Between Paths

Growing up in a family deeply rooted in Taiwanese folk religion while attending a Catholic high school placed me at the intersection of two spiritual worlds. This duality created a quiet tension—one that has shaped much of who I am. My mother’s unwavering devotion contrasts with my stance of inquiry and skepticism. We seldom speak about it directly, yet the difference in our beliefs has formed a kind of silent dialogue, one felt more than articulated.

I consider myself agnostic—not from rejection, but from a desire for honest discovery. The mala beads I wear, blessed on my behalf by my mother, are a symbol of this journey. Though I choose not to participate in traditional worship, I carry them daily as both a connection to her and an emblem of my own evolving questions. They speak to a spiritual path defined by seeking, not certainty.

This project takes inspiration from the Eightfold Path, using it as a framework to reflect on how we might live ethically without relying on inherited doctrines. The meditative, repetitive act of bead-counting becomes a metaphor: How can we live with integrity while still searching for our truth? How do we honor our traditions while forging a spiritual identity of our own?

Between Paths becomes a bridge between my mother’s world and mine. Though our perspectives differ, we share a reverence for art—hers rooted in spirituality, mine in philosophical and sociological inquiry. Despite resisting temple rituals or Buddhist classes, I still asked her to bless my beads. In doing so, I acknowledged the complexity of our bond: I may not believe in the same way she does, but I believe in us.

This project is a quiet dialogue—within myself, and with her. It is an offering to those who wear sacred objects not out of allegiance, but as reminders of the questions that shape us. For those who find reverence not in definitive answers, but in the courage to keep searching.