For Chinese philosophy,

I would recommend three books. First, Confucius's Analects (or Lunyu), a collection of
Confucius's sayings and his conversations, mostly with his students. Even though not
systematically written, this collection presents Confucius's view of ethics, the good life,
and human flourishing. It covers issues such as cultivating personal virtues, fostering
family life, and creating social harmony.

Second, the Daodejing (or Laozi), a short text attributed to the ancient Chinese Daoist
philosopher Laozi. In about 5000 Chinese characters and 81 chapters, the Daodejing
describes and prescribes the ideal individual life and good society. According to its
teachings, a good life is to be achieved by following the flow in the world and staying
close to nature, not to fight unnecessary uphill battles and be content with what one is
and has.

Third, the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, is a canon for Chinese Chan (Zen)
Buddhism. It records the teachings of Huineng, a seminal figure in Chinese Buddhist
history revered as the Sixth Patriarch and as one of the two great figures in the founding
of Zen Buddhism. This text depicts Huineng's successful emergence as well as his
teaching that the mind is fundamentally pure by nature and meditation as a means to
attain enlightenment.

 Confucius, Analects
 The Daodejing: A short book on Daoist philosophy
 Huineng, The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch
 

Chenyang Li is a professor of philosophy in the School of Humanities, Nanyang

Technological University, Singapore. He is author of The Confucian Philosophy of
Harmony.  

"The best way to introduce yourself to ancient Greek philosophy is by reading some key
works of Plato and Aristotle. The dialogues collected in Last Days of Socrates, explore
questions arising from Socrates's trial and execution, questions such as 'do we survive
death?' and 'why should we obey the law?'. Plato's Republic asks about the nature of
justice and about which kind of political constitution best promotes human happiness.
Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics asks how we should live our lives: for instance, what
place is there in a good life for pleasure or for politically engaged activity or for
intellectual thinking? After reading Plato and Aristotle, I would recommend turning to
Epictetus's Discourses. Epictetus was a Stoic philosopher and a former slave, who lived
in the 1st-2nd centuries AD. His discourses discuss the nature of freedom and provide
advice on how to live a happy life."
 Plato, Last Days of Socrates (Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Phaedo) (Penguin
Classics) (399 BCE)
 Plato, Republic (380 BCE)
 Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics (350 BCE)
 Epictetus, Discourses (108 CE)
 

Ursula Coope is professor of ancient philosophy at University of Oxford, Keble College.

Her books include Time for Aristotle.