The Dhammapada: The Buddha's Path of Wisdom

by Acharya Buddharakkhita, Bhikkhu Bodhi (Introduction)

An anthology of 423 verses spoken by the Buddha, the Dhammapada serves as the perfect compendium of his teachings for study, reflection, and contemplation. This popular edition from the Buddhist Publication Society transmits the spirit and content as well as the style of the original, skillfully combining clarity and vigor of expression with careful fidelity to the meaning.The inclusion of the Pali text gives students of Pali immediate access to the original. A long introduction by Bhikkhu Bodhi describes the structure of the Dhammapada and shows how the work embodies the essential teachings of the Buddha."Wherever [The Dhammapada] has become known its moral earnestness, realistic understanding of human life, aphoristic wisdom, and stirring message of a way to freedom from suffering has won for it the devotion and veneration of those responsive to the good and the true." from the Introduction

Genres: Buddhism, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Philosophy

137 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 25, 2020

Reviews

[Tristan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wise collection of aphorisms, best read slowly and repeatedly. Below are a handful that seem well worth reflecting upon—unless you’re big on pleasure-seeking, in which case this is not the book (nor the religion) for you.

290. If by renouncing a lesser happiness one may realize a greater happiness, let the wise man renounce the lesser, having regard for the greater happiness.

228. There never was, there never will be, nor is there now, a person who is wholly blamed or wholly praised.

81. Just as a solid rock is not shaken by the wind, even so the wise are not affected by praise or blame.

31. The monk who delights in heedfulness and looks with fear at heedlessness advances like fire, burning all fetters subtle and coarse.

76. If one finds someone who points out faults and who reproves, one should follow such a wise and sagacious person as one would a guide to hidden treasure. It is always better, and never worse, to cultivate such an association.

83. The good renounce (attachment for) everything; the virtuous do not prattle with a yearning for pleasures. The wise show no elation or depression when touched by happiness or sorrow.

253. He who seeks another’s faults, who is ever censorious—his cankers grow. He is far from the destruction of the cankers.

147. Behold this body, a painted image, a mass of heaped up sores—infirm, full of hankering, with nothing lasting or stable.

258. One is not wise because one speaks much; one who is peaceable, friendly, and fearless is called wise.

167. Do not follow the vulgar way; do not live in heedlessness; do not hold false views; do not linger long in worldly existence.

170. When one looks upon the world as a bubble and a mirage, the King of Death does not see one.

91. The mindful ones exert themselves. They are not attached to any home; like swans that abandon the lake, they leave home after home behind.

348. Let go of the past, let go of the future, let go of the present, and cross over to the farther shore of existence. With mind wholly liberated, you shall come no more to birth and decay.

[james · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like Psalms but not Psalms. Verses in the style of Buddhist philosophy, even more, phrases Gotama used when speaking to various people or groups. I have a couple favorites (verse 165) : "By oneself is evil done, by oneself is one defiled. By oneself is evil left undone, by oneself is one purified. Purity and impurity depend on myself - no one can purify another." I like this one because it says its up to you. It's all up to you. Self-agency. It encourages us not to look to be saved, but to be our own salvation. There's another verse where Gotama is asked who taught him what he knows about this path? He concludes saying in so many words that this path he learned himself (verse 353). The buddha says be a refuge unto oneself. If you can find wise friends, do everything you can to secure and strengthen these relationships, but if you hang with fools, you're better off on your own and you should make haste to seperate from these fools, being better off on one's own as "fools are enemies unto themselves" (verse 66). Again and again the buddha urges anyone interested in this path to pursue it with urgency and effort. Seek the other shore. The wisdom seems endless in the literature and these verses nicely summarize the essence of the buddha's teachings. I have another about someone who doesn't practice what he's preaching or one who quotes teachings but doesn't practice them. This person is like a cowherder who counts another's cattle. You're not partaking of the blessings of the holy life (verse 19).

[robert e. watling jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have at least ten translations of the Dhammapada on my kindle, but this is the one I always come back to. My favorite verse is "183. To avoid all evil, to cultivate good, and to cleanse one’s own mind—this is the teaching of the Buddhas." This is the whole Buddhist practice in one sentence. Everything else he taught in his life was an enlargement on this reading. This book is a life changing and mind-expanding experience.

[Venkat Krishnan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Dhammapada is a timeless source of inspiration and practical instruction for the earnest seeker. It is a wonderful guidebook of practical spirituality. Each of its 423 verses provides an extremely valuable instruction for right living.

The verses are arranged in 26 chapters, in an easily understandable manner. All the verses in a chapter exhibit a meaningful development of one theme.

This is a unique book comprising the most stimulating thoughts arranged in the most lucid style.

[Francisca Villahermosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basic teachings of Buddhism

By basic I mean essential, core, minimal set of teachings that lead to a understanding of Buddhist training. This is my second time reading this book, and will read it again.

[Hache · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

"Think not lightly of good, saying, “It will not come to me.” Drop by drop is the water pot filled. Likewise, the wise man, gathering it little by little, fills himself with good"

Este libro le pegaría durísimo a alguien con TOC de moralidad

[Brian Wilcox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had read the Dhammapada twice prior, many years before this reading. I most enjoyed this translation.

The Dhammapada is a classic and a masterpiece. It embodies profound wisdom and superb language usage. Captivating is the employment of images. The Dhammapada is worth reading for its literary excellence, but it offers so much more.

I compare the Dhammapada, in its style and genre, to the Proverbs, or מִשְלֵי, Mīšlē, in the Hebrew Bible and Christian Scriptures. These writings are timeless, practical, and fit to be read over and over. After this reading was completed, I decided to continue reading at least a chapter of the Dhammapada daily. I find its guidance inspiring and instructive, a good part of a daily spiritual diet.

Finally, the Dhammapada, like wisdom writings generally, speaks beyond the borders of the spiritual path from which it arose. Hence, the Dhammapada, like the above-mentioned book from the Jewish and Christian paths, offers wise guidance for anyone who wishes to live a sane and virtuous life, which means a truly human one.

To sit before the Dhammapada is like sitting before a sage. One is wise to listen, learn, and live what is heard there.

[krishna prasad · Rating 5 out of 5]

well written book and advise

Good introduction to Buddhism for people with limted understanding of principals.practical to apply daily life in busy world.sil
Maple English translation

[B · Rating 5 out of 5]

So full of wisdom in brief and pithy sentences.