Books

[shunyadragon]

What books do you recommend for the study of philosphy and the Arts of the Way (Martial Arts).

A question for all:

What is the first book in History. Not the bound book with pages, but a long novel like story or history with characters, plot and a known author.

Hints: It is older than any biblical record. We have most of the original text.

[nzric]

Well, according to the internet (which is never wrong), the oldest book in the world is:

The bible
Plato's republic
I Ching
The Teachings of Ptahhotep
Papyrus Prisse
The Hindu Rig Veda
A golden book written in Etruscan
Uluburun diptych (oldest book, but it's so old that the writing is gone (is it still a book?)!)
The Wang Chieh book
The Epic Of Gilgamesh (according to the BBC - wooo)

I'm have to stop Googling - I'm getting dizzy

[totality]

sigh...gilgamesh, what a read...SOOOO boring, but not too bad the 2nd or 3rd time through. :D

[shunyadragon]

Gilgamesh is the oldest book and a very important book in history. The first reference to the world flood is in Gilgamesh. The translation used may effect how good a read it is.

It is a classic describing the conflict between civilized humans and primal human nature. This conflict has been an underlying theme of our relationship with our fellow humans and the environment since day one.

It also contains important lessons for those who study the Arts of the Way. The classic struggle between Gilgamesh and his alter ego Ekido where no one wins is the classic struggle all of us face with our primal self.

[shunyadragon]

A book recommended to all who study the Arts of the Way

Bodhisattva Warriors by Teence Dukes (Agaboshi Tomio)

A fairly acurate history of the Arts of the Way with some interestin insight and background as to where forms and techniques originated.

What books do you recommend?