Reading Opens a Treasure House of Life

James Dinwiddie shares how he overcame intimidation about books to develop a passionate and sustained interest in reading.

When President Ikeda visited the United States in February 1990, he encouraged all the members of the SGI to broaden their intellects and develop a wealth of knowledge. His references to works of literature, science and other fields of human culture – before, during and after his visit – are awe-inspiring in their scope and depth of inquiry. I’m sure I’m not the only one left wondering, “How will I ever keep up?” when he refers to volume after volume, and author after author – always reminding us of his own mentor’s admonition, “What are you reading today?”

Fortunately, I had already developed a great appreciation for President Ikeda’s instruction in reading, and had many years before developed the determination and habit to read whatever I could of the books and authors he made reference to. This did not come automatically for me, but was the result of my own struggle and human revolution, and is a fundamental part of my determination to grow as a disciple.

However, I realise that many members may not share my determination, and that for one reason or another find it difficult or impossible to imagine themselves reading the books that President Ikeda makes reference to. So I decided to spare my experience in learning to read, and offer some pointers to those who may want to investigate these treasures President Ikeda refers to.

When I joined the SGI in 1969, I was a first-year college student who had failed nearly every course and was three weeks away from dropping out. The reasons for my failure were many and varied, but one which I came to appreciate later was that I was really intimidated by the reading requirements for my classes. It wasn’t that I couldn’t or didn’t read books, but the sheer volume and complexity of the reading I was assigned was something I could not imagine myself undertaking. And so, without the resources, encouragement, or determination to tackle this challenge, I simply gave up and stopped trying to read.

After I began my practice, I actually did drop out of school. But my life suddenly took on a whole new outlook as circumstances forced me to see how avoiding the challenges in front of me only made life more difficult and less desirable to live. When I met my first senior leader, the late Ted Osaki, he told me I would be returning to school soon with a new attitude and outlook. I told him he was crazy; but three months later I did, in fact, reenroll with a much more positive and challenging outlook.

Needless to say, my new attitude and determination made a big difference in school. But I was still not wholly confident about undertaking big reading assignments, and would often “skate” around difficult books and materials.

At the end of my undergraduate career, I began actively pursuing an interest in learning to read more effectively and efficiently. This interest was directly related to my desire to read more of the books President Ikeda was writing and quoting at the time. Toward this end, I became familiar with several rapid-reading techniques, and at one point became an instructor for a famous reading development enterprise, travelling throughout the country encouraging and instructing people in the joys of effective reading. This was quite a change in a few short years from the college dropout who was intimidated by reading.

My interest in reading soon became a passion as I achieved more and more of my reading goals. But I can remember a certain conversation I had with one of my SGI seniors which was really the starting point of my determination.

This friend reminded me that President Ikeda had recently been quoting a famous economist and that as sincere disciples we ought to be trying to follow his example and learn as much as possible about what he was trying to teach us. I made my determination at that point to try to follow President Ikeda’s example.

I vividly remember the first book I read under my new determination. It was Religion and the Rise of Capitalism by the economist Kenneth Boulding and it was a tome – a book big and boring enough to lie down and die in. I read the whole thing, and I don’t remember ever feeling such an exhilarating sense of accomplishment as I did at mastering its difficult and weighty subject. This was the beginning of my quest to absorb all of President Ikeda’s works and all of the works he cites as my own treasure house of knowledge.

Since that time the number of works I have read and absorbed is truly prodigious, and I’m not merely bragging about my accomplishment. The works President Ikeda has written and recommended to me have become the real jewels of my practice; something that no one can ever diminish or take away.

There is a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson that I am fond of:

When a thought of Plato becomes a thought to me – when a truth that fired the soul of Pindar fires mine, time is no more. When I feel that we two meet in a perception, that our two souls are tinged with the same hue, and do, as it were, run into one, why should I measure degrees of latitude, why should I count Egyptian years?

When I read a work President Ikeda has written, or one that he has drawn references from, I feel as if we both have shared the same thought, the same reality, the same deep feelings. When he said in one of his speeches in February 1990 that he felt that Walt Whitman, Victor Hugo and Thomas Jefferson were close friends, I knew exactly the sentiment to which he was referring.

But how does one undertake the challenge of reading all these books? What is the practical method by which such a thing can be accomplished in the midst of a hectic daily life and the realities of modern living?

For me there was no simple answer. But as with all great things, it started with a strong determination and a single step. Everyone will undoubtedly develop his or her own technique and methods for addressing this challenge. Here also are a few practical pointers, and citations from President Ikeda that helped me:

1) Overcome any intimidation about books and their size or subject matter. For example, the Modern Library edition of Les Misérables by Victor Hugo contains 1,222 pages and countless references to French names, histories, and places that are unrecognisable and incomprehensible to the average reader. However, by reading about twelve pages a day you can finish it in one hundred days, and by the end of that time you will not only have enjoyed one of the great treasures of world literature and one of the most compassionate works of art ever created, but you will have a much more thorough understanding of French history and culture.

This will make the further reading of Victor Hugo’s novels, like Ninety Three, much easier – not because they are lighter or cover the same ground, but because you will have gained confidence and a sphere of reference from which to approach them. Continuing to challenge my own self-imposed limitations in reading allowed me to confidently tackle any book, no matter what the size or subject.

2) President Ikeda writes in The Human Revolution (vol. 7):

Toda used to tell his disciples that they should first read the foreword or introduction to a book in order to acquaint themselves with the background and significance of the work...

I make it a rule to read the introduction and the postscript before reading the text of a book. This enables me to learn what the author wants to say. In other words, it helps me obtain a glimpse of the theme he intends to express. This attitude is essential if you truly wish to reach the heart of a book...

Toda wanted the youths first to learn the correct way to read....He made the best use of every minute. Even the reading of a novel served as a springboard to train the members and sharply accelerate their growth.

Learn to read efficiently. Reading is an active pastime. Learn to read with an active seeking mind, searching the pages for gems of information, beautiful passages, or profound meanings. The more you practise at it the more efficient you will become.

In addition to the above-mentioned technique of reading the introduction and postscript, I make a practice of studying the Table of Contents, and peruse the beginning and end of each chapter. Thus I can acquire a sort of “road map” of the book, and quickly get a feel for the author’s style and intent, and the general direction of the book.

3) Avoid being caught up in the trivialities of a book, or reading in a desultory manner, or rereading passages over and over to try and memorise the words. Instead learn to search for the overall meaning and poignant insights the author is conveying. As President Ikeda writes, quoting Mr. Toda:

Penetrate the thought that the author wants to convey and study the characters as though they were someone close to you. That is what I mean by careful reading. Also, don’t overlook the historical background. No one can escape the influence of the age in which he lives.... Thus you will be able to perceive directly the trend of the times, which in turn will enable you to learn easily how to lead the age. You already embrace the highest philosophy. It follows, therefore, that you are destined to play a leading role in this age.

4) It is not essential to read one book at a time, or even to read a book from front to back. It may even be useful or enjoyable to use a handbook reference or “crib” while reading a book, or study a biography of the author while reading his work. President Ikeda, in On the Japanese Classics, Conversations and Appreciations, states:

I myself have only read it (The Tales of Genji) all the way through in the modern Japanese language version.... I did, however, keep the original at my side and referred to it when I came to passages of particular interest. Sort of the opposite process from reading the original with a crib at hand.

Once I had the story as a whole in my head, I found that I could skip around here and there in the original and generally follow what I was reading. Parts that appealed to me, I went over very carefully. I admit it is a rather peculiar way of going about things – hardly what you would call the orthodox way of reading a classic of literature.

I usually keep a stack of about seven to ten volumes going at once. If I get tired of reading anyone I can go to another, and pick up where I left off later. Whenever I tackle a serious work I try to check out a companion volume, biography of the author, or critique that will shed light on and help me to understand the work. I also have no compunctions about reading ahead to the end, and sometimes read from the end to the beginning without considering it a violation of the story.

5) There are many other good hints and practices I have learned, but I think it is better for everyone to develop these ideas for themselves. One last thing I would like to encourage, though, is the keeping of a diary. President Ikeda’s diary keeps a record of the works he has read and his impressions at the time of reading them. Over time you will be able to accumulate a record of readings and impressions that will startle you with their volume and insight. President Ikeda writes in reference to Toda’s reading instruction:

If one faithfully follows this method of reading, he can obtain all kinds of experiences in his youth. Experience thus accumulated will amount to an ability to discern infallibly the true nature of the people he meets – the foremost prerequisite for a general of generals.

One cannot possibly accomplish his life’s greatest task unless he cultivates a correct insight into all aspects of human life. The experiences that a man tastes during his lifetime are extremely limited. Through reading, however, he can assimilate as his own the experiences of others. Only then can he open his mind’s eye to the depth of life and the width of the world.

Lastly, the question of what to read becomes the really important issue. In all my time of hearing and reading President Ikeda’s guidance I have never, not once, known him to say, “You should read such and such,” or even “This is a book everyone should read.” What we read, I interpret this to mean, is entirely up to us. Toda advised the youths, almost to the point of coercion, to read as many books as possible and contemplate them, because he had confidence in the effectiveness of his own way of reading.

However, I am earnestly trying to follow President Ikeda’s fantastic guidance. So I try to read as many of these works as are within my ability.

For those interested, I have compiled a short list of titles by author. You may want to investigate. Good luck and good reading!

James Dinwiddie is a SGI-USA member from Palo Alto, California

[Courtesy April 2008 Cosmic]