Between Paths

Growing up in a family deeply rooted in Taiwanese folk religion while attending a Catholic high school placed me in a perpetual state of cultural and spiritual tension. My mother and I have long disagreed about faith—her devotion remains steadfast, while my stance is marked by inquiry and skepticism. Our differences have shaped a silent dialogue, one often felt rather than spoken.

I am agnostic, not out of rejection, but out of a desire for genuine discovery. The mala beads I wear—blessed on my behalf by my mother, though I decline traditional worship—embody this search. They are both a connection to family and an emblem of my evolving questions, testifying to a spiritual journey defined by seeking rather than certainty.

Guided by the Eightfold Path, this work meditates on the possibility of ethical living without inherited doctrine. The repetitive, mindful act of bead-counting becomes a metaphor for perpetual questioning: How can one live with integrity while still searching for truth? How do we honor tradition while forging our own spiritual identity?

This project becomes a bridge—a way to cross the distance between my mother’s world and mine. Though our beliefs diverge, I began to find common ground in our shared love of art: her fascination with the spiritual and my interest in its philosophical and sociological dimensions. Even as I resisted the rituals of temples or Buddhist classes, I asked her to bless my beads. I now carry them daily, not as a symbol of faith, but as a testament to our evolving connection.

“Between Paths” is a dialogue—both within myself and silently with my mother. It reflects my ongoing search for meaning and the willingness to dwell within uncertainty. This project is dedicated to those who, like me, wear sacred objects as reminders of the questions that shape us—and to all who seek reverence not in definitive answers, but in the ongoing act of searching.