"Lucretius'

didactic poem is a literary masterpiece, which includes such riveting passages as an

ode to Venus and a description of the plague in Athens.  It is also the best account we
have of Epicureanism, and its basis in atomism. Lucretius is perhaps unsurpassed in
diagnosing the challenges of the human condition, governed by the fear of death and
the gods, and by idle pursuits. Cicero's work provides an overview of a number of
positions about the goal of human life defined as the good--i.e. what counts as good,
and what should human beings care about and why?  Seneca, Musonius Rufus and
Marcus Aurelius are famous Stoics of the Roman imperial era, and they are, each in
their own way, good reads, even for short sections at a time. 
Seneca's Letters addressed to a certain Lucilius are intended to show how one can
make moral progress; Musonius Rufus presents the most positive views of the equality
between men and women, and marriage known to us from Antiquity, and in Marcus
Aurelius we can witness a Roman emperor encouraging himself." 
 Lucretius On the Nature of Things (50 BCE)
 Cicero On Ends (1st century BCE)
 Seneca Letters (c. 65 CE)
 Musonius Rufus Discourses (1st century CE)
 Marcus Aurelius Meditations (161-180 CE)
 

Gretchen Reydams-Schils is Professor in the Program of Liberal Studies at the

University of Notre Dame. Her books include The Roman Stoics: Self, Responsibility,
and Affection 

"For newbies to Japanese philosophy, Japanese Philosophy: A Sourcebook offers great

selections from  fourteen centuries of thinkers, fields, and schools. Then you can dive
into Zen Master Dōgen’s Shobo Genzo - Japan’s most provocative pre-modern
philosophical text. Nishida Kitarō, Japan’s most prominent modern philosopher, blends
Western ideas and Asian sensitivities to explore the experiential basis of thought and
value. Watsuji Tetsurō  makes an argument that ethical systems are grounded in
philosophical anthropologies. And out of contemporary authors, Yuasa Yasuo wrote an
original philosophy drawing on Asian and Western traditions of philosophy, medicine,
psychology, and performance to suggest a new understanding of the mind-body
relation."
  Heisig,James W., Thomas P. Kasulis, and John C. Maraldo, eds. Japanese
Philosophy: A Sourcebook (2011)
 Dōgen, Treasury of the True Dharma Eye: Zen Master Dōgen’s Shobo
Genzo, Kazuaki Tanahashi, ed. (1233–1253)
 Nishida Kitarō, An Inquiry into the Good, trans. by Masao Abe and
Christopher Ives.  (1911)
 Watsuji Tetsurō, Watsuji Tetsurō’s “Rinrigaku”: Ethics in
Japan, trans. Yamamoto Seikaku and Robert E. Carter. (1937–1949)
 Yuasa Yasuo (1925–2005). The Body: Toward an Eastern Mind-body
Theory, trans. Shigenori Nagatomo and Thomas P. Kasulis. (1977)
 

Thomas Kasulis is Professor Emeritus and University Distinguished Scholar at Ohio

State University. His books include Shinto: The Way Home.

"You might be surprised to discover how easy it is to read up on philosophy from the
Islamic world. Certainly many texts remain inaccessible (unedited and/or untranslated)
but there are plenty of good English translations that convey the richness of this
tradition. A good start would be Ibn Tufayl's "Hayy ibn Yaqzan," the Robinson-Crusoe
story of a self-taught philosopher growing up on an island wiht no other humans. Also
from medieval Islamic Spain, Averroes' "Decisive Treatise" is an essential discussion of
the relationship between Islam and philosophy, which argues that Islam not only allows
but actually commands the pursuit of philosophy for those who are able. And to see how
it all started check out "On First Philosophy" by al-Kindi, "philosopher of the Arabs" and
the first thinker to engage with Greek philosophical texts after they were translated into
Arabic."

 Ibn Ṭufayl, Ḥayy ibn Yaqẓān, trans. L.E. Goodman. (12th century CE)

 Averroes, On the Harmony of Religion and Philosophy, trans. G.F. Hourani.
(12th century CE)
 The Philosophical Works of al-Kindī, trans. P. Adamson and P.E. Pormann.
(9th century CE)