Five Books for a Lifetime
The books I read again and again
What books do you give as a gift most often? Why would you ever want to own a book? Have you ever reread a book? To answer these questions, I’ve created Five Books for a Lifetime. Each one of these books I’ve read from cover-to-cover at least three times. They sit on my desk at home and I frequently reread sections or reference them when I need a piece of wisdom. In this article I give a concise summary of each of the five books that made me, followed by the reason why I chose them.
i. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, translated by Gregory Hayes
A series of journal entries from the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus that illustrate stoic philosophy in practice. Through self-reflection, Marcus maximizes positive emotions and reduces negative emotions to hone his virtues of character. Stoicism was created to be understandable, actionable, and useful. It is not about neglecting emotion, it’s a philosophy that provides a framework to remind us of what is truly important.
ii. Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki
Divided into three sections — Right Practice (body), Right Attitude (feeling), and Right Understanding (mind) — Shunryu applies Zen philosophy to the ordinary, everyday life. You can pick this book up without any prior knowledge of Zen philosophy or spiritual life and find value, or find tremendous value if you’re willing to do a little extra work learning about non-dualism. This is the practice of first inquiry (free of habits, open to all possibilities) applied in 36 passages that will train you to see things simply as they are.
iii. Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, translated Stephen Mitchell
Mitchell’s translation serves as a poetic introduction to the Tao Te Ching, a fundamental text for both philosophical and religious Taoism, that has a long and complicated history. One strives to become one with the unplanned rhythms of the universe, through studying the 81 verses that put Taoist philosophy into practice. Tao, or the way, emphasizes wu wei (action without intention), naturalness, simplicity, spontaneity, compassion, frugality, and humility. Not to be mistaken for seeing things in contrast, this philosophy teaches harmony and the practice of acceptance.
iv. Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets, and Philosophers by Leonard Koren
To experience wabi-sabi you must slow down, be patient, and look closely. Nothingness occupies the central position in wabi-sabi: meaning all things are incomplete and permanence is an illusion. This is freeing because we arbitrarily designate moments or points along the way as finished. The wabi-sabi principle of “interestingness” captures the same ideals as this book list: the quality that compels us to look at something over, and over, and over again.
v. Saudade: The Possibilities of Place by Anik See
Anik uses the principles of longing and nostalgia in these place-specific travel essays to capture what it means to live in the present and pay attention. It’s a difficult book to explain: the experience is sublime because it idealizes places and events you’ll never experience, juxtaposing a yearning for the past against a pleasant longing for the future. This book beautifully articulates how we can appreciate the tiny moments in life that mean the most.
Final Thoughts
This is not an exercise you can do in an afternoon or a weekend. I've eventually come to this list after years of reading and reflecting. Most importantly, it's something I've taken great pleasure in crafting: together these act like a personal manifesto. After reading this, I hope you'll feel inspired to start crafting your own list.
