What book are you currently reading?

I was reading a book, that ame highly recommended, and I was asked to read it and report back on what I thought, but I just can't get through it. Basically it is another take on the buddhist view of enlightenment with all the regular copious repeats of the same exact thing, just different wording. And that would be fine, if I had not read so many other books by buddhists and based on buddhism before....I imagine, without that, it would be fine.....Not sure what I am going to do about that...but in the meantime...Im currently rereading this.

The Tao of Happiness
Stories from Chuang Tzu for your Spiritual Journey
Derek Lin

and when I say rereading I mean rereading the first part and then finishing it. I tend to read multiple books at a time and in the process some get left behind...this was one of them.

 

I've just read Unconquerable - The Invictus Spirit in one sitting. I bought it as a holiday book back in 2017 but never got around to reading it until today and it's a great read. Not as heavy as A Heavy Reckoning and focusing more on the people rather than the medicine, it naturally covers the Invictus Games and those who would go on to compete at them. Some of the names I recognised (one by the "I miss my friend" tattoo on his remaining leg) but other stories were new to me. The book focused a lot on the mental health issues faced by servicemen, including those not wounded in battle and that's something missing from other books and articles I've read. As I say, a great read.

 

Classical Baguazhang, Vol. II, Cheng Shi Bagua Zhang by Ma Youqing and Liu Jingru

 

I just got the Bible by poirot 86 hours ffs

 

sacrifice, the new jedi order.............again

 

Essentials of the Fist
Ancient Martial Art Training Principles
English Translation and Interpretation of a 400 Year Old Chinese Martial Arts Manual

Just started it, nothing groundbreaking, but interesting.

We think no one thought of ground fighting before the Gracies and we (myself included) know that in old China, on the ground, in a battle meant death. But there are things in here about how to avoid ending up on the ground when someone goes for your legs, and end up in a choke hold on the aggressor, There is something I know from taijiquan, but you REALLY need to get the timing right, this is avoidance, and mount and a choke hold.

It is interesting to see the applications from 400 years ago (Ming/Qing Dynasty)

 

Aikido Basics: Everything you need to get started in Aikido - from basic footwork and throws to training
I have read many books on the topic of taijiquan and I have read 3 about Aikido, and I am amazed at how many similarities there are between Tiajiquan and Aikido and I am equally amazed at how much I learn about Taijiquan reading books about Aikido

 

The Essence of T'ai Chi Ch'uan
The Literary Tradition
Lo/!nn/Amacker/Foe



The Jefferson Bible by Thomas Jefferson

 

Mushin: A Right-Brain State of Awareness that is the Artist within the Martial Artist by Dr. Ernst Vaughn Arnold

 

Is it any good?

The blurb made me laugh:

"He one day desires to run his own school of Zen martial arts"

Also isn't the kanji upside down?

Meet Dan Hausel of Arizona Hombu Dojo - School of Traditional Okinawa Martial Arts in Mesa - VoyagePhoenix - Phoenix

Also the forward is written by a 12th Dan in juko Kai, so that's a bigger red flag then the one in the picture.

 

Don't know much about the author of the writer of the forward, but so far it is not bad, has one reference I do not agree with about Lao Tzu, but beyond that, so far so good.

 

I have come to a conclusion..... I'm old. Historically I have always read more than one book at a time, generally 3 at one time. But I noticed something the otehr day. I can no longer keep them straight and I find I do not remember a thing I read. So I am now reading 1 book, started it again.

Bruce Lee, Artist of Life.

I was also reading Mushin and Your Life is Worth Living.

But everything was melting together, not making any sense, getting forgotten, and I found I was reading SUPER slowly.... things are better with sjeu the one..... DANG I'm old. When I finish one, I will move on to another and then after that the last one. It seems my old habit of reading 3 books at a time has to stop

 

Am on holiday and reading everyone favourite Jordon Peterson; 12 rules.
I'm impressed I have to say, I'm enjoying it and he has lots of good things to share.
This time last year I was reading Eckhart Tolle (Power of Now), and I have to say I'm finding this contrastingly practical.

I've brought along Homo Deus, which I'm looking forward to, have the set, so that'll keep my reading schedule going for a while.

 

Wing Chun's Foundation Siu Lim Tao by Jason Korol

 

I'm rereading an very old but very fun book from 1841,
"Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds is an early study of crowd psychology by Scottish journalist Charles Mackay, "

It's a fantastic reminder that people individually dumb, but that crowds of people are by their nature dumber, and that no-one should be taken at face value.

I'm pretty sure if Mackay was still alive, brexit, Trump, incels, social media debate bros etc would all get a mention too.

"The subjects of Mackay's debunking include alchemy, crusades, duels, economic bubbles, fortune-telling, haunted houses, the Drummer of Tedworth, the influence of politics and religion on the shapes of beards and hair, magnetisers (influence of imagination in curing disease), murder through poisoning, prophecies, popular admiration of great thieves, popular follies of great cities, and relics."

Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds - Wikipedia.

And if you like that Greg Jenner's book on the history of celebrity is pretty good too. (Dead famous)

 

Funniest thing about this book, is that it's really hard not to read ahead. I sometimes find myself reading entire months in advance. I guess at some point, I'll be able to slow down to one a day.

 

let me know how that goes, because I couldn't do it....kept stopping myself and telling myself one at a time..... right up to the end of the 3rd month when I finished it