(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best asian literary history & criticism books

>I used those as examples because, as far as I can see any relationship between your philosophy/rhetoric and Buddhism, they would appear to be in contradiction of each other. But that doesn't mean I'm interested in debating the merits of the n-word or its implications for Buddhism.

If you're not interested in debating whether using rhetoric such as the n-word is in contradiction to Buddhism or not then this shouldn't be introduced into a discussion.

>All I want to know is what your beliefs are, and how they relate to Buddhism. For example: Do you accept the Four Noble Truths? Do you practise the Noble Eightfold Path?

I think you are asking this genuinely. And in order to respond genuinely requires a very long answer. I'm working on some posts as a general catch-all to these types of questions but they aren't done.

My short answer is that I come to religion or philosophies like religion through inductive reasoning, not faith. This means I support primary sources so long as they demonstrate efficacy in the real world and preferably over a long historical period. I have little respect for a pure authoritarian faith driven approaches like Abrahamic religions.

I think the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path demonstrate efficacy as memes. However I think the western interpretation and application of these memes is in some cases intentionally perverted and in other cases just unsustainable. The foreign application of these memes are closer to the original spirit (if there is verifiably such a thing) but not necessarily developed enough to be dynamically applied in different areas or times to reflect a more principled rather than literal approach.

Since there is also no single school of Buddhism or canon the question is a bit broad. Since I'm driven by pragmatism over faith, I am studying sources from both the Pali canon and Mahayana canons. This means that my ultimate views will necessarily be eclectic rather than based on one school. So I will always be in violation of some school, which is fine with me. As an example I'm currently reading Ārya-Satyakaparivarta sutra, which endorses defensive warfare. But this so far seems like a conflict in Theravada Buddhism.

Have you read the Indian epics? I would highly suggest both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The linked "retellings" are probably the best ones out there and the best told.

Another possible recommendation would be simply Goethe's bildungsromans, as he was a great influence on Hesse and is a wonderful read. Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship is possibly the classic and perhaps first bildungsroman.

Not like this, no. Still, you can put in the work, build your own, and share it with others if you're feeling generous.

The closest example would be to get some of the Japanese readers out there like "Read Real Japanese", "Breaking Into Japanese Literature", and "Exploring Japanese Literature". These are aimed at people still learning so they're chosen to be notable, but still easy to read. More relevantly they typically have vocabulary at the bottom of each page to help you. Admittedly, there are other features present (full parallel text in English, Japanese audio for each, etc.), but that's why they're specifically sold as teaching tools.

Jun'ichiro Tanizaki is one of my favorite authors. Start with Seven Japanese Tales, then try out his novels, like Quicksand and The Key.

I've read several Japanese short story collections, and they are a lovely way to get introduced to Japanese lit. I don't remember the names of the collections I've read. I think I read The Showa Anthology and Modern Japanese Literature, and you could try this one, this one, or this one.

I enjoyed this Burton Watson translation, although it's not the complete collection, it includes the most important parts. https://www.amazon.com/Zhuangzi-Basic-Writings/dp/0231129599

I'm curious what others think of Watson's translation?

If you're especially interested in Tamil, David Shulman's "biography" of the language is exceptionally interesting, though dense with detail: https://www.amazon.com/Tamil-Biography-David-Shulman/dp/0674059921

Get　some　Genkoyoushi　graph　paper,　and　invest　in　the　brush　pens　(easily　obtained　for　quite　inexpensive from amazon) and start practicing. There numerous sheets online that you can print off and put under your graph paper that will show you proper strokes.

http://japanese-lesson.com/resources/pdf/characters/hiragana_writing_practice_sheets.pdf

This site has some great practice sheets: http://www.guidetojapanese.org/learn/

https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Writing-Practice-Book-Genkouyoushi/dp/1521363579/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1549132597&sr=8-1&keywords=genkouyoushi

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For the record, Meme Theory has lost traction as a science. [Example] (http://cfpm.org/jom-emit/2005/vol9/edmonds_b.html).

There are also a lot of issues in which "Memes" only work as metaphors for "ideas" and "signs" in a semiotic sense. In that way, it should only work within theories of literature. But it doesn't because the Humanities are kind of closed off from scientific communities and vice versa. (This is a different case for Japan. See this book for example. Another academic decided to concentrate on the relationship between literature and science with the novelist Kobo Abe. Kojima has repeatedly cited Abe as an influence on the Metal Gear Solid series).

On the other hand, Meme Theory evolved--so to say--into other areas like "Network Theory" and the digital humanities. Franco Moretti concentrates on a theory of literature that approaches it from a Darwinist and Evolutionary perspective. In all seriousness, narratives and "literature" are what MGS2 are about.

There's a great collection of poetry from buddhist nuns of this time period and beyond, Daughters of Emptiness

Haha, even if it would be lying to say that there's an endless supply of material, there should still be plenty to read even without the government stuff. Here are a few titles that are easily available.

^(And you got me curious there, what is this 100-200 speakers language? :-))

Diaries

• Di Cosmo, Diary of a Manchu Soldier
  
• 闲窗录梦, diary of a Manchu bannerman in Beijing during the first half of the 19th c., very everyday life (walks, visits to friends and temples, shopping, meals, events in the neighborhood, etc)
  
  Supernatural
  
• Liyoo jai j'i i, a 1848 translation of 128 stories from Pu Songling's Strange Tales
  
• Donjina, more "strange tales". You can read The Righteous Elephants and The Injustice of the Silk Thread in transliteration and translation on the MSG website
  
• Nišan saman, facsimile and transliteration of one version of the tale here
  
• Sidi Kur
  
  Science
  
• an anatomical treaty in Manchu (with illustrations), based on a European work, translated in Manchu by a Jesuit missionary; a more complete copy can be found here (click on "Voir le document") but it is not downloadable
  
• a forensic science treaty
  
• two medical works at the BNF
  
• maths in Manchu
  
  Children books
  Check this page for the 1992 and 2006 editions of 锡伯文小学语文, these are the language textbooks used in Sibe primary schools. They start with the alphabet and then move on to short texts.
  

I found I found Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu): Basic Writings, translated by Burton Watson helpful. It's very coherent as Watson has gone through the work of Zhuangzi and presented us with much core, essential material.

If you have time to get it and read it before the lesson, try Ezra Pound's The Chinese Written Character as a Medium for Poetry. He basically uses Chinese writing as a basis for Imagism, which was a crucial form for many Modernists, including himself, William Carlos Williams, Amy Lowell, etc.

In the 1920s & '30s, Imagism via Chinese writing was a hip way of writing. I imagine it would be interesting to the students that their language was tapped by American poets.

I've read parts of it in the past and am actually reading it right now in it's entirety for a class. This is the version I have. It's fairly easy to read - the thing to bear in mind is that this translation and the one you posted are in prose where obviously the original is in verse. The story itself is wonderful. When you start reading in the beginning take it slowly and try to get a handle on the genealogies. It'll make it easier down the road as there are so many characters and they all have unusual names. Think about the force of Dharma (Duty) as you read because this is a central concept. When a person acts against his Dharma it leads to chaos, death, and conflict. The Kurus are the antagonists because this is exactly what they do. Have fun!

Buddhism: Beginner's Guide... by Michael Williams will give you a nice overview.

Buddhism: Beginner's Guide to Understanding & Practicing Buddhism to Become Stress and Anxiety Free (Buddhism, Mindfulness, Meditation, Buddhism For Beginners) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1537410008/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_U-HODbJHF38YG

While I personally do not know any, as I am a beginner (for like, 4 or six years due to my lack of studying :D )
u/overactive-bladder had shown me some.

• short stories in japanese: https://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/0143118331/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
  
• read real japanese: https://www.amazon.fr/Read-Real-Japanese-Fiction-Contemporary/dp/1568365292/ref=pd_rhf_ee_s_qp_0_2/259-4279497-3692713?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1568365292&pd_rd_r=8c5f99d9-2bc8-4db6-bfd2-bdddd29633d3&pd_rd_w=jWAij&pd_rd_wg=hH6jb&psc=1&refRID=5E58M7B8QYFHW89NYBEN
  
  https://www.amazon.fr/Read-Real-Japanese-Essays-Contemporary/dp/1568364148/ref=pd_sim_14_1/259-4279497-3692713?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1568364148&pd_rd_r=d172be83-a0ea-11e9-a0e7-ff5133ca3569&pd_rd_w=0Ju56&pd_rd_wg=onHm2&pf_rd_p=7e133c34-2a2a-4f4f-8372-6a26c70ca073&pf_rd_r=47RS5KNR1PN2A3V66MX8&psc=1&refRID=47RS5KNR1PN2A3V66MX8
  
  
• breaking into japanese literature: https://www.amazon.fr/Breaking-into-Japanese-Literature-Classics/dp/1568365896/ref=pd_sim_14_3/259-4279497-3692713?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1568365896&pd_rd_r=d172be83-a0ea-11e9-a0e7-ff5133ca3569&pd_rd_w=0Ju56&pd_rd_wg=onHm2&pf_rd_p=7e133c34-2a2a-4f4f-8372-6a26c70ca073&pf_rd_r=47RS5KNR1PN2A3V66MX8&psc=1&refRID=47RS5KNR1PN2A3V66MX8
  
  exploring japanese literature: https://www.amazon.fr/Exploring-Japanese-Literature-Tanizaki-Kawabata/dp/1568365411/ref=pd_sim_14_5/259-4279497-3692713?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1568365411&pd_rd_r=d172be83-a0ea-11e9-a0e7-ff5133ca3569&pd_rd_w=0Ju56&pd_rd_wg=onHm2&pf_rd_p=7e133c34-2a2a-4f4f-8372-6a26c70ca073&pf_rd_r=47RS5KNR1PN2A3V66MX8&psc=1&refRID=47RS5KNR1PN2A3V66MX8

I can't say I've read any of the academic texts on the film, but amazon has quite a few of them, which should also be available through your school's library or inter-loan system:

https://www.amazon.com/Retrofitting-Blade-Runner-Androids-Electric/dp/0879725109

https://www.amazon.com/Philosophy-Blade-Runner-T-Shanahan-ebook/dp/B00LAZPHQ6

https://www.amazon.com/Blade-Runner-Philosophy-Popular-Culture-ebook/dp/B07GBXQCFZ

https://www.amazon.com/Blade-Runner-Constellations-Sean-Redmond-ebook/dp/B01G12GNS8

https://www.amazon.com/Postmodern-Theory-Blade-Runner-Practice/dp/1501311794

https://www.amazon.com/Postmodern-Metanarratives-Blade-Runner-Literature/dp/1137439726

https://www.amazon.com/Blade-Runner-Experience-Science-Fiction-ebook/dp/B00BAHAS0E

https://www.amazon.com/Blade-Runner-Four-Essays-ebook/dp/B00E8M1GW2

https://www.amazon.com/Studying-Blade-Runner-Instructors-Films/dp/1903663792

> Since you are learning you may also want to check out Read Real Japanese

Also Exploring Japanese Literature and Breaking Into Japanese Literature

This guy didn't even bother to acknowledge the book where he took his stuff from. He even copied the title.

https://www.amazon.com/When-God-Customer-Courtesan-Ksetrayya/dp/0520080696?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0

https://www.amazon.in/Natural-Enmity-Reflections-Niti-Pancatantra-ebook/dp/B01LY7EBDS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1540730857&sr=8-1&keywords=ashay+naik

This one?

https://www.amazon.com/Three-Kingdoms-Historical-Guanzhong-Luo/dp/0520282167

Yampolsky

我以前用那本书学文言文
https://www.amazon.com/Du-Handbook-Classical-Chinese-Grammar/dp/1904623743

Learn to Read in Japanese (Roger Lake / Noriko Ura)

Vol. 1 (beginner to intermediate)

Vol. 2 (building on Vol. 1, intermediate to advanced)

And of course:

Breaking into Japanese Literature

Exploring Japanese Literature

Gitanjali by Rabindranath Tagore

http://www.amazon.com/Gitanjali-Collection-Indian-Poems-Laureate/dp/0684839342

there are many graded readers out there with exactly what you're describing though.

• short stories in japanese: https://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/0143118331/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
  
• read real japanese: https://www.amazon.fr/Read-Real-Japanese-Fiction-Contemporary/dp/1568365292/ref=pd_rhf_ee_s_qp_0_2/259-4279497-3692713?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1568365292&pd_rd_r=8c5f99d9-2bc8-4db6-bfd2-bdddd29633d3&pd_rd_w=jWAij&pd_rd_wg=hH6jb&psc=1&refRID=5E58M7B8QYFHW89NYBEN
  
  https://www.amazon.fr/Read-Real-Japanese-Essays-Contemporary/dp/1568364148/ref=pd_sim_14_1/259-4279497-3692713?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1568364148&pd_rd_r=d172be83-a0ea-11e9-a0e7-ff5133ca3569&pd_rd_w=0Ju56&pd_rd_wg=onHm2&pf_rd_p=7e133c34-2a2a-4f4f-8372-6a26c70ca073&pf_rd_r=47RS5KNR1PN2A3V66MX8&psc=1&refRID=47RS5KNR1PN2A3V66MX8
  
  
• breaking into japanese literature: https://www.amazon.fr/Breaking-into-Japanese-Literature-Classics/dp/1568365896/ref=pd_sim_14_3/259-4279497-3692713?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1568365896&pd_rd_r=d172be83-a0ea-11e9-a0e7-ff5133ca3569&pd_rd_w=0Ju56&pd_rd_wg=onHm2&pf_rd_p=7e133c34-2a2a-4f4f-8372-6a26c70ca073&pf_rd_r=47RS5KNR1PN2A3V66MX8&psc=1&refRID=47RS5KNR1PN2A3V66MX8
  
  exploring japanese literature: https://www.amazon.fr/Exploring-Japanese-Literature-Tanizaki-Kawabata/dp/1568365411/ref=pd_sim_14_5/259-4279497-3692713?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1568365411&pd_rd_r=d172be83-a0ea-11e9-a0e7-ff5133ca3569&pd_rd_w=0Ju56&pd_rd_wg=onHm2&pf_rd_p=7e133c34-2a2a-4f4f-8372-6a26c70ca073&pf_rd_r=47RS5KNR1PN2A3V66MX8&psc=1&refRID=47RS5KNR1PN2A3V66MX8
  
  also, i am a native middle eastern and i studied arabic there. now that i moved away (thank god) i am anxious of losing my dialect and the written language. i have been looking into getting back into kawa3ed for the harakat part. even natives mess up a LOT. i still remember my arabic teacher saying "i always cringe when i hear a news reporter screw up the kawa3ed lmfao.