Live Life as a Gift
During our last exhibition, a guest asked how I choose the books for "a reader". The honest answer is this: they all come from personal experience and taste. There's no algorithm, no bestseller list, no market research. Just subjectivity — and for that, I can take full responsibility. I can tell you exactly why each book was chosen and how it opened new perspectives in my life.
Spiritual books have long held a strong presence in Taiwan’s book market. But in my experience, people read them for wildly different reasons. I’ve noticed two major types: those seeking warmth and comfort, and those searching for deeper truths. The former leans into emotion, while the latter demands logic. I personally gravitate toward the second — only authors with clear reasoning and persuasive logic make it to my shelf. This bookstore, then, carries that bias. And I want to offer that upfront. The spiritual books I cherish all share a theme: your destiny is yours to shape; your life is yours to own. That’s where true strength comes from. To me, a good book is one that empowers.
In this bookstore, words like “responsibility” and “karma” aren’t heavy — they’re liberating. Responsibility is the ability to respond. Karma is simply the natural outcome of your own actions. Your karma is your making.
"Let’s consider a simple example. Your pen falls off the table. If you accept responsibility, you now have options: pick it up, ask someone for help, or leave it for later. You can choose. But if you deny responsibility, what can you do? Nothing. So, which is true freedom — having choices, or having none? Responsibility isn’t impulsive. It’s what gives you the power to act."
"Nothing in life is truly predetermined. The things that feel ‘fated’ are often just decisions made unconsciously. You wrote the code. That code shapes how you think, feel, act — and whom or what you draw into your life. What you radiate is what you attract. Your life unfolds not by right or wrong, but by your tendencies. Karma isn’t reward or punishment. It’s life trying to complete itself." These ideas come from Sadhguru. Many other books in this bookstore have deeply supported me. None of them tell you what to believe. Instead, they offer a framework — and invite you to choose whether to face it, continue as you are, or begin anew. We can look for our own answers. And that, I believe, is the most beautiful thing.
Let’s try — for ourselves and for each other — to live this short life as a gift. :)
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— Hui-Chen Li, Curator of a reader
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Time: "a reader Spiritual Bookstore": Jan 1 - end of Feb, 2024
Address: No. 2, Lane 16, Section 1, Wuchang Street, Taipei (Aplace WCH)
Social: follow us on Instagram: @areader_
