Dharma & Dao
A curated reading library of Indian and Chinese classics, in the best public-domain English translations. Hand-typeset for the screen. Free to read, free to download, free to redistribute.
Never read any of these? Start here — where to begin, or jump straight into the Dhammapada (about 90 minutes).
Indian classics
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Bhagavad Gita
A 700-verse dialogue between the warrior Arjuna and the god Krishna on the eve of battle. Sir Edwin Arnold's blank-verse rendering — "The Song Celestial" — is the most beautiful Victorian English translation, the version that introduced the Gita to the West.
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Dhammapada
A 423-verse anthology of the Buddha's teaching, traditionally regarded as a distillation of the entire Pāli canon. Max Müller's 1881 translation in the Sacred Books of the East series remains the standard public-domain English version.
Chinese classics
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Tao Te Ching
The foundational text of Daoism, attributed to Laozi. Eighty-one short chapters on the Way (Tao) and its power (Te). Legge's 1891 translation is scholarly and faithful; it remains the standard public-domain English version.
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Analects of Confucius
The collected sayings and short dialogues of Confucius and his disciples, compiled by his students after his death. James Legge's 1893 translation is the foundational English version — scholarly, literal, and still the standard.
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The Art of War
Sūnzǐ's 5th-century BCE treatise on strategy, command, and the conduct of war — the most widely read military classic ever written. Lionel Giles's 1910 translation remains the standard English version.
Reading guides
Which translation to choose, where to start, how to read each text.
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Where to Start with the Eastern Classics
A beginner's reading order for the five great Indian and Chinese classics — which to read first, how long each takes, and which translation to use. All five are free to read in full here.
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Which Bhagavad Gita translation should you read?
A guide to the major English translations of the Gita — public-domain and modern — with a recommendation for where to start.
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What the Bhagavad Gita is about — a beginner's guide
A plain-English explainer of the Bhagavad Gita — the story, the central dilemma, and the key ideas (dharma, the three paths of yoga, and acting without attachment to results).
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Where to start with the Dhammapada
A short guide to reading the Buddha's most-loved book — which translation to use, what to read first, and how to read it.
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The key teachings of the Dhammapada
A plain-English explainer of the Dhammapada — the Buddha's best-loved book of verses, and what it actually teaches about the mind, craving, impermanence, and the path.
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The Tao Te Ching in English — a guide to the translations
The Tao Te Ching has been translated into English more often than any other book except the Bible. A short guide to the major versions and how to choose.
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What the Tao Te Ching is about — key ideas and themes
A plain-English explainer of the Tao Te Ching — what the Tao is, the meaning of wu wei (effortless action), and the core themes of Laozi's classic of Daoist wisdom.
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How to read the Analects of Confucius
A practical guide to the most influential book in Chinese history — which translation to read, in what order, and how to handle its strangeness.
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The key ideas of Confucius — a guide to the Analects
A plain-English explainer of the central ideas in the Analects of Confucius — ren (humaneness), li (ritual propriety), the junzi (the exemplary person), filial piety, and the Confucian Golden Rule.
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Sūnzǐ's Art of War — which translation is the right one?
The Art of War has been translated into English more than fifty times. A short guide to the versions that matter and how to choose.
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The Art of War — a summary of its key lessons
A plain-English summary of Sun Tzu's Art of War — the thirteen chapters, the five fundamental factors, and the core principles (know your enemy, win without fighting, all warfare is deception).
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How to introduce Hindu mythology to your kids
A parent's guide to introducing children to Hindu mythology — which stories to start with, the right book for each age, and how to handle the gods, the epics, and the harder parts honestly.
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Where to start with Buddhist books for children, by age
A parent's guide to introducing children to Buddhism through books — the right title for each age from 3 to 12, covering mindfulness, the life of the Buddha, the Jataka tales, and the quiet Zen picture books.
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How to teach kids compassion with stories
Why story works better than instruction for teaching children kindness and compassion — and the Buddhist Jataka tales and Zen parables that show compassion in action rather than preaching it.
For children
A curated collection of picture books and middle-grade titles on Hindu, Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian themes — each read and reviewed with honest age guidance and content notes. Browse by theme, holiday, or age below, or open the full children's library.
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The Best Hindu Picture Books for Kids
A hand-curated, honest list of seven picture books and middle-grade titles introducing Hindu mythology, the major deities, and the two great epics to children — with age guidance, content notes, and editor's reviews.
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The Best Buddhist Books for Kids
A hand-curated, honest list of eight children's books on Buddhism — from breathing-practice books for ages 3 to a Newbery-medal chapter book for 12. Includes the genre-defining children's mindfulness book.
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The Best Kindness & Compassion Books for Kids
A hand-curated, honest list of five children's books about kindness and compassion drawn from the Buddhist tradition — Jataka tales and Zen parables that show compassion in action rather than preaching it. With age guidance, content notes, and editor's reviews.
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The Best Chinese Folktales and Picture Books for Kids
Seven hand-picked children's books drawn from Chinese folklore, Daoist sensibility, and contemporary Chinese-American family life — from board-book-age to a Newbery-honor middle-grade novel.
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The Best Mindfulness Books for Kids
A hand-curated, honest list of four children's mindfulness books — from a first book about breathing for a three-year-old to the genre-defining practice book parents actually use. With age guidance, content notes, and editor's reviews.
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Diwali Books for Kids: The Definitive List
A short, curated list of children's books worth reading at Diwali — the Ramayana for the story behind the festival, plus a Ganesha picture book and a graphic-novel retelling for older children.
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The Best Books to Introduce Kids to Eastern Religions
A hand-curated, honest list of six children's books that introduce the Eastern religious traditions — Hindu, Buddhist, Confucian, and Daoist — to children, with age guidance, content notes, and editor's reviews. Built for the homeschool world-religions shelf.
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Eastern Wisdom Books for Kids: A Reading List by Age
An age-organized reading path through Hindu, Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian children's books — from ages 3 to 12. The shelf to build out over a childhood.
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Chinese New Year Picture Books Worth Buying
Six children's books that fit the Chinese New Year season — the zodiac origin, the contemporary family celebration, the spring-festival folktales, the Daoist parables. Picture books and one middle-grade novel.
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The Best Buddhist Books for Bedtime
Six quiet, restorative children's books drawing on Buddhist sources — explicitly chosen for the read-aloud-just-before-sleep moment. Ages 3 to 12.