Going to be reading some eastern classics. Should I bother with

Bhagavad Gita is definitely the most applied of all the sections of the Mahabharata, and it could be argued that it is the most significant portion. However, I think you'll benefit greatly from reading an abridged version of the Mahabharata as well as a full version of the Bhagavad Gita because it gives you more "historical" context. It's similar to how reading the Old Testament provides a foundation for the New Testament to deliver its message

>>7226731
>Also, for Buddhism, should I read the Dhammapada as well as Bodhi's In the Buddha's Words anthology, or is the former adequate on its own?

I'd recommend both. The Dhammapada is a fairly short read as far as Buddhist texts go, and Bhikkhu Bodhi's anthology is pretty much the best introduction to Theravada Buddhism out there.

Bumping with interest. Have been wanting to read the Gita since seeing Charles Lloyd perform an extremely moving reading at a concert last year.

http://youtu.be/XMWKMdBhhyU

If you can, find a version of the gita with no commentary. Read it strait, like you would a book.

Bhagavad Gita is based. Read it high

>>7227257
I know that's how I did it. I read it twice, back-to-back.
The rest of the Mahabharata... eh.

>>7227260
I can't wait to try this.

>>7226731
>Easwaran translation

His translation of The Dhammapada is the the best. His introduction is superior.

"You can NOT learn Indian philosophy without knowing Sanskrit. You must know Sanskrit. It is like Latin; highly inflected, very beautiful."

-an old Buddhologist

>>7228203
kek, blatantly untrue.

>>7226797
Do you have a particular recommendation for an abridgment?

>>7227656
>The rest of the Mahabharata... eh.
I suppose if it's a short enough version it couldn't hurt, but then again, considering how long the epic is, I might be better off or the same reading a summary online.

>>7228238
I fucking loved reading it in college, the passages we read, anyway. We were also shown parts of the Peter Brooks movie and I loved it so much I asked the professor if I could borrow it so I could watch the whole thing.

When I finally got a copy of the full Mahabharata to read from beginning to end, I got kind anxious to get to Bhima and everybody and the initial stories are a lot to digest and I just never got around to continuing it.

>>7228203
I'll just leave this here.

https://kat.cr/sanskrit-language-learning-pack-t6633157.html