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2013 Where in the World are you?!? (Currently Reading)
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Lara
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Jan 09, 2013 01:43PM
I'm currently in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with Endangered. I just started it and am already totally sucked in!
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I am currently stuck in Africa with What Is the Whatand am hoping to finsh and move on tomorrow. Not sure yet where I am going!
Heading off to Mexico with Isle of Passion. Well, more like an atoll off the pacific coast of Mexico to spend time preparing for a French invasion(!) shortly before the outbreak of World War I.
I'm starting my journey with The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World which offers quick stops in: The Netherlands, Switzerland, Bhutan, Qatar, Iceland, Moldova, Thailand, Great Britain, India and the States. It is a fairly light reflection by a journalist as he meets up with only a couple people in each country and offers up his vantage point. More entertainment than depth, but I'm enjoying the romp.
Ara Lucia wrote: "I'm starting my journey with The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World which offers quick stops in: The Netherlands, Switzerland, Bhutan, Qatar, Iceland, Moldo..."i read that a couple of years ago. i can't wait to see your review of it. i really liked the part about iceland.
I liked The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World too! For me the best chapter was that on Bhutan, not that I could ever be a Buddhist! You can still get ideas. What is it that makes people happy? And is their one ingredient that works for all? Interestingly enough the answer to that latter question is no! A fun book to discuss with others. It has humor.
Chrissie, why could you never be a Buddhist?
Mod
Hi, I'm a newbie here and got very excited with all the posts =) I just left Dominican Republic (A Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao) and now revisiting London with Harry Potter =)
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I know, the posts are distracting, aren't they? I need to stop myself from reading them all and read my actual book.
Enjoy revisiting Harry and London.
Osho wrote: "Chrissie, why could you never be a Buddhist?"Osho, I am no Buddha expert, but for me that the First Noble Truth states that life is suffering, but that it can be avoided. I don't think that it can. Secondly we are supposed to negate our own wanting. Is that really possible? Having a goal and striving for it is a want and it is something that can motivate us toward good. Life without dreams and goals is blah.
It is such thoughts that prevent me.
Arrived in England, disembarked from the 'Oronsay,' boarded The Terror with the British Navy and now I'm stranded in the Arctic, stuck in the ice, fighting some unknown creature. :)
Thanks, Chrissie. My understanding of Buddhist principles is that pain in inevitable, but suffering is not, which distinguishes between difficulty and ruminating about/cultivating emotions about the difficulty. While the Buddhist ideal is to negate ego (defined more in terms of attachment to outcomes than to having no personality), most Buddhism, in practice, attempts to foster kindness and moderation. Lack of attachment doesn't mean indifference so much as the freedom to be compassionate while unencumbered by emotionally-charged expectations about outcomes. What this can look like is that the person notices the thoughts and emotions that arise and attempts to notice that they are not inherent in whatever the stimulus was. So if I get a bad evaluation at work, I would notice my thoughts and feelings that arise in response, and attempt to refocus on my breathing rather than rehearsing my grievances to myself or reliving the unpleasant emotions. If I were successful at separating my responses (not negating them, just separating them) from the evaluation itself, I would not be so distressed (in other words, I would not be suffering needlessly), and my capacity to decouple the event and the suffering would remind me that the evaluation, like everything, is transient.
This doesn't mean that I think emotions are bad or shouldn't be explored, but that we aren't at the mercy of our suffering. As a therapist I might ask my client if she wants to move on from what she's feeling or wants to stay with it. This accomplishes the same goal of increasing my client's awareness that there are options other than holding tightly to emotions. A teaching story that illustrates this: A monk and his acolyte are members of a sect that strictly forbids touching a woman. As they are walking, they encounter a woman at the edge of a rushing river that she cannot cross. The monk picks up the woman and carries her across the river on his back. They part ways. After quite some time, the acolyte bursts out, "Master, how could you forsake your vows and touch that woman?" The master replies, "I put her down at the river, but you're still carrying her."
This doesn't mean that I think emotions are bad or shouldn't be explored, but that we aren't at the mercy of our suffering. As a therapist I might ask my client if she wants to move on from what she's feeling or wants to stay with it. This accomplishes the same goal of increasing my client's awareness that there are options other than holding tightly to emotions. A teaching story that illustrates this: A monk and his acolyte are members of a sect that strictly forbids touching a woman. As they are walking, they encounter a woman at the edge of a rushing river that she cannot cross. The monk picks up the woman and carries her across the river on his back. They part ways. After quite some time, the acolyte bursts out, "Master, how could you forsake your vows and touch that woman?" The master replies, "I put her down at the river, but you're still carrying her."
Mod
⊱❁Jo Ann❁⊰ wrote: "Arrived in England, disembarked from the 'Oronsay,' boarded The Terror with the British Navy and now I'm stranded in the Arctic, stuck in the ice, fighting some unknown creature. :)"Oooh! I want to read that!
Osho, what you are saying is very interesting. I follow what you are saying, I think. I like how you distinguish between pain and suffering. That makes sense. I also understand that you never succeed, but you work towards a state where you suffer less, and I have found some of the practices one finds in books helpful. That part of Buddhism I have no problem with. But Buddhism seems to say it is not good to strive after goals and dreams. I am supposed to negate all wants! I cannot live without dreams or goals. Please explain this part to me, too.
Please excuse Osho and my discussion. I hope others are not annoyed. Please let Osho answer, and then I promise we will zip our mouths.
⊱❁Jo Ann❁⊰ wrote: "Arrived in England, disembarked from the 'Oronsay,' boarded The Terror with the British Navy and now I'm stranded in the Arctic, stuck in the ice, fighting some unknown creature. :)"I have The Terror on my list for some challenge or other - maybe the Read Across Canada one. You'll have to tell us if you enjoyed it when you are finished.
Osho wrote: "Thanks, Chrissie. My understanding of Buddhist principles is that pain in inevitable, but suffering is not, which distinguishes between difficulty and ruminating about/cultivating emotions about th..."Wonderful Osho. Do you teach? This explains in more detail a few things my craniosacral therapist has been saying. Very clear. Thanks. Perhaps you should set up a thread for us!!
I just came back from Saqqara in Egypt: Horemheb: The Forgotten Pharaoh, and am now off to Portugal :The Piano Cemetery.
Getting ready to start my 4th book for the challenge, Snowset in Turkey. I have been greatly helped by starting the year on vacation so I've had extra time to read and get ahead for the busy weeks that are coming.
I'm not counting this one in my count for the year, since I have a UK book under my belt already, but I'm in Scotland with Buddha Da for Orange January and I'm also still in Chile (author's home) but actually hopping to academic conferences around Europe in the plot of 2666. The latter one I am going to count if I ever actually finish it (being diverted by some job search activity since hubby got downsized, and we may need to move as a result).
actually, I may end up counting Scotland separately, depending.
Beth wrote: "I'm not counting this one in my count for the year, since I have a UK book under my belt already, but I'm in Scotland with Buddha Da for Orange January and I'm also still in Chile (author's home) ..."Beth, sorry about your husband's news and the possible repercussions for you both. Good luck with the searches.
Beth, good luck with the job searches. I am hoping just the perfect thing for your family turns up soon.I am going to one of the Malayan Islands in The Gift of Rain: A Novel by Tan Twan Eng. It is set during WWII during the Japanese occupation of the islands.
Briefly,
But Buddhism seems to say it is not good to strive after goals and dreams. I am supposed to negate all wants! I cannot live without dreams or goals. Please explain this part to me, too.
As I understand it, striving and dreaming are fine, and a Buddhist attempts to have fewer attachments (that is, clinging to the hoped-for outcome). This means you have goals and hopes while also recognizing that your feelings about them are just feelings and don't influence the outcome, but only how I feel. Think about receiving a letter that you hope tells you you were accepted at a college or job. Many people experience tremendous anxiety as they hold the letter in their hands. Both Buddhism and cognitive-behavioral therapy suggest that noticing your anxiety and letting go of it, rather than continuing to nurture it, would be a good idea, since your anxiety doesn't influence the content of the envelope and only throws your body and thoughts into disharmony.
For a good book on basic Buddhist philosophy, without the syncretic addition of demons and afterlives and reincarnation, and which you can count for either Nepal or Tibet, try How to See Yourself As You Really Are by the 14th Dalai Lama.
But Buddhism seems to say it is not good to strive after goals and dreams. I am supposed to negate all wants! I cannot live without dreams or goals. Please explain this part to me, too.
As I understand it, striving and dreaming are fine, and a Buddhist attempts to have fewer attachments (that is, clinging to the hoped-for outcome). This means you have goals and hopes while also recognizing that your feelings about them are just feelings and don't influence the outcome, but only how I feel. Think about receiving a letter that you hope tells you you were accepted at a college or job. Many people experience tremendous anxiety as they hold the letter in their hands. Both Buddhism and cognitive-behavioral therapy suggest that noticing your anxiety and letting go of it, rather than continuing to nurture it, would be a good idea, since your anxiety doesn't influence the content of the envelope and only throws your body and thoughts into disharmony.
For a good book on basic Buddhist philosophy, without the syncretic addition of demons and afterlives and reincarnation, and which you can count for either Nepal or Tibet, try How to See Yourself As You Really Are by the 14th Dalai Lama.
I must say, I'm so impressed at what a brilliant job you've been doing at briefly and succinctly articulating these basic Buddhist concepts. When I first saw her post, I had a pull in my heart -- wishing I could respond, but I could not possibly have done as well.
I agree with Ara Lucia. What wonderful summaries of these concepts, making them more easily applicable to my daily life. Thanks.
i am trying to decide whether or not to add Daughters of the Northto my list for england. i usually don't count a book unless it teaches me something about the country. daughters is a novel about a dystopian future england.
Lilisa wrote: "In North Korea with The Orphan Master's Son a fascinating and intriguing read."I'm starting this one tonight; sounds interesting to me too.
Mod
I'm starting this one tonight; sounds interesting to me too."
Lesley - Let me know what you think of it!
I ended 2012 in China with Oracle Bones: A Journey Between China's Past and Present and then decided to start off this year with his first book River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze. I prefer River Town to Oracle Bones.
Vizara wrote: "I ended 2012 in China with Oracle Bones: A Journey Between China's Past and Present and then decided to start off this year with his first book River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze. I prefer River ..."I've read some nice reviews of River Town. I'll be interested in your review.
I liked Hessler's books as a trilogy of his time in China.
I have just started my journey in Europe with the Swedish book Underdog, and Dark Palace that is set in Switzerland during the 1930s. I will probably stay in Europe for a while and then head down to the Middle East and Africa.
Lurk42 wrote: "i am trying to decide whether or not to add Daughters of the Northto my list for england. i usually don't count a book unless it teaches me something about the country. daughters is a novel about..."I loved Daughters of the North.
I will be returning The Orphan Master's Son unfinished to the library. I had too much trouble trying to understand the dialogue and it all got a bit irritating really. Too many good books waiting...
I was finally able to kick start the old jalopy and get on the road. It didn't take me far. I'm in Ontario, Canada with Any Known Blood.
Mod
:-( it took me a bit to figure out the the different voices as well, but the I got into it. It was intriguing for me, particularly since I was in North Korea for the first time. But agree, not for everyone.
I'm now in Laos with The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoirlearning about the history of the Hmong and the early life of the author's parents. It's excellent so far.
I'm currently in Mongolia with a biography of Genghis Khan. Very interesting so far! http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/82...
Still in Chile with 2666 but also on audio in Cuba with Waiting for Snow in Havana: Confessions of a Cuban Boy.
i kicked off my journey with The Bite of the Mango for Sierra Leone.. and am now moving forward with one foot in usa with Uncle Tom's Cabin and one foot in china with Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China:)
Krittika wrote: "i kicked off my journey with The Bite of the Mango for Sierra Leone.. and am now moving forward with one foot in usa with Uncle Tom's Cabin and one foot in china with Wild Swans: Three Daughters of..."I like it how you can put your feet in two countries! wish I could do that myself (I'm not a multibooks reader, sadly).
I just left USA with Ryan Bingham in Up in the Airand now wondering where my feet would take me =)
Astrid wrote: "Krittika wrote: "i kicked off my journey with The Bite of the Mango for Sierra Leone.. and am now moving forward with one foot in usa with Uncle Tom's Cabin and one foot in china with Wild Swans: T..."So how was the book compared to the movie?
Krittika wrote: "Astrid wrote: "Krittika wrote: "i kicked off my journey with The Bite of the Mango for Sierra Leone.. and am now moving forward with one foot in usa with Uncle Tom's Cabin and one foot in china wit..."it's a pity but I haven't watched the movie! Will do it before writing my review, I guess =)
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