Dharma & Dao
A curated reading library of Indian and Chinese classics, in the best public-domain English translations. Hand-typeset for the screen. Free to read, free to download, free to redistribute.
Never read any of these? Start with the Dhammapada — about 90 minutes of reading.
Indian classics
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Bhagavad Gita
A 700-verse dialogue between the warrior Arjuna and the god Krishna on the eve of battle. Sir Edwin Arnold's blank-verse rendering — "The Song Celestial" — is the most beautiful Victorian English translation, the version that introduced the Gita to the West.
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Dhammapada
A 423-verse anthology of the Buddha's teaching, traditionally regarded as a distillation of the entire Pāli canon. Max Müller's 1881 translation in the Sacred Books of the East series remains the standard public-domain English version.
Chinese classics
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Tao Te Ching
The foundational text of Daoism, attributed to Laozi. Eighty-one short chapters on the Way (Tao) and its power (Te). Legge's 1891 translation is scholarly and faithful; it remains the standard public-domain English version.
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Analects of Confucius
The collected sayings and short dialogues of Confucius and his disciples, compiled by his students after his death. James Legge's 1893 translation is the foundational English version — scholarly, literal, and still the standard.
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The Art of War
Sūnzǐ's 5th-century BCE treatise on strategy, command, and the conduct of war — the most widely read military classic ever written. Lionel Giles's 1910 translation remains the standard English version.
For children
A curated list of picture books and middle-grade titles on Hindu, Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian themes — for parents, teachers, and gift-givers. Honest age guidance, content notes, editor's reviews. Browse the children's library →
Reading guides
Which translation to choose, where to start, how to read each text.
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Which Bhagavad Gita translation should you read?
A guide to the major English translations of the Gita — public-domain and modern — with a recommendation for where to start.
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Where to start with the Dhammapada
A short guide to reading the Buddha's most-loved book — which translation to use, what to read first, and how to read it.
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The Tao Te Ching in English — a guide to the translations
The Tao Te Ching has been translated into English more often than any other book except the Bible. A short guide to the major versions and how to choose.
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How to read the Analects of Confucius
A practical guide to the most influential book in Chinese history — which translation to read, in what order, and how to handle its strangeness.
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Sūnzǐ's Art of War — which translation is the right one?
The Art of War has been translated into English more than fifty times. A short guide to the versions that matter and how to choose.