I love to read. Reading is a great and surprising learning affair. It was the 13th century Zen teacher Dogen, who taught that to “Study The Way” is to “study yourself and go beyond yourself.” Reading, for me, is a concrete practice and way of learning more about myself and to expand my world, open my mind and heart to new ways of seeing, thinking, and living.
Many years ago, when I was CEO of Brush Dance, a greeting card and calendar company I founded, one of my regular activities was reading to find quotes. We were always searching for new, compelling, inspirational quotes to be published as greeting cards, calendars, or journals – quotes that would be useful, memorable, and surprising. A few of our best-selling quotes were:
– If you think you are too small to be effective, you’ve never been in bed with a mosquito.
– Life is too short to wear tight shoes.
– The greatest gift you can give someone is your presence. (Thich Nhat Hanh License)
– When you come to a fork in the road, take it! (Yogi Berra License)
– Wherever you go, there you are. Unfortunately your luggage isn’t always like this.
I remember being surprised at first when I discovered that when I was reading to find quotes, I was reading in a completely and uniquely different way, and had a very different experience than reading at other times. I wasn’t reading for context or for understanding. I was narrowing my perspective, just focusing on finding quotes. That was an interesting discovery, that I could read with varying mindsets.
I’ve noticed now that there are several ways, several approaches to reading. I’ve started experimenting with the various ways I read and find it helpful to bring some awareness to the distinctions and possibilities. It’s possible, and useful to read with a variety of approaches and that each has its own value:
Reading for insights: Similar to my search for quotes, you can read looking for insights. This way of reading narrows and focuses your vision, and allows you to take specific, sometimes actionable practices from your reading.
For example, in Atomic Habits by James Clear he has a section called: Forget About Goals, Focus on Systems Instead. “If you’re a musician, your goal might be to play a new piece. Your system is how often you practice…your method for receiving feedback from your instructor.”
Reading for knowledge: You can read to increase your knowledge and understanding, about history, or nature, economics, or about a variety of subjects.
In the opening of Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari he tells us, “About 3.8 billion years ago, on a planet called Earth, certain molecules combined to form particularly large and intricate structures called organisms. The story of organisms is called biology.”
Reading as spiritual practice: This is reading from a sense of curiosity and not knowing. Ask yourself, what is really being said here? What am I understanding and not understanding? Try aspiring to let words and ideas wash through you, without holding on too tightly. Much like listening to a dharma talk or spiritual talk, it’s not so much about the content, as about your feelings, intuition, and your heart.
Here’s an example, from Not Always So, by Shunryu Suzuki: “If you have even the smallest understanding of reality, your way of thinking will change completely, and the problems you create will not be problems any more.”
Reading to meet the author: This type of reading involves being curious about the voice of the author. It means noticing the words, and what is underneath the words. Yuval Noah Harari’s voice in Sapiens is uniquely different then Jane Hirshfield’s voice in Nine Gates and both are quite different from George Saunders’ voice in A Swim in a Pond in the Rain.
From Nine Gates, Entering The Mind Of Poetry, by Jane Hirshfield: “One breath taken completely; one poem fully written, fully read – in such a moment, anything can happen.”
Just Read!: And of course, sometimes, just keep it simple. Just read, enjoy, laugh, cry, and learn. Without any agenda, no reason, nothing to gain. And see what happens.
I’m sure there are many other ways to read as well. These are just a few that I’ve been noticing about my own reading these days.
Explore different ways, different mindsets in reading.
How does reading with different approaches support you to know more about yourself and to expand your world, to go beyond yourself?
Some books I’m enjoying right now:
Trusting The Gold, by Tara Brach
Not Always So, by Shunryu Suzuki
Nine Gates, by Jane Hirschfield
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, by George Saunders
Eyes of Compassion: Learning From Thich Nhat Hanh, by Jim Forest