So much to read…
Reading is a gift, handed down generation upon generation to access information stored as typed letters and images on wood paper.
I have a thirst for reading. I always have. As a child I slept at night with the book that was read to me, wrapped in my arms. As a teen, I was called a bookworm as I always had a nose in a Stephen King novel. As an adult I find solace in libraries and communities that value information. I read on the train, at lunchtime, and always at bedtime, often falling asleep with the book in my hands.
I once calculated just how many books I can read a year and in my lifetime, with possible eye problems later in life as a probability. When I saw how small the number was in relation to how vast the information is, I got serious about what I was taking in. Time is so limited in this precious life, so it is of utmost importance that you read to gain new experience knowledge, and to search for that in whatever form or genre that inspires you and helps others most. For me, that is reading about Dharma.
I am deeply faithful to reading the dharma and having the bones and marrow of our ancestors seep into my being through the pages. Perhaps my favorite Zen Master above all is Eihei Dogen-ji and you will find many of my favorite books revolve around him. I later realized that my first initiation into Zen was through venerable Thich Nhat Hanh, as he so simply put all the scriptures, and yes even Dogen into simple accessible language.
See the Timeline of Information Storage for a full explanation of how we have used different mediums to save and share information and stories. The first books ever created were to document and spread religion. The Diamond Sutra was the first printed book, made of woodblock printing. The first moveable type book was the Bible made on the Guttenberg press. Following religious books are cooking books or books full of recipes. Religion feeds the soul while cooking feeds the body.