Philosophy from every tradition, and the books members write and love, of every kind. Each has its own page: what it is, why read it, where to start, and what members thought. Put books on your shelf, rate what you have read, and add the books you think everyone should know.
The Prince Niccolò Machiavelli
Niccolò Machiavelli · Written 1513; published 1532
★★★★★ ★★★★★ No reviews yet
Beginner Modern European
Treatise on Establishing the Right Teaching for the Peace of the Land (Risshō ankoku ron) Nichiren
Nichiren · 1260
★★★★★ ★★★★★ No reviews yet
Intermediate Buddhist
The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching Thich Nhat Hanh
Thich Nhat Hanh · 1998
★★★★★ ★★★★★ No reviews yet
Beginner Buddhist
Ethics for the New Millennium The 14th Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso)
The 14th Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso) · 1999
★★★★★ ★★★★★ No reviews yet
Beginner Buddhist
The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (Lamrim Chenmo) Tsongkhapa
Tsongkhapa · 1402
★★★★★ ★★★★★ No reviews yet
Advanced Buddhist
Teachings on Style and the Flower (Fūshikaden) Zeami Motokiyo
Zeami Motokiyo · c. 1400–1418
★★★★★ ★★★★★ No reviews yet
Intermediate Japanese & Korean
Teaching, Practice, Faith and Realisation (Kyōgyōshinshō) Shinran
Shinran · begun c. 1224; revised over the following decades
★★★★★ ★★★★★ No reviews yet
Advanced Buddhist
Wild Ivy Hakuin Ekaku
Hakuin Ekaku · 1766
★★★★★ ★★★★★ No reviews yet
Memoir & biography Intermediate Buddhist
Admonitions on Governing the People (Mongmin simseo) Jeong Yak-yong (Dasan)
Jeong Yak-yong (Dasan) · 1818
★★★★★ ★★★★★ No reviews yet
Intermediate Japanese & Korean
The Essentials of the Learning of the Sages (Seonghak jibyo) Yi I (Yulgok)
Yi I (Yulgok) · 1575
★★★★★ ★★★★★ No reviews yet
Advanced Japanese & Korean
Secrets on Cultivating the Mind Jinul
Jinul · c. 1203–1205
★★★★★ ★★★★★ No reviews yet
Intermediate Buddhist
Commentary on the Awakening of Faith Wonhyo
Wonhyo · 7th century
★★★★★ ★★★★★ No reviews yet
Advanced Buddhist
An Account of My Hut (Hōjōki) Kamo no Chōmei
Kamo no Chōmei · 1212
★★★★★ ★★★★★ No reviews yet
Essays Beginner Japanese & Korean
Essays in Idleness (Tsurezuregusa) Yoshida Kenkō
Yoshida Kenkō · c. 1330–1332
★★★★★ ★★★★★ No reviews yet
Essays Beginner Japanese & Korean
Bushido: The Soul of Japan Nitobe Inazō
Nitobe Inazō · 1899
★★★★★ ★★★★★ No reviews yet
History Beginner Japanese & Korean
The Book of Tea Okakura Kakuzō
Okakura Kakuzō · 1906
★★★★★ ★★★★★ No reviews yet
Essays Beginner Japanese & Korean
An Introduction to Zen Buddhism D. T. Suzuki
D. T. Suzuki · 1934
★★★★★ ★★★★★ No reviews yet
Beginner Buddhist
Philosophy as Metanoetics Tanabe Hajime
Tanabe Hajime · 1946 (from lectures given in 1944)
★★★★★ ★★★★★ No reviews yet
Advanced Japanese & Korean
Religion and Nothingness Nishitani Keiji
Nishitani Keiji · 1961
★★★★★ ★★★★★ No reviews yet
Advanced Japanese & Korean
The Meaning of Terms in the Analects and Mencius (Gomō jigi) Itō Jinsai
Itō Jinsai · c. 1683; published 1705
★★★★★ ★★★★★ No reviews yet
Advanced Japanese & Korean
Distinguishing the Way (Bendō) Ogyū Sorai
Ogyū Sorai · 1717
★★★★★ ★★★★★ No reviews yet
Advanced Japanese & Korean
Attaining Enlightenment in This Very Body (Sokushin jōbutsu gi) Kūkai
Kūkai · early 9th century (exact date unknown, c. 817–833)
★★★★★ ★★★★★ No reviews yet
Advanced Buddhist
The Vimalakīrti Sutra Anonymous Mahāyāna sutra
Anonymous Mahāyāna sutra · c. 1st–2nd century CE (dates debated)
★★★★★ ★★★★★ No reviews yet
Intermediate Buddhist
The Lotus Sutra Anonymous Mahāyāna sutra
Anonymous Mahāyāna sutra · c. 1st century BCE – 2nd century CE (composed in stages)
★★★★★ ★★★★★ No reviews yet
Intermediate Buddhist