O Dhammapada

by Gil Fronsdal

Paz interior e meditação no maior clássico das escrituras budistas. Uma nova interpretação.

Genres: Buddhism, Philosophy, Spirituality, Nonfiction

152 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Gil Fronsdal is the guiding teacher of the Insight Meditation Center (IMC) of Redwood City. He has a PhD in Buddhist Studies from Stanford University. His many dharma talks available online contain basic information on meditation and Buddhism, as well as subtle concepts of Buddhism explained at the level of the lay person.

Reviews

[Linus]

A timeless classic, and one of few books I make a point of reading every year. Highly recommended to anyone interested in Buddhism or other contemplative traditions!

[Jo]

Exquisite translation! 2nd time I have read this one, with pleasure. This time I read one chapter each morning, including the fascinating footnotes. :) Jack Kornfield says in the foreword to this edition, "You hold in your hands the most beloved of all Buddhist texts, both poetic and profound. These verses of the Dhammapada sum up in the simplest language the core teachings of the Buddha." If you are interested in learning more about Buddhism or just about life, this entirely worth your while.

[Adam Gomez]

Poetry is what's lost in translation, and there weren't many verses in this that I thought were poetic. A lot of them are generally uninteresting or redundant to boot. I marked down about 10 out of the 423 verses as memorable. I'm more interested in the suttas, which I think are a better starting point than the Dhammapada for anyone interested in Buddhism.

[Erin McGarry]

‘sitting alone,
resting alone,
walking alone,
untiring and alone,
whoever has tamed oneself
will find delight
in the forest’

[kathy]

I have always been interested in Buddhism. I have not read any books like this. I really enjoyed it! There are 26 chapters and each is titled. In the back of the book are some tips on how the author translated the original language. I am assuming there are many ways of translating these type of texts from the original language. It did help illuminate what is going on with the verses that are in each chapter. I found the key in the back of the book very useful.

I liked reading it and thinking about the meaning of the verses and different chapters that cover different topics. I’m basically a Christian, but I do enjoy the philosophy of Buddhism. It’s interesting to me to see a different approach to spirituality.

[Rex Yi]

It's worth remembering that this is a religious text primarily. That being the case, I read it as secular philosophy - took what I felt I could use, and left what I thought couldn't.

I appreciated the author's preface, which explained his own interpretation of "attachment" as being something closer to "obsession." This interpretation colored my own reading of this text - and I think for the better.

Karma, then, becomes less a mystical force and more a set of real obligations and compulsions preventing you from experiencing life fully.

Nirvana becomes less an act of cosmic suicide and more a true freeing - remove obsessions, addictions - and regrets. Pass from this one life having lived it in a way you can be proud of.

[Jen]

How can one rate a text from the Pali Canon? I did appreciate this translation, though!

[Macsana]

It’s essentially the way of Buddhism life. I really liked it

[Ender Campoverde]

Nothing but pure wisdom.

[Muaad (Jestora)]

So grateful to say that I read the sayings of the Buddha in my life. There’s so much wisdom there that i benefitted from.

[James]

5.0