The mind is a great slave, but a terrible master. To understand Buddhism is to take a plunge in its ocean.
The books I've read in 2013 were not as extensive as the year before that but I had a great time devouring each one of them.
From left to right, top to bottom.
1. Siddharta by Herman Hesse
2. Son ; A Psychopath and his Victims by Jack Olsen
3. Seeking Happiness by Master Hsing Yun
4. Wind and Rain
5. Sutra on the Past Great Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva
6. Buddha's Little Instruction Book by Jack Kornfield
7. Finding Fulfillment : Four Insights by Master Hsing Yun
8. Perfectly Willing by Master Hsing Yun
9. The Biography of Sakyamuni Buddha by Master Hsing Yun
10. Steal like an Artist by Austim Kleon
11. The Men who Stare at Goats by Jon Ronson
12. The Peter Pan Syndrome
13. Letters to a Young Poet by Rilke
14. The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson
I have read other books but they didn't make an impression on me and I saw to it that in my temple stay, I devoured as much books as I could because there are things that the Philippine HALA program by Mabuhay Temple did not discourse to students. It was supplemental learning and the library at the temple was extensive.
I was fascinated with how the people would paint themselves in a corner and I believe that people are actually the one who bring themselves to much unneeded drama, problems, issues, and others that causes them suffering. That is why my solo show centers to the heart of that part of the human condition. I booked my solo show last year dated for September 2014 and have done a bit of my part for the artworks but I dedicated time to do some research like reading books and even going further as to live in a temple for three months traveling from the Philippines to Taiwan and back for the study. In so doing doors have opened for me and I am finding out ways to finish projects one by one.
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| Bought a book in Amazon and is looking forward to reading this once it arrives. |
During my stay at the HALA program, it discussed how Buddhism is not merely a religion but is actually psychology and philosophy studies and also psychotherapy which is something that I would like to find out further. The people I met along the way were surreal and from then a distinction had been made in my brain.
What really caught my attention to the way that minds works is I noticed that half of my friends were diagnosed with clinical mental illnesses and I always thought they didn't have to be so hard on themselves. the explanation provided by the Sri Lankan monks (Theravada Buddhism) and also the information given by Fo Guang Shan Monastery (Mahayana Buddhism) opens up worlds in the construction of mental processes that can be done mindfully. Giving a way out of depression and other mental illnesses through Buddhist Psychotherapy without the need for pills or any chemicals applied to the brain. It is a holistic approach that explains thoroughly the power of a single thought and how it can affect the mind's function and condition.
It is very interesting to study in a scholarly fashion what we have discovered in the past three months living in a temple in a semi-monastic lifestyle. My artworks and ideas have always been centered on the human condition and so it was a fruitful learning experience for me aside from being able to travel a bit and discover things and people along the way. It seems that the planet Jupiter had been kind to be in 2013 and hopefully this year too by providing me with more opportunities on higher learning, philosophy, and travel.
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| Introduction to Buddhist Psychology by Padmasiri De Silva Also a book I'm eager to read since I got it this year. |
