Who knew Pooh Bear had it in him?

I found another fun book to read. I tell you what, there is something to be said for only working part time at a chill job. I find that I've got heaps of time for reading all sorts of fun books. And my mom got me this cool book journal thingy to record the books I read, quotes, recommended reads, etc... and it's way more fun than it sounds.

OKay. So. The Tao of Pooh. I'd heard my friends talk about this book, and was curious but never really interested/motivated enough to go seek it out. Well, one fell in my lap the other day and I flipped through it.

Intrigued, I purchased said book and took it home with me. I began reading it that night and I'm still reading it. It's not very thick - size wise or intelligence level. Which is what makes it so great!

First off, the cover art is to die for cute, and the illustration on the back brought me in, hook, line and sinker. "Pooh just is" Ha! I'd never realized... he really is, just is.

I'm only a fourth of the way in, but already I've copied down, like half the book in quotes. It's so clear and direct. And when you're explaining ancient Chinese philosophy, that's exactly what you need to be.

So far, my favorite illustration used in the book was to distinguish Taoism from Confucianism and Buddhism. It describes a scroll with three men sitting around a pot of vinegar. Each one has dipped their finger in to taste it and each one has a different expression on their face as a reaction to the vinegar. One man had a sour face, another was bitter and the third was smiling. The vat of vinegar was meant to represent the "Essence of Life" (nice phrasing, eh?) and each man's face mirrors their philosophy's belief about the human experience.

I won't give much else away, and hopefully this will make you hungry for knowledge! So much so that you will go out and read this book. Or another. Or look up the story on the internet. Either way, you're learning something, right? Then my work here is done.

p.s. I am currently entertaining recommendations of reading material. If you have favorite books, or just really great literature, holla!



Buddha in Glory

Center of all centers, core of cores,
almond self-enclosed, and growing sweet--
all this universe, to the furthest stars
all beyond them, is your flesh, your fruit.

Now you feel how nothing clings to you;
your vast shell reaches into endless space,
and there the rich, thick fluids rise and flow.
Illuminated in your infinite peace,

a billion stars go spinning through the night,
blazing high above your head.
But in you is the presence that
will be, when all the stars are dead.

Rainer Maria Rilke