Looking for books written by people like ancient masters, monks, warlords, etc. Think how Master Oogway speaks, or Ra's Al Ghul from Dark Knight movies.. In the form that tells short story to teach a lesson, or teach various ways of thinking for peace, mental toughness, strength, overcoming anxiety and fear, etc.
I un ironically really like Tate's Master of Wudan collection, and is a good example of what I am looking for. Although ideally nonfiction, I would not mind fiction if it actually is stuff that can be realistically applied.
https://www.cobratate.com/the-tales-of-wudan
"Upon completion, I was ordered down the mountain and to stand in front of a large tree.
“Cobra,” Master started. “Demonstrate to me, what you have learned. Use your bare hands to cause as much damage to this tree as you can.”
"We would sleep on concrete floors with straw pillows and blankets were forbidden. Many of the students would opt to do their chores in the middle of the night in an attempt to stay warm and then try to steal sleep during meditation in the warmer afternoons."
"Atop Wudan each student had his own sleeping quarters.
A small stone room with a rug to sleep on.
A straw pillow.
And a tiny wooden table to place your perfectly folded uniform upon."
You will find truthisms.
The frog does not hunt the fly, it waits for the right opportunity to catch the fly from the comfort of its lilypad.
Just like you, OP.
zhuangzi
Just forget the larp and start reading the entirety of the BDK, it will take you a while. After that there are hundreds of books by the Chan masters and venerable masters. If you want to improve your body and learn some martial arts then go find a place around you that teaches one and has conditioning and sparring classes. Improve your diet and meditate. If you keep at it you will be able to speak like you are the teacher and whoever you are speaking to is the student, and you may or may not experience a fleeting moment of inner bliss.
>will be able to speak like you are the teacher and whoever you are speaking to is the student
i think i'm kinda there already but how do you avoid getting others offended
If you are egoless then there is no offense. You are nowhere near there.
obviously i'm no master but how is being sensitive to not being liked has to do with ego
You still speak from your own ego. You are but a novice, not even close to apprentice. Start with the Dhammapada and work your way through the BDK, when you get to Chan masters debating what the face of the Bhudda looked like and answering inquiries with having to urinate then you may start to experience the ability to speak without ego.
Musashi
>Daoist
Daodejing: a Philosophical Translation by Ames, Zhuangzi's best translation is AC Graham's imo, Liezi by Graham too. From there look into the Maoshan/Shangqing tradition and general Neidan (internal alchemy). The only good book on the Guiguzi is done by Daniel Coyle. The full translation is ass.
>Confucianism
The Analects: a Philosophical Translation by Ames again, Mencius by Lau. I think the only complete Xunzi is Hutton's.
>Military School
Sunzi translation by Ames, Sun Bin translation by Ames
Learn Classical Chinese, honestly. It's that rewarding. Did Chinese studies for my bachelor's.
what does a bachelors course in chinese look like
I did 3 years of Modern Mandarin after I did 1 year in high school. I only did one term of instruction on Classical, but I did 3 years of independent research and translation on it.
Outside of direct language study, I focused on history, philosophy, and religion. I did history of the Warring States period and the modern period (~1600-today). For philosophy, I focused on Daoism, but was interested in a lost philosopher named Yang Zhu. When it came to religion, I focused mainly on Chan Buddhism and religious Daoism, specifically the Shangqing tradition. I also wrote a lot about Sunzi and did comparison work of Archaic Greece with China. Lastly, I focused on environmental philosophy and policy. For example, the Qing dynasty instituted forestry reforms in the 1600s because Han lumber groups were encroaching on Manchu land.
Gita
Most of that shit is Buddhist or crypto-Buddhist. There’s the Bhagavad Gita. There’s Confucius and Lao Tzu. Other than that, I can think only of that sort of strain of Japanese feudal philosophy, stuff like Hagakure and Bushidō. Japanese philosophy is more interesting than Buddhism or Chinese philosophy in my opinion.
Western esotericism is filled with stuff like this and what you’re describing is more like Rosicrucianism, speculations about the Templars, or the sort of shit people like Nicholas Roerich, Rene Guenon, and Julius Evola bought into more than anything actually Asian in origin.
The Way of the Peaceful Warrior
Thought that was Jim Carry
If the Chinese had any wisdom, they wouldn't live in a Communist totalitarian police state.
If the Japanese had any wisdom, they wouldn't commit suicide so frequently.
If the Koreans had any wisdom, they wouldn't make such shitty cars, appliances, and electronics.
I could go on.
Frick Asia.
The Chinese are like if Black folk and ants cross-bred
Are you seeking solely east asian wisdom? If not, there's the works of Haci Bektash Veli.
40 steps to become one with God. If you're interested I can tl;dr the steps
forgot the book