my mind on books

Once again I was gifted with a book through the wonderful Early Reviewers Program at LibraryThing. This time it is Authenticity: Clearing the Junk: A Buddhist Perspective by Venerable Yifa (Lantern, 2007). Speaking unpretentiously, like a wise sister, Yifa looks at junk in many manifestations: junk food, stuff, communication, relationships, emotions and thoughts.

This slim volume does not have practical tips for dealing with clutter, nor does it advocate asceticism for all, but takes more of a typically Buddhist approach that involves changing attitudes, working from the inside out. One aspect of the Buddhist approach is to evaluate how behaviors affect the mind, seeking to promote those that are conducive to mental equanimity. Another is to look at whole systems, focusing on the interdependence of all things.

It was surprising to come across a reference to Heidegger in the midst of this Buddhist book, but I appreciated the concept. Yifa refers to “…a kind of junk conversation where we’re being what the German philosopher Martin Heidegger (1889-1976) called das Man. Das Man is the everyday and impersonal public face of who we are. It’s the type of individual who doesn’t mean what he says, and who doesn’t bother whether he’s authentic or truthful. He gets by on white lies, exaggerations, small talk, and sarcasm. In the process, the individual forgets who he is and replaces his authentic self with a kind of shallow and flexible persona that adapts to all things and believes in nothing.” p. 58. (More on ‘Das Man’ at Wikipedia)

Another nice quote from the book is an anonymous Chinese piece called “The Temperature of Speech” (p. 62):

If something is urgent, say it slowly.

If something is important, say it clearly.

If something is unimportant, say it humorously.

If something is uncertain, say it discreetly.

If something did not happen, do not mention it at all.

If you cannot do something, do not claim it for yourself.

If what you say could harm others, keep silent.

When something annoys you, don’t take it personally.

If something makes you happy, don’t make too much of it.

When talking about your own affairs, pay attention to how you talk.

When talking about someone else’s affairs, be judicious.

When your heart is broken, not everyone needs to know.

Of things that remain to be done, talk of them when they are finished.

Of things that happen in the future, don’t talk of them in the present.

If I have not satisfied you, tell me.

These principles are well exemplified in Yifa’s writing itself.

Sample content (Table of Contents, Introduction and Chapter One) available through the publisher

Yifa interview on YouTube