Books Books Books - Buddhism for Mothers

Just the other night, hubby and I went late night shopping at Borders, and bought over 100 bucks worth of books...

You will think it is a lot right, well, we have 3 physical copies, and 1 ordered copy..
And from my book selections, you will probably find it real odd and eclectic..

I bought the following:

- "Buddhism for Mums" - which I will blog about in a while

- London Eyewitness Travel guide - to plan for the upcoming trip, still some time away but I am trying to see if London is a good place to bring En (Xuan is still too young)

- "Fun Start" book about activities to stimulate babies and toddlers from 0 -5 every day of their lives - relevant still for both En and Xuan

- "Harry Potter 7" - In all the years, this is the first time we are ordering Harry Potter, figured it will be our last chance la.. I can't wait to read this, but am feeling ambivalence too cuz this is the final book and once finished, I will probably have to go through a Cold Turkey phase like I did when I finished all the Dan Brown books... i want to Savor this book.. I am already reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince so that I can better connect and continue with the story when 7 is released..

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Now, on Buddhism for Mothers.. I just started and I already feel very deeply about it. I always believe Buddhism is both a philosophy as well as a way of life.

The book starts on the premise that as mothers, we often feel isolated, alienated and seek for solace and help. It is a ripe time to turn spiritual. I remembered the alienation I felt, the helplessness i experienced and at times, the immense guilt and pain I feel... and I cannot hep but agree..

"As mothers, we are particularly ripe to hear about Buddhism because we have an intimate understanding of 2 of its cornerstones: we understand there is suffering in life, and we have experienced a truer love" - Buddhism for Mothers

This is not my first contact with Buddhism. I have been with Buddhism all my life, and my Hubby even shares the Buddhist traditions and values.

I have enjoyed reading and knowing more about Buddhism because I find that its ideas help me cope with everyday life a lot, and that it is possible to practise Buddhism everyday.

In case you are wondering if this is gonna turn into one of those religion preaching blogs, no worries, I do not like to preach, nor am I in a position to preach. I believe when the time is ripe, one will find one's way.. Much like perhaps what Ms. Nomad is doing..

However, I felt this book has helped distill some of the teachings and made it relevant and applicable for motherhood.. the author is also a practising Buddhist and appreciates the thinking and approach to help her cope with her 2 boys...

Well, I am onto the 4 Noble Truths of Buddhism - the first one being "There is Suffering".

"The second reason mothers are ripe to benefit from Buddhism is that we ve' taken an enormous step towards attaining what Buddhists call 'the mind of love'. As we know, motherhood is about far more than suffering; it's also about a mind expanding experience of love"

But best of all, this is the passage from the book that I could empathise with the most, so far...

"As mothers, we discover life is no light experience. We have responsibilities; pitiable amounts of time to ourselves; desperate worries about whether our children are healthy, 'normal' and able to meet the expectations of the judgmental world around them. We suffer guilt that we are not attending to the hundred other things we could be doing. We agonise over our careers, and, in many cases, the loss thereof. In our darker moments we may struggle for self esteem as we watch the worry lines set in and our body parts begin to point down."

I am so gripped! Because as she quotes Buddha's

"I teach suffering, and the end of suffering"..

To be continued.... :)