The Joy of eBooks and Applications

I have a confession.

I am ever so slightly addicted to my iPhone.

It’s not a real addiction in so far that I could actually live without it but I don’t particularly want to. It has personal and practical uses, and I think that I am most fortunate that I have this exciting gadget.

I am sure that had I had another type of “smart” phone, I would be as happy with that but as it is, I just happen to have this phone, this model and it suits my needs.

One of the joys of getting the updated model some years ago, were these strange things called “Apps”. At the time, I couldn’t actually see much purpose in these things other than the occasional wasting of time playing games such as Tetris, or sitting on a crowded train having a quick Sudoku session. However, as the “App” world has grown, the technology has matured and there are some extremely useful applications (I prefer not to abbreviate on this one) as well as some hopelessly pointless ones.

I first got a free book application when I got my second iPhone and I have to say, the idea of reading on a small screen such as my phone did not really appeal to me. The list of books on this particular application was somewhat limited, particularly if you wanted a free book, and I wasn’t sold on the whole idea of reading a book on a screen to warrant paying for it.

Now, I have a series of book applications including Stanza, iBooks and Amazon’s Kindle; each offering a different range of titles.

Currently, I am enjoying reading “Women in Love” by D.H. Lawrence. As I sit on the train now, I too can look like a nerd with techno brilliance in her hand, overwhelmed at times by this insightful man who I am now convinced must have been a woman in a previous life.

Other books I have recently downloaded are “Diary of A Nobody” which is something I have been meaning to read forever, “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” (which cost me about 40p), “The Communist Manifesto” – another book that I think one ought to be able to dip into and “Buddhism: The Essence” by David Tuffley.

It is this book, well something in it, that I am going to start writing about today but before I do so, I just want to make a case for “real” books.

Nothing, in my opinion, can ever replace the real thing.

When you go into someone’s house, the nosiness in me always turns directly to the bookshelves to see what sort of literature the person is interested in. It can tell you more about the person than an hour of conversation.

Books are vital. I am passionate about books. I would fill my house with books given half the chance. I have filled my house with books.

One of my greatest delights, as a parent, was to frequently go into my son’s room before he could even read, and see him fast asleep with about twenty or thirty books in his bed, sometimes with them opened over his face as he fell asleep mid ‘read’.

Beautiful!

So my joy at finding these applications on my phone are not a replacement for the sheer pleasure of page turning, especially with brand new books or books that have yellowed with age and love and have that deliciously used scent.

However, it is good that I can carry on with my reading when taking a book around can be somewhat cumbersome.

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And so to “Buddhism: The Essence”

This book sells itself as a large pamphlet that speaks of the essence of Buddhism in plain English. I’m not sure if it is readable as I haven’t looked at it properly, but it has the Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. I am assuming that there is going to be a commentary of sorts regarding these but just in case there isn’t I’m going to start my own commentary.

At the very beginning of this book is a familiar piece of prose by the great philosopher Atisha di Pankara.

The greatest achievement is selflessness.

The greatest worth is self-mastery.

The greatest quality is seeking to serve others.

The greatest precept is continual awareness.

The greatest medicine is the emptiness of everything.

The greatest action is not conforming with the world's ways.

The greatest magic is transmuting the passions.

The greatest generosity is non-attachment.

The greatest goodness is a peaceful mind.

The greatest patience is humility.

The greatest effort is not concerned with results.

The greatest meditation is a mind that lets go.

The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances.

These sentences, statements, stanzas are so profound that they deserve attention individually. Collectively, they provide a Way, if only we have ears to listen and eyes to see, if only we are open to this sort of spiritual wellbeing.

I profess to be no scholar or Buddhist, merely a woman who is finding her Way; not desperately seeking but searching, not hoping but thinking, not acting but doing.

In order to walk my path, I sometimes feel a need to look at great writing and put my own interpretation upon it. This is a deeply personal interpretation and is neither right nor wrong. It is merely my interpretation at this particular moment, and it could all change tomorrow. That is the glorious essence of walking a Path. It can twist and turn and even double back on itself for a second or two, but it is always moving.

This piece of prose is preceded by a longer ‘dharma’ which I shall return to in due course but for now, I am going to try and write a series of blogs about this verse itself.