Tsai Chih Chung

One strand of Chinese philosophy which is less talked about is the Legalist school, championed by Han Feizi. As detailed in the book, Han Feizi was a stuttering Prince of Han in the time of the warring states. He developed a pragmatic philosophy of statecraft which Europeans would call Machiavellian. It eschewed 'virtue' and respect for ancient traditions in favour of strict rewards and penalties, tight control of people and ministers, with power as the highest goal. You don't feel virtuous show more reading this stuff as you do with The Analects or the Tao Teh Ching for example. This is the realpolitik world, it takes no prisoners, views mercy as weakness. Han Feizi died in a Qin prison. However the Qin emperor liked his philosophy and may have taken it to heart; he unified China and established a (relatively short) dynasty. show less

Like others in this series, a good introduction to ancient Asian philosophy, in this case Buddhism. The illustrations are gentle. For a comic it is text-heavy, but the essentials of the philosophy are there, in an accessible format. I've studied Buddhism before, but I noticed how refreshing it was to hear the words of the original Buddha (or close to) rather than the myriad schools of interpretation which have come after. The parts I gained from this volume were:
1. You must test your own show more truths, even if the Buddha himself tells you something.
2. The way to Nirvana is through living practice
3. The 'middle way' between hedonism and ascetism
4. The concept of 'kong' sounds a bit like the Tao show less

Incredibly lucid, clever rendering of basic tenets of Zen, and of Zen koans, through the medium of the comic strip. Non-threatening to the novice, a delight for the more advanced practioner. The artwork is excellent, often mixing the author's clever comic style with gorgeous, realistic drawings of Buddhist statuary.

The Warring States period was a chaotic time for China, culminating in its forced unification under the Qin. This classic documents the lives of four state rulers or highly placed personages. It is about statecraft; how some actions cause a state to prosper and others bring its ruin. But like most histories, this one does not judge its protagonists, other than elevating them by inclusion. Tsai Chih Chung's style makes these classic texts approachable.