostly Buddhist, some Daoist, then writers like Thoreau, Nietzsche or Camus), and some indirectly related (haiku, other poetry, John Cage, books on wabi sabi).

 

My only problem is where I live, I couldn't even GIVE my books away. I do plan to donate a huge chunk of my Buddhist books to a sangha or two across town at some point-- some books I have no problem selling, but not those books.

 

I am quite the minimalist (no furniture except a desk, chair, bed and three small-ish bookshelves -- and no TV) except when it comes to books and music (at least the music is almost all digital).

 

As far as internalising the contents of many books-- well, I'm a slow learner, so I find I have to read and re-read. And there I have one bookshelf where I keep certain "essential" books that I return to again and again (Dogen's Shobogenzo, a rather large collection of Zen koans, my R.H. Blyth books on haiku, a couple translations of the Daodejing, and just a few other books).

 

One of these days I may manage to finally get rid of most of my books.

 

I don't see books as material objects however, since it's not the books but what is in them that I find so invaluable.

[thelerner]

I have lots of books, too many. I'm trying to stop buying them, but I'll go to the library to keep the noodle wet.

 

I usually take out 2 books that are very different from each other. For example the 2 currently from the library are: Awakening To the Sacred by Lama Surya (Great book), and The Big Short by Michael Lewis a NY best seller about the financial melt down.

 

Best book read in August "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" about the devastation of poverty and greatness of the human spirit.

[doc benway]

I used to have a huge book collection. Now, after I read a book I generally give it away and ask the next owner to pass it on when they are finished (though it's up to them really). I still hold onto books that I think are good resources for future study and also a few books that I really like and want to save for someone special or to read again. I've probably gotten rid of 80% of my books. Most of them were given to the local VA Hospital for vets and their families. I've save most of what I consider my better "spiritual" works.

[Birch]

I have quite a few qi-gong "cookbooks" (practice recipes).

Not so much into the philosophical/spiritual kind, although I had a brief period of "buddhist views on (insert topic)" but I'm done with those it seems.

I have a few very complicated Taoist books about correct Iching consultation and interpretation - very tough reading.

Deadman's acupuncture manual. Tough reading.

Been reading more economics/history/political science recently (not that it helps any).

I was thinking I might get back into novels. Haven't read any in over 3 years.

[Vmarco]