Do you guys know of any good non-western spiritual literature?

[godwide_void]

So for my English class, of the options given to us for the question to address for our final paper, I've chosen to research and analyze a body of non-western literature or poetry, either from Asia, Africa, Middle East, etc. I'd originally wanted to go with The Emerald Tablets or the Tao Te Ching but was promptly informed that they don't constitute a literary work, so I was recommended instead as non-western works I could choose Siddartha by Herman Hesse or the Rubaiyat (which I am still somewhat considering), though I'd chosen the former. Since I'd chosen Siddartha the professor told me the next time I came to class that it's not "non-Western" since the author is German and because of that I'd have to research the author's life and 2 of his works instead, as that is another option, though I'd rather analyze one piece of literature as opposed to researching his entire life and 2 stories instead. -_-; I don't understand why she'd recommend it to me as a non-Western work then let me know that it isn't the next class. Ah well.

Thus I turn to this community for help! :exclamation:

Can you all please help me out with this? Do any of you know of and could recommend me any good non-Western literature that is preferably spiritual or esoterically themed that I might be able to do? I would extremely appreciate any suggestions any of you can give me!

[Unbound]

The Crystal and the Way of Light by Namkhai Norbu

[seejay21]

Epic Of Gilgamesh?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_of_Gilgamesh

"...The later half of the epic focuses on Gilgamesh's distress at Enkidu's death, and his quest for immortality. In order to learn the secret of eternal life, Gilgamesh undertakes a long and perilous journey to find the immortal flood hero, Utnapishtim. He learns that "The life that you are seeking you will never find..."

[Meerie]

The Mahabarata?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahabharata
it is very long, though

[seejay21]

The Mahabarata?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahabharata
it is very long, though

wow! 1.8 million words. Maybe there are cliff notes?

[Meerie]

lol... since it is so long, the professor probably would not read it in its entirety, either
That means, godwide could improvise

[Oldern]

Journey to the West! Saiyuki. It is a classic, it is a chinese novel, not too long, but not short either, and full of spiritual teachings. In a folkloric way.

[Observer]

lol... since it is so long, the professor probably would not read it in its entirety, either
That means, godwide could improvise

Clever! But what if he did?

[godwide_void]

@TheEternal: My initial impressions of this book are that it is a very worthwhile read, and I'll be saving this for later immersion on my own time, but something tells me that there's a slight chance the professor will end up saying that it doesn't count as a literary work and is 'philosophical' or autobiographical instead. Thanks a ton for this recommendation though!

@seejay: You might have just saved my ass here! It is a short enough read, a foreign epic, and plus it gives me the opportunity to familiarize myself more with the character of Gilgamesh considering I only know him more from the Final Fantasy video game series.

@Meerie: o___O; 1.8 million words... by Friday... -hides under rock- Maybe if I had Ra or Q'uo helping me out analyze this book, sure! I could improvise, but just in case the professor is familiar with it I'll be interrogated on whether I have superhuman speed reading abilities. Thank you, though!

@Oldern: I've had quite a few Asian friends in the past so I have heard of this story before. This might also prove to be a good option and will be added to future reading material as well simply because of this first verse:

The Divine Root Conceives and the Spring Breaks Forth
As the Heart's Nature Is Cultivated, the Great Way Arises
Before Chaos was divided, Heaven and Earth were one;
All was a shapeless blur, and no men had appeared.
Once Pan Gu destroyed the Enormous Vagueness
The separation of clear and impure began

Though considering the length, probably won't be using it for my paper, but I thank you nonetheless for this.

@Observer: I'll be sure to write about how the Mahabharata centers on a tale of a magical roti pancake with arms, legs, and psychic powers making his way to a divine stream of everflowing curry that grants immortality to the drinker and a spicy hot journey to the bathroom later.

Thank you all for these recommendations! I'm now deciding between the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Rubaiyat, the latter still because given that the questions of "How do the cultural norms, traditions, and myths play a role in shaping this literature?" and "What obstacles have these writers faced in their pursuit of truth in their writing" might be tricky to answer for the former considering the authors of the Epic are anonymous and its writing was accomplished over an obscure and elongated period of time. I'll go do a bit more research on this though.

[Oceania]

i'd do siddartha just to piss the teacher off

[alchemikey]

I Am That by Nisargadatta Maharaj

[Oceania]

i'd do the body and form or what was it called...

[godwide_void]

I Am That by Nisargadatta Maharaj

Wow. This is very much so what I needed at this point as it aligns with my current level of understanding and other similar works I've recently attracted to myself. I won't be using this for class as I'm certain the Professor won't deem it a "literary work", but I will joyfully delve into this, and actually have already started.

You have my utmost gratitude.

---

i'd do siddartha just to piss the teacher off

In that case I'll start making the party preparations for the F- she'll give me!

Also, it's nice to see you back Oceania! Hope all has been well with you.

[godwide_void]

So seejay, indeed you did save my ass as the Epic of Gilgamesh turned out to be the best topic for this paper and I'm about 2 paragraphs away from completing it. You are f---ing awesome, dude, and thank you once again!

[seejay21]

So seejay, indeed you did save my ass as the Epic of Gilgamesh turned out to be the best topic for this paper and I'm about 2 paragraphs away from completing it. You are f---ing awesome, dude, and thank you once again!

nice.