Jainism

IndiaIndian thought, culture and history

List of recommended reference books to learn about Indian history, religion, and culture - The more you know, the more interesting the Indian swamp.

In this article I will present my recommendations for Indian reference books.

I am currently writing a series of articles on this blog entitled "[Travels to Buddhist Sites in India and Sri Lanka] A Journey to the Sacred Sites of Buddhism: What I Felt When I Was Called to India", and the books I am about to introduce have had a strong influence on me.
GhandiIndian thought, culture and history

Eijiro Hazama, "The Truth about Gandhi: What is Nonviolent Thought" - A recommended reference book to learn about Gandhi's personality and the core of his thought!

Everyone knows Mahatma Gandhi as a great man who played a major role in India's independence.

This work is a recommended reference book that provides a clear and detailed look at Gandhi's ideas, personality, and impact on society.

We are all familiar with Gandhi's famous phrase "nonviolence. However, what this "nonviolence" really means is not well known, or even misunderstood. This book raises such issues.

I am particularly shocked by chapters 5 and 6, which discuss Gandhi's religious views and his family problems. I too was like, "What? That's right!" I was surprised.

But this book is more than just gossip. Gandhi's ideas and personality are revealed through a variety of sources.
Ajanta and ElloraIndian thought, culture and history

Ajanta and Ellora: Rock Temples and Mural Paintings of the Deccan Plateau of India" - A recommended guidebook to India's proud world heritage sites!

This book will be a recommended guidebook for the World Heritage Sites of Ajanta and Ellora in India.

The explanations of the sculptures and paintings at both sites were especially interesting. The commentary on the Buddhist tale of Jataka was particularly moving. The commentary was not just about the ruins or the art, but it also went deeper into the historical background and thought of the times, which drew me in.

I am also planning to visit Ajanta and Ellora this year. This book was a very helpful guidebook for me. I highly recommend this book.
the path of civilizationIndian thought, culture and history

NHK Special: Paths of Civilization Silk Road by Sea and Land" - An exciting book to learn about the connection between ancient India and the Roman Empire!

This book is one of the best for learning about the Silk Road that connected ancient India with the Roman Empire. It is richly illustrated and photographed for easy visualization, and the explanations are carefully told in a way that even beginners can easily understand. Ancient India and the Roman Empire are two of my favorite worlds full of romance. I was very excited to read this book that connects these two worlds. I highly recommend this book. Why not pick up a copy?
World History of Life 5Indian thought, culture and history

Noboru KARASHIMA and Yasuaki NARA, "The World History of Life 5: The Face of India" - Indian people's true intentions and preconceptions. A recommended book that provides a broad overview of the spirituality of the level of life!

In real life, there are "real intentions and preconceived notions. The author's point that if you ignore this and focus only on one or the other, you will end up with something completely different was certainly something I could nod my head to and say, "I see.

In addition to these religious aspects, the book covers a wide range of aspects of "Indian life," including caste, art, curry and other foods, politics, language, urban and rural areas, sexuality, and so on. I found this book very interesting in terms of the birth of Buddhism and its absorption into the Hindu world.
Indian artIndian thought, culture and history

V. Dehesia, "Iwanami Sekai no Bijutsu: Indian Art" - All color, full of great photos! Recommended Indian Art Guidebook

This book is an amazing overview of art history from the Indus civilization to modern India in one volume. The book is unique in that it is richly illustrated with photographs, all in color. It is also arranged by period, so it is gratifying to know how Indian art has changed over the years.

I was particularly interested in Buddhist art, and I appreciated the beautiful photographs of early Buddhist statues and sculptures. The explanations were easy to understand and I immediately felt that this was a work I would highly recommend.
In Japan, I thought about it too.Indian thought, culture and history

P. Aiyar, "In Japan I Thought Too" - What is Japan from an Indian's point of view? A poignant work that candidly describes both the good and the bad of Japan.

This book will give you a clear understanding of what Japan is and how we Japanese are viewed from overseas.

What I particularly felt while reading this book was that "we Japanese are also being watched.

I have been learning about India for the past few months. I have been reading incessantly books that talk about India and after this I plan to actually visit India.

That is how I try to read, see and know India.

However, I realized once again that India is also looking at me, as Nietzsche said, "When you look into the abyss, the abyss is also looking at you.
History of Indian ThoughtBuddhism in India

Gen Nakamura, "History of Indian Thought" - A famous book that is very useful for the study of Buddhism! Recommended reference book for an overview of the flow of Indian thought

This work, "History of Indian Thought," is a classic among classics in Buddhist studies.

Gen Nakamura's books are characterized by the fact that they do not simply discuss ideologies and philosophical theories, but also intertwine them with the historical background and actual life in the region. The present work, "History of Indian Thought," is another masterpiece that allows the reader to enjoy such Nakamura's style.

This book provides an overview of the history of Indian thought, which is so full of events, beginning with the Indus civilization, the Aryan invasion, the beginning of Brahmanism, the rise of Buddhism, the establishment of Hinduism, and the invasion of Islam to the present day.
Caste in HistoryIndian thought, culture and history

Takeshi Fujii, "Caste in History: Self-Portrait of Modern India" - Were castes fixed by British colonial policy?

The caste system in India is anyway complex.

Ancient India also had a caste system. However, it was the British colonial policy that changed the indigenous Indian caste system and made it stronger. And to make matters more difficult, the book reveals that there were also efforts on the part of the Indians to use their own caste in order to survive British colonial rule.

This book is very valuable because it provides a detailed look at the two-way interaction between the British and other Western nations and the local Indian population, which has led to the current caste.

The author pointed out in this book that the caste system in India tends to be spoken of in simplistic terms. This book clarifies why such a simplified caste system is talked about in the historical context.
Establishment of Primitive BuddhismBuddhism in India

Gen Nakamura Selected Works, Volume 14: "The Formation of Primitive Buddhism" - How was Buddhism born? Recommended for understanding the circumstances surrounding the earliest cults.

This book is a commentary on the early days of the Buddhist Order. In this book, Dr. Gen Nakamura discusses the early days of the Buddhist Order in the context of the historical background and the state of the world of thought at that time.

The historical background of the emergence of Buddhism was discussed in "Ancient India" by Gen Nakamura, which was previously introduced in this blog. This "Ancient India" is highly recommended as an introductory book that even beginners can easily understand. In this work, "Gen Nakamura Selected Works [Definitive Edition], Volume 14: The Establishment of Primitive Buddhism, Primitive Buddhism IV," we can see the connection between ancient India and the primitive Buddhist cult even more clearly.