Books recommended by monks

William McNeill World History
I recommend this. If you read this, you can clearly see that religion plays a major role in the formation of world history. It is recommended that it be read several times to increase the pocket of the story.

Takemura Kotaro: Mysteries of Japanese History Can Be Solved with “Topography”
What was interesting about this was Nobunaga's attack on Mount Hiei. (Sorry, Tendai Sect monk!) There was a point where I thought that was true. Overall, my interest in the geography of Tokyo (Edo) jumped up, and I came to know Tokugawa Ieyasu's grand strategy.

Izawa Motohiko's Paradoxical History of Japan
A common theory is Japanese history. It's a paradox, so it's interesting, and it's not a bland way to write like a textbook, so I recommend it. This also increases the number of talking pockets. This series also tells us how much influence religion has had on history. History and religion are a set. No, I understand that various things, such as trade and economics, will come as a set.

Hirosachiya's First Buddhism
Buddhism is explained in an easy-to-understand manner. If you're interested in Zen, I recommend this basic book. Anyway, the books by Hirosachi and Dai Sensei are easy to understand. And it's so easy.

Introduction to Hirosachiya Kukai
I'm a monk of the Shingon sect, so I read books by Hirosachi and Dai Sensei so that I could introduce the founder Kobo Daishi Kukai to the general public in an easy-to-understand manner. It was very helpful.

Yokoyama Mitsuteru Three Kingdoms (manga)
This is awesome. Other than this, the historical records and Xiang Yu and Liu Bang are also good. Also, Tokugawa Ieyasu and Takeda Shingen were good too. This person's comics are instructive.

and many others

We recommend that you read books about your work or hobbies, completely unrelated books, comics, etc., as long as time allows.

Hello, Yoshi-san.

You're interested in Zen, and you're looking for good books, aren't you? It's great.
I also like books, so there are many books I'd like to recommend, but each person is different, so it's a question of whether or not to meet them.

What I would like to recommend more than that is that Buddhism inherits teachers, so you must first fall in love with someone. I came here from Dogen Zenji, so why don't you read the story of Dogen Zenji? Dogen Zenji's Buddhist stories are interesting. My method is to start with picture books and comics to make it easier to imagine, then go to books full of letters (laughs). Then, the image of Zen can be seen from Dogen Zenji's way of life. I like the degree of perfection of Nakamura Hiroshi's Buddhist comics, which used to be sold to Buddhist altar shops in Monzen-cho. There is “Dogen-sama.” Gassho

Here are some of the Buddha's teachings in an easy-to-understand manner.
https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/aw/d/4522476418/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1466041472&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=いのちの言葉&dpPl=1&dpID=41tT2hSlQ5L&ref=plSrch

Furthermore, it is aimed at children.
Even if adults read it, it's a learning experience.
https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/aw/d/452243068X?ie=UTF8&dpID=517aSFy7jgL&dpPl=1&keywords=ã%C2%83%C2%96ã%C2%83%C2%83ã%C2%83%C2%80ã%C2%81%C2%8Cã%C2%81%C2%9Bã%C2%82%C2%93ã%C2%81%C2%9Bã%C2%81%C2%84 & pi=sy200_ql40&qid=1464105601&ref=plsrch&sr=8-1

The important thing is to put what you read into practice in your daily life. Don't forget that.

・Foundations of religious views in Japan
“Kojiki (read in manga)” Variety Artworks

・Buddha (comics)
Machiko Satonaka “People Surrounding Buddha” Chuko Bunko, 2 volumes in total

・Buddha (print)
Nakamura Hajime “Introduction to Buddha” Shunjusha

・Three Treasures (comics)
Midori Suwa “Genjo Seiki” Shogakukan Bunko etc.
A super good work that expresses Buddhism by depicting the process of a young man who had no interest in Buddhism inheriting his older brother's will and growing up to become the most famous sutra monk in Buddhist history

・Orthodox textbooks
Supervised by Tahide Tagami, “A series with interesting history! “Illustrated Buddha's Teachings Popular Edition” Saitosha
Maybe I can only buy the electronic version now

・An outrageous textbook by a Shingon Buddhist monk
Semimaru P “Semimaru P's Tangled Buddhism Course” Enterbrain

・Old-fashioned specialized textbooks (discussion collection)
Kan Sasaki “How Buddhism Sees the Universe” Chemical Doujin

・The royal road of calligraphy with dictionary references
Mizuno Hiromoto “Basic Knowledge of Key Buddhist Terms” Shunjusha

・Research on the latest Dogen Zenshi thought in general books
Ishii Kiyozumi “Constructed Buddhist Thought: Sitting because it is Dōgen Buddha” Kosei Publishing

・About the Soto sect
Yamaori Tetsuo “Dogen and Soto Sect You Don't Know” Yosensha

・Books by monks of the Soto sect
Minami Naoya “Osorezan” Shincho Shinsho
Yoshimura Nobuhiro “If you don't worry about it, it will be easier.” Gentousha
Tomomi Tarai “Buddha's Medicine Box” Kawade Shobo Shinsha

・Scenes of life in a Zen temple (Rinzai sect)
Genyu Munehisa “Belabou Seikatsu: “Insane” Days at the Zen Dojo, Asahi Shimbun, print
Du Kangjun's “Bozu Days” Life at Shinshokan and ascetic dojo, comic essay
Same book, “Bozu Days 2: The Temple and Everyone's Everyday Life” at the same company, local temple, comic essay

・Magazines
“Dai Falun” Dai Falun Kaku, classic
“Sanga Japan” Kurashiki Printing, New Face

・Modern Japanese Buddhism
Katsu Keiko “Good Monk Terrible Monk” Best New Book

・Overseas Buddhism
“Asian Buddhism and Gods” by Musashi Tachikawa

・Primitive Buddhism
Kan Sasaki “What is a monk” Okura Publishing

・Since Buddhism was born from agrarian peoples, the worldview of farming is beneficial for understanding Buddhism
Arakawa Hiroshi's “Peasant Nobita” Shinshokan, serialized, comic essay
The same book, “Silver Spoons,” Shogakukan, currently being serialized, comic

・Works that change the fun when you read them after knowing the teachings of Buddhism
Takehiko Inoue “Vagabond” Kodansha, serialized, comic
The way Miyamoto Musashi, who aims for the world's warriors, grows spiritually is a Buddhist thought itself

Yoshi-sama

This is Kawaguchi Hidetoshi. This is my humble answer to the question.

I often hear it like if I were to take only one book to an uninhabited island... but among my poor readings so far, let me list only one book...

“Summer of the Bureaucrats” will probably be written by Saburo Shiroyama. Even with this, he used to be a young man who loved to discuss the nation. Even now, every once in a while, I reread it every time I stumbled upon something.

If it were a Buddhist book, “Tibetan Buddhist Philosophy” would probably be written by Matsumoto Shiro. After that, the direction of my own Buddhist thought and philosophy was determined.

If you want to learn about Mahayana Buddhism in general, I would recommend the “Dalai Lama's Buddhist Philosophy Lectures” translated by Yoichi Fukuda.

Just for your reference.

Kawaguchi Hidetoshi Gassho