Books of All Time

Ever seen or doodled a yin-yang symbol? Does the proverb "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" ring a bell? You've brushed up against the Tao Te Ching, one of the most influential works of Ancient Chinese literature that's also the foundational text of Taoism (pronounced "daoism"), China's major native religion. Traditionally ascribed to a scholar called Lao-Tzu, the Tao Te Ching was likely a collection of related poems and proverbs by many authors, collected into an anthology around 350 BCE. In this episode, we walk through some of the main concepts, including the Tao as a cosmic force, the principle of wu wei, or non-action, and how you can see the tensions of China's Warring States Period (c. 475–221 BCE) shining through in the text.Want a transcript or access to the list of references we used for this episode? Click here. Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review us!

Our second episode on The Book of Job looks at three reactions to the work. William Blake's illustrations for The Book of Job (1780—1823), which were produced in several media for various patrons Franz Kafka's The Trial (1925), which has a similar air of oppression and unattainable justice Carl Jung's Answer to Job (1952), in which the famed psychologist puts God on the couchIf you want to see Blake's illustrations for Job, they're available (along with lots of other wonderful things) at the William Blake Archive. Click here to visit.Want to read a transcript of this episode? Click here. Don't forget to share us on your socials or leave a rating or review. Thanks for listening!

Why do good people suffer? That's one of the key questions animating The Book of Job, one of the Hebrew Bible's three books of wisdom literature. In this episode, we walk through the story of a man who is plunged into despair and loss thanks to a bet between God and ("the") Satan. Journey through the story and some of the interpretations of the work—including one by Benjamin Franklin—and hear which phrases from Job would make good genre fiction titles.Content Note: This episode makes one reference to male body parts while quoting scripture.Also note: there were some sound quality issues on our end this week. Apologies for that!If you'd like to read the transcript for this episode, click here. Don't forget to subscribe, share, rate, and review!

In our second episode on the Mahabharata, the great Indian epic from c. 300 BCE, we dive into what is perhaps the most famous section of it: the 700 verses that make up the Bhagavad Gita. We discuss the main points of this foundational Hindu scripture, which recounts a discussion between the warrior Arjuna and his charioteer, Krishna on the eve of an apocalyptic battle. We also discuss debates around its authorship and explore the profound influence it had on Mahatma Gandhi, who didn't read it until he was a young law student in London, when some friends he made at a vegetarian restaurant recommended it to him. Want to read the transcript? Click here. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a rating or review about our show! It helps other listeners find us. Thanks for listening!

Eight times longer than the Iliad and the Odyssey combined, the Mahabharata has a little of everything: philosophy, spirituality, myths, romances, geography, a heroic polycule, and one transgender warrior who knows how to follow up on a grudge. First written down around 300 BCE (but, like its brother epic, the Ramayana, much older than that), the Mahabharata is at its core a story about two sets of warring cousins. Hitch up your chariot and gallop with us through this summary of the main action.Want to read the transcript? Click here. Don't forget to share, rate, and review us!

In our second episode on the Ramayana, which began to be written down in Sanskrit c. 350 BCE, we dive deeper into the theme of dharma. We explore some of the many different meanings of this term and trace the development of the three oldest dharmic faiths: Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. We also compare how Buddhist and Jain retellings of the Ramayana differ from the one revered by today's Hindus. Finally, we fangirl out over Hanuman a little more. Want to read the transcript? Click here. Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review us—and share with your friends!