Classic Asian Philosophy: A Guide to the Essential Texts

by Joel J. Kupperman

This is a second, revised edition of Kupperman's introduction to Asian philosophy via its canonical texts. Kupperman ranges from the Upanishads to the Bhagavad Gita through Confucius to Zen Buddhism, walking students through the texts, conveying the vitality and appeal of the works, and explaining their philosophical roots. Kupperman has made revisions throughout the text, clarifying where necessary, and added a new chapter on al-Arabi's The Bezels of Wisdom, a classic of Islamic Sufism.

Genres: Philosophy, China, Nonfiction, Eastern Philosophy, Hinduism, Buddhism, Research

189 pages, Paperback

First published January 11, 2000

Reviews

[Sierra The Book Addict]

This of course breaks down significant Asian Philosophy texts, and gives structure and possible meaning to them, it is a very fascinating book and gives a lot to think about and process.
I highly recommend if this topic interests you at all.

[Kade Regan]

Kupperman, I dedicate my grade in philosophy of eastern religion to you.

[Jason Catalano]

Joel J. Kupperman provides a standard introduction to Chinese philosophy.

This book is very good for beginners who want to gather a general understanding of foundational Asian texts. However, a more advanced reader may find the descriptions too limited. The book would've benefited from more direct quotes from the actual books Kupperman is referencing. Since these are lacking, readers may become confused.

[Kiera Boudibiua]

A fantastic introduction to the classic Asian philosophy text.

[Sam Seshadri]

Approachable:
1. Upanishads: atman is Brahman ie. The universal self.
2. Confucius is all about content and following the way.
3. Mencius... we are innately benevolent.

[Sydney]

I had to read this for school, and I was confused for 94% of it but thats fine

[Angie]

Like most philosophy books it was profound. Kupperman tried to be subtle on his views (which is much appreciated to some as a philosopher) but when he spoke on Daoism, it felt as though he didn't appreciate the conscious mind and the visionary sense of meditation. I did enjoy his reflection on the Dhammapada-the metaphysics. He explained quite thoroughly between the similarities and differences between the Upanishads (Hinduism) to Buddhism (atman is Brahman-to there is no atman), but his structure in the writing was all wrong. He jumped around too much and it made the reader (me) a bit confused and I had to read some passages over. It seemed to me, he was a bit scatterbrained on the subjects - but I love philosophy and I enjoyed the book as a whole.

[Error Theorist]

A good introduction to some aspects of Asian philosophy. Kupperman does a good job of breaking down complex metaphysical systems - such as the one found in Taoism - and explaining them in ordinary language. There isn't very much jargon, since the book is meant as an introduction for undergraduates. It's a great read if you want to introduce yourself to Asian philosophy.

[P]

Good bridge from West to East with appeal to Western ideas as a way to introduce more foreign concepts in Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, etc. No actual primary texts, just analysis--though all these primary texts are available for free online.

[matthew]

it's great so far! the most lucid explication of even abstruse points i've yet read.