Tattva-viveka
Helpful books?
Igor - January 11, 2006 4:00 pm
I noticed that many devotees find help and encouragement in modern books ( not standard devotional literature) about management, self-help topics, positive thinking etc.
Books written by Og Mandino, Brian Tracy, Paulo Coelho etc. are popular in modern society.
What is your experience? Do you find some book helpful?Do you read only devotional literature? If not, what titles caused positive changes in your life? Or you think that such literature is not necessary?
Some books that had positive impact on my life:
Yesudiyan – Yoga and Sport
Bryan Tracey 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time
Musashi – Book of five rings
Sun Tsu – Art of war
Art Semorie – Super memory
Syamasundara - January 11, 2006 11:58 pm
I found the teachings of the zen buddhists who chant Nam myoho renge kyo very inspiring and almost parallel to our mantra yoga practice... until they go all impersonalist and buddhist, but really if one quarter of the people were like them, then it'd be a great world.
Citta Hari and I discovered once a book about somatics that has a very interesting take on things of life. It's mostly yoga principles predigested for westerners, and if read superficially it's just about curing your back.
Another book that flashed me and is waiting for me among my belongings in SF is an old psychology book about recognizing the child and the adult in us. Forgot the title.
Nanda-tanuja Dasa - January 12, 2006 12:48 am
In my situation free time is a very rare commodity, so I read only devotional literature. Call me narrow minded, but I just don’t have time for anything else. Before my family life and two kids I was reading like crazy. I loved (and still do) Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Hans Christian Andersen, Lewis Carroll, George Orwell, Maurice Maeterlinck, Tove Jansson, Richard Bach, JRR Tolkien. I mean the list is just too long... Now question is how are they helpful and in what exactly? For me they’ve expanded my horizons, taught me how to dream and how to love, made me a better man. Did they bring me closer to God? Probably not. I guess it’s all about the exercise of the heart -- when you cry or laugh it makes you softer, more human.