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The Dhammapada
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April 23, 2025
Great translation/commentery.
Sound methodology.
Concise.
Highly recommended.
So what is the Dhammapada?
In brief.
It’s a fundamental text of the Theravada school of Buddhism.
They are the OG of Buddhism (just in case you didn’t know).
As such.
According to the author/translator of this text, Glenn Wallis, the “Dhammapada occupies a relatively humble position in the grand scheme of Buddhist literature.”
Given that, Wallis asserts that is is a very important and useful as a cheat sheet for the basic teachings of Buddhism.
The first council of Buddhists was held shortly after the Buddha’s death, and was attended by around five hundred monks, with the goal of affixing the teachings of the Buddha in a (more or less) stable form for future generations.
The Theravada tradition and canon of sanctioned texts (collections of Suttas) emerged from this and other similar efforts. An abbreviated map of the Theravada canon thus looks like this:
** the following is a close to a copy/paste from the book**
Vinayapitaka. The rules and regulations governing the details of monastic life.
Suttapitaka. The teachings of the Buddha in the form of dialogues, discussions, and talks.
Dioghanikaoya. The "collection of long" discourses. This contains thirty-four lengthy suttas that, in many ways, serve as an introduction to the teachings.
Majjhimanikaoya. The "collection of middle-length" discourses. This section contains 152 suttas.
Samyuttanikaoya. The "collection of connected" discourses. The 2,904 suttas of this section are among the most thorough and penetrating of Buddhist literature. These texts presuppose on the side of the interlocutor extensive experience in the study and practice of the
Anguttaranikoya. The "collection of numerical" discourses. The 2,344 suttas in this section are more or less summative.
Kuddakanikaõya. The "collection of small" books. This section comprises fifteen individual works that are held to have been added to the pitaka later than the other collections.
^^ **The Dhammapada is part of this collection.**
Additional collections include Theröigaothao. And Abhidhammapitaka. The "basket of elaborations on the teachings." This group consists of seven works that examine aspects of the sutta material in minute detail. It is unfortunate that the Abhidhamma is routinely referred to in the West as "philosophy."
All these works are of anonymous authorship. The abiding concern of these texts is to understand the nature of psychological-physical being as a means of realizing freedom from the painful restrictions that this being entails.
THE DHAMMAPADA
As previously stated. The Dhammapada functions as a very basic teaching of Buddhism. As such. A lot of what the covering here feels like common sense. So none of it will blow your fucking mind. That’s for sure. But just try to practice it. And then be the judge for yourself how easy or common sense any of it is.
HINT: it’s actually not easy.
Anyhow…
The basic themes of the Dhammapada are as follows (according to CHAT GPT).
The Power of the Mind:
The Dhammapada opens by emphasizing that mind shapes experience: suffering and happiness arise from our thoughts and intentions.
Ethical Conduct:
Right speech, right action, and right livelihood are central. Harmful actions lead to suffering, while wholesome deeds lead to happiness.
Impermanence and Detachment:
All things are impermanent and subject to decay. The wise person develops detachment and does not cling to transient things.
Self-Mastery:
Discipline and self-control are more powerful than conquering others. The Buddha praises those who are mindful, patient, and free of anger.
Mindfulness and Wisdom:
Mindfulness (sati) is the path to the deathless. Wisdom comes from deep reflection, not merely from book learning.
The Noble Path:
The verses highlight the Noble Eightfold Path as the way to liberation from suffering: right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.
The True Monk or Holy Person:
Renunciation is defined not by robes but by behavior. A true practitioner is free of craving and delusion, lives with compassion, and seeks Nirvana.
Final Liberation (Nirvana):
The ultimate goal is freedom from the cycle of birth and death (samsara) through the realization of Nirvana—a state beyond suffering and craving.
Structure
The Dhammapada is organized into 26 chapters (vaggas), each dealing with a specific theme such as:
• The Twin Verses
• Vigilance
• The Mind
• The Wise
• The World
• The Craving
• The Enlightened One
Tone and Style
The Dhammapada is simple and very repetitive. It was designed that way to make it accessible and memorable as an orally preserved and transmitted teaching. As such, it requires good scholarship (translation/commentary) to be completely understandable and useful to a modern reader.
I loved this translation.
I’m reading a lot of Wallis’s other works, and have come to respect Wallis a lot.
He approaches the work from both personal experience (as a practitioner), and from a postmodern (meta-modern) critical lens (as an academic critic/scholar).
I think he’s a very good source.
But then again.
What do I know (see below)?
!PERSONAL DISCLAIMER!
NOTE: if you don’t care about me or my personal experience or my personal reasons for reading this text. Please don’t read any further. I don’t actually mind at all if you completely skip over this next part. But if you do read it. Please don’t FLAME me in the comments section for including it (as has happened recently on another post). If you do flame me for including this next section. Be ready to get FLAMED back. Not just by me. But by other people who follow my reviews (as has happened recently on another posts). DUDE. This is social media. People include personal shit. Also. No one is forcing you to read this. So if you don’t wanna know it. Don’t.
Anyway.
I haven’t read any of the other “classic” English translations of the Dhammapada.
In fact.
This is my first exposure reading any complete translation (and/or extensive, systematic commentary) of/on this text.
So my broad understanding of the various scholarly and practical approaches to translating and applying this text are limited to this particular book/author.
I have some eclectic training and experience as a practitioner of Buddhist meditation. I have practiced a variety of Buddhist meditation styles in Therevada, Vajryana and contemporary secular contexts. I trained for my Masters in Clinical Psychology (MA, LMFT) at a Buddhist university. I have specifically trained with Shinzen Young. Done various extended and brief retreat practice. And have lots of geeky Buddhist friends/colleagues etc.
Given that.
I’m not a joiner.
I resist declaring as a Buddhist.
And after spending 5-7 years practicing in an analogous traditional East Asian meditation tradition (prior to tinkering with Buddhist meditation). I am HIGHLY skeptical and averse to adhering to one (or another) traditional school of anything (for better or for worse).
As such.
I have delayed any kind of serious deep dive into Buddhist Suttas and their commentaries until very recently.
So why am I diving in now?
Several reasons: most importantly, after decades of meditation and other insight oriented practices. I had a recent (very profound and transformative) awakening experience that suddenly drastically reduced the cognitive dissonance I previously experienced, and made a lot of these types of texts/teachings make MUCH more sense.
NOTE: I’m just being honest here. And I honestly don’t know how else to say that last bit. But make of it what you will.
As such.
This type of text is suddenly MUCH more useful.
Secondly.
I’m getting older (I’m 57 at the time of this writing). And along with getting old, I’m getting concurrently much less rigid about clarifying and assessing the veracity of truth claims, and simultaneously much more concerned about finding was of helping others find durable refuge from suffering, and a sense of meaning and purpose that can function as a platform from which they (I/ME/WE/US) can be of service.
I offer all of the above as a context for the limitations and delimitations (qualifications) for the opinions expressed here in regarding this text.
In other words, i’m not a Buddhist scholar or expert. I’m not affiliated with any particular school of Buddhism. Or even Buddhism at all for that matter.
But neither am I completely naïve or inexperienced in the philosophies and practices of Buddhism.
I am somewhere in between.
Which would probably make me like a lot of other readers of this particular version of this text.
There you have it 😀
5/5 ⭐️
Sound methodology.
Concise.
Highly recommended.
So what is the Dhammapada?
In brief.
It’s a fundamental text of the Theravada school of Buddhism.
They are the OG of Buddhism (just in case you didn’t know).
As such.
According to the author/translator of this text, Glenn Wallis, the “Dhammapada occupies a relatively humble position in the grand scheme of Buddhist literature.”
Given that, Wallis asserts that is is a very important and useful as a cheat sheet for the basic teachings of Buddhism.
The first council of Buddhists was held shortly after the Buddha’s death, and was attended by around five hundred monks, with the goal of affixing the teachings of the Buddha in a (more or less) stable form for future generations.
The Theravada tradition and canon of sanctioned texts (collections of Suttas) emerged from this and other similar efforts. An abbreviated map of the Theravada canon thus looks like this:
** the following is a close to a copy/paste from the book**
Vinayapitaka. The rules and regulations governing the details of monastic life.
Suttapitaka. The teachings of the Buddha in the form of dialogues, discussions, and talks.
Dioghanikaoya. The "collection of long" discourses. This contains thirty-four lengthy suttas that, in many ways, serve as an introduction to the teachings.
Majjhimanikaoya. The "collection of middle-length" discourses. This section contains 152 suttas.
Samyuttanikaoya. The "collection of connected" discourses. The 2,904 suttas of this section are among the most thorough and penetrating of Buddhist literature. These texts presuppose on the side of the interlocutor extensive experience in the study and practice of the
Anguttaranikoya. The "collection of numerical" discourses. The 2,344 suttas in this section are more or less summative.
Kuddakanikaõya. The "collection of small" books. This section comprises fifteen individual works that are held to have been added to the pitaka later than the other collections.
^^ **The Dhammapada is part of this collection.**
Additional collections include Theröigaothao. And Abhidhammapitaka. The "basket of elaborations on the teachings." This group consists of seven works that examine aspects of the sutta material in minute detail. It is unfortunate that the Abhidhamma is routinely referred to in the West as "philosophy."
All these works are of anonymous authorship. The abiding concern of these texts is to understand the nature of psychological-physical being as a means of realizing freedom from the painful restrictions that this being entails.
THE DHAMMAPADA
As previously stated. The Dhammapada functions as a very basic teaching of Buddhism. As such. A lot of what the covering here feels like common sense. So none of it will blow your fucking mind. That’s for sure. But just try to practice it. And then be the judge for yourself how easy or common sense any of it is.
HINT: it’s actually not easy.
Anyhow…
The basic themes of the Dhammapada are as follows (according to CHAT GPT).
The Power of the Mind:
The Dhammapada opens by emphasizing that mind shapes experience: suffering and happiness arise from our thoughts and intentions.
Ethical Conduct:
Right speech, right action, and right livelihood are central. Harmful actions lead to suffering, while wholesome deeds lead to happiness.
Impermanence and Detachment:
All things are impermanent and subject to decay. The wise person develops detachment and does not cling to transient things.
Self-Mastery:
Discipline and self-control are more powerful than conquering others. The Buddha praises those who are mindful, patient, and free of anger.
Mindfulness and Wisdom:
Mindfulness (sati) is the path to the deathless. Wisdom comes from deep reflection, not merely from book learning.
The Noble Path:
The verses highlight the Noble Eightfold Path as the way to liberation from suffering: right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.
The True Monk or Holy Person:
Renunciation is defined not by robes but by behavior. A true practitioner is free of craving and delusion, lives with compassion, and seeks Nirvana.
Final Liberation (Nirvana):
The ultimate goal is freedom from the cycle of birth and death (samsara) through the realization of Nirvana—a state beyond suffering and craving.
Structure
The Dhammapada is organized into 26 chapters (vaggas), each dealing with a specific theme such as:
• The Twin Verses
• Vigilance
• The Mind
• The Wise
• The World
• The Craving
• The Enlightened One
Tone and Style
The Dhammapada is simple and very repetitive. It was designed that way to make it accessible and memorable as an orally preserved and transmitted teaching. As such, it requires good scholarship (translation/commentary) to be completely understandable and useful to a modern reader.
I loved this translation.
I’m reading a lot of Wallis’s other works, and have come to respect Wallis a lot.
He approaches the work from both personal experience (as a practitioner), and from a postmodern (meta-modern) critical lens (as an academic critic/scholar).
I think he’s a very good source.
But then again.
What do I know (see below)?
!PERSONAL DISCLAIMER!
NOTE: if you don’t care about me or my personal experience or my personal reasons for reading this text. Please don’t read any further. I don’t actually mind at all if you completely skip over this next part. But if you do read it. Please don’t FLAME me in the comments section for including it (as has happened recently on another post). If you do flame me for including this next section. Be ready to get FLAMED back. Not just by me. But by other people who follow my reviews (as has happened recently on another posts). DUDE. This is social media. People include personal shit. Also. No one is forcing you to read this. So if you don’t wanna know it. Don’t.
Anyway.
I haven’t read any of the other “classic” English translations of the Dhammapada.
In fact.
This is my first exposure reading any complete translation (and/or extensive, systematic commentary) of/on this text.
So my broad understanding of the various scholarly and practical approaches to translating and applying this text are limited to this particular book/author.
I have some eclectic training and experience as a practitioner of Buddhist meditation. I have practiced a variety of Buddhist meditation styles in Therevada, Vajryana and contemporary secular contexts. I trained for my Masters in Clinical Psychology (MA, LMFT) at a Buddhist university. I have specifically trained with Shinzen Young. Done various extended and brief retreat practice. And have lots of geeky Buddhist friends/colleagues etc.
Given that.
I’m not a joiner.
I resist declaring as a Buddhist.
And after spending 5-7 years practicing in an analogous traditional East Asian meditation tradition (prior to tinkering with Buddhist meditation). I am HIGHLY skeptical and averse to adhering to one (or another) traditional school of anything (for better or for worse).
As such.
I have delayed any kind of serious deep dive into Buddhist Suttas and their commentaries until very recently.
So why am I diving in now?
Several reasons: most importantly, after decades of meditation and other insight oriented practices. I had a recent (very profound and transformative) awakening experience that suddenly drastically reduced the cognitive dissonance I previously experienced, and made a lot of these types of texts/teachings make MUCH more sense.
NOTE: I’m just being honest here. And I honestly don’t know how else to say that last bit. But make of it what you will.
As such.
This type of text is suddenly MUCH more useful.
Secondly.
I’m getting older (I’m 57 at the time of this writing). And along with getting old, I’m getting concurrently much less rigid about clarifying and assessing the veracity of truth claims, and simultaneously much more concerned about finding was of helping others find durable refuge from suffering, and a sense of meaning and purpose that can function as a platform from which they (I/ME/WE/US) can be of service.
I offer all of the above as a context for the limitations and delimitations (qualifications) for the opinions expressed here in regarding this text.
In other words, i’m not a Buddhist scholar or expert. I’m not affiliated with any particular school of Buddhism. Or even Buddhism at all for that matter.
But neither am I completely naïve or inexperienced in the philosophies and practices of Buddhism.
I am somewhere in between.
Which would probably make me like a lot of other readers of this particular version of this text.
There you have it 😀
5/5 ⭐️
October 20, 2016
I don't really want to rate this book. I want to own it and turn to it on occasions. Hard to explain.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews