As I was strolling through the various shops at the train station while waiting for my train. A bookshop’s got to be the most interesting stop. Flipping through the laid books this titled captivated my attention. Following the previous post about perfectionism, it is only right that I share a review about Love for Imperfect Things by Haemin Sunim. Like his other book The Things you can see only when you slow down (Book review here), this one is also an easy read. Full of quotes after each chapter on topics about life.
About the Author
“It’s okay for us to disagree. But if we do, you should say that my opinion is different from yours, not wrong. There is a huge difference. Try puttin yourself in my shoes. How would you feel if you were told you were wrong just for being different?”
_ – Haemin Sunim, Love for imperfect things.
Haemin Sunim is a South Korean teacher and a Seon Buddhist teacher. He’s educated at Berkley, Harvard and Princeton University. He completed his formal monastic training from Haein Monastery in South Korea. He’s also the founder of the School of Broken Hearts. He currently resides in Seoul and has announced that he’s quitting his public activities and returning to Zen Buddhism education institution.
Star rating
5 stars
Summary
Haemin Sunim mentions the objective of the book in the title itself i.e. How to accept yourself in a world striving for perfection. In each chapter he captures the essence of life and struggles we through in our lives and in our heads. He has carefully divided the book in 8 chapters: Self care, Family, Empathy, Relationships, Courage, Healing, Enlightenment and Acceptance. All important lessons for us to learn in life.
What I liked about the book
“We can love completely,” he says, “even without complete understanding.”
– Haemin Sunim, Love for imperfect things.
1. A good blend of Self, family, relationships and other key topics of life
“Even if you don’t achieve the perfection the world demands, your existence already has value and is worthy of love.”
– Haemin Sunim, Love for imperfect things.
The journey of life begins with self. I loved that he started the book with first chapter on self-care. Wear your mask first before helping the others, taking care of yourself is of utmost importance. In this chapter Haenim talks about not being too good which can be seen as controversial. However, rather than being bad he talks about not speaking up for yourself. Sacrificing too much of self for others and falling into the trap of people pleasing.
While talking about family he has shared brilliant examples of how we are tied into these relations and how these can be our strength or a source of hurt or pain. How what people go through in life, how they are raised and how that makes them in a certain type of parent. The importance of empathy in all of this and how to develop it. Lastly delving into spirituality, enlightenment and how Acceptance is what will finally release you.
2. The beautiful quotes and artwork
I love the way Haemin is made this book an easy read by sprinkling it with quotes. You can read is in one go and appreciate it as a book or you can just keep it by your side anytime you want to surf through some meaningful quotes. Like his other book this one is also covered with beautiful artwork by Lisk Feng. Even if you aren’t in the mood for heavy reading just looking as these beautiful images can put your mind to rest.
Final thoughts
If you are looking for an easy read and yet full of thought provoking insights from a monk. Then, this book is for you. I recommend giving it a thorough read at least once. After that you can just keep it nearby to look at if you looking for some wisdom or appreciate some lovely imagery.
Until next week. Ciao!
