The Dhammapada

By Digireads.com Publishing

Passed along for centuries through oral tradition by the followers of Buddhism, “The Dhammapada” is a collection of sayings by Buddha which concisely presents the religion’s core philosophies. Widely recognized as one of the most accessible works of all the Buddhist scriptures, the verses of the work describe events in the life of Buddha through which the wisdom of Buddha’s beliefs are revealed. Unlike the proscriptive nature of the scriptures of other religions those of the Buddhist religion are not overly dogmatic but rather are intended to evoke thought and inspire debate around the principal struggles that humanity faces. This philosophical approach arises from the core belief in Buddhism that the perceived reality of all things is ultimately transitory in nature. What is the source of happiness in life? How can spiritual peace be obtained? The Buddhist religion seeks to set its followers on a path towards discovery of the answers to these fundamental questions. One of the most widely known and famous texts in Eastern culture, “The Dhammapada” is a staple of Buddhist scripture which will be a thought-provoking read for anyone wishing to challenge and expand their own system of beliefs. This edition follows the translation of Albert J. Edmunds.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Digireads.com Publishing
• Release date: Sep 21, 2020
• ISBN: 9781420976359

Book preview

cover.jpg

THE DHAMMAPADA

BEING

AN ANCIENT ANTHOLOGY PRESERVED

IN THE SHORT COLLECTION OF

THE SACRED SCRIPTURES

OF THE BUDDHISTS

Translated by ALBERT J. EDMUNDS

The Dhammapada

Translated by Albert J. Edmunds

Print ISBN 13: 978-1-4209-7468-3

eBook ISBN 13: 978-1-4209-7635-9

This edition copyright © 2021. Digireads.com Publishing.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Cover Image: The Buddha, c. 1905 (pastel on paper), by Odilon Redon (1840-1916) / Musee d’Orsay, Paris, France / Bridgeman Images.

Please visit www.digireads.com

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

PREFACE TO THE SUTRA CALLED FA-KHEU

I. ANTITHESES

II. EARNESTNESS

III. THE HEART

IV. FLOWERS

V. FOOLS

VI. THE PANDIT (OR, SCHOLAR)

VII. THE ARAHAT

VIII. THOUSANDS

IX. EVIL (OR WRONG)

X. THE ROD

XI. OLD AGE

XII. ONESELF

XIII. THE WORLD

XIV. THE BUDDHA

XV. HAPPINESS

XVI. PLEASURE

XVII. ANGER

XVIII. BANES

XIX. THE JUST

XX. THE WAY

XXI. MISCELLANY

XXII. HELL

XXIII. THE ELEPHANT

XXIV. THIRST

XXV. THE MONK

XXVI. THE BRAHMIN

GLOSSARY OF PÂLI BUDDHIST TERMS

POSTSCRIPT

DEDICATED TO MY FRIENDS

BUNFORD AND ELLA SAMUEL

OF MOUNT AIRY, PHILADELPHIA

AS WHOSE GUEST I TRANSLATED THE

GREATER PART OF THIS BOOK

Introduction

This ancient anthology of Buddhist devotional poetry was compiled from the utterances of Gotamo and his disciples; from early hymns by monks; and from the popular poetic proverbs of India. Several of the Dhammapada verses are found in the Hymns by Monks, a book of the sacred Pâli Canon. Others are found scattered throughout that Canon, in all its main collections of Discourses, and four even in the Books of Discipline; while we encounter yet others in the national Epic of India and in the Law-Book of Manu, which is the Hindû Deuteronomy. These last are written in classical Sanskrit; but as Pâli is a popular idiom thereof, but little change is needed to turn a stanza from one tongue to the other—no more than to Anglicize the Hallowe’en of Burns. Not only in the pure Sanskrit of the Brahmin classics do we find stray lines of our Hymns, but in the corrupt Sanskrit of later Buddhist literature, which arose in the valley of the Ganges during the two centuries preceding the Christian era. Moreover, some fragments of Buddhist verse found in Chinese Turkestan, and dating from very early times, contain stanzas known to the Dhammapada, but written in a debased Prâkrit or provincial dialect.

In these various forms—Pâli, Sanskrit and Prâkrit,{1}—the sacred books were recited in Buddhist monasteries, from Ceylon to Afghanistan, for four hundred years, until, about 40 B. C.,{2} they began to be written; at first in Ceylon alone, but afterwards wherever the religion went. A Chinese account, however, says that the Book of Discipline was copied in the second century B. C., from an older archetype. In the early Christian centuries the Hymns were taken to China, to Cambodia, and still later to Burmah,{3} Japan, Tibet and Siam. We have at least one version in Chinese which sticks quite close to the Pâli, though adding new selections. Besides this true translation, the Chinese have produced varied recensions (just as the early Christians with the Clementines) which deal very freely with the matter. At the same time, the Chinese had an historical and critical sense which was lacking in the Hindûs, and they knew the difference between a faithful and a licentious textual form. We have appended to this introduction the Chinese preface translated by Beal, the quaint statements of which will bear out what we are saying, and throw light also upon the religious mind of China, which is not essentially different from our own.

As our collection of Hymns is a series of extracts, it is possible that it was not compiled until after the age of writing. So the Chinese Preface would make it appear; but Hindû literary habits and ours are so different, that we cannot be sure of this. The Chinese in other accounts even give the name of the compiler, Dharmatrâta; and some indications seem to point to the first century before Christ as his date. But this is uncertain. We do know, however, both from the Pâli Monkish Hymn-Book, and from the Tibetan historian, that hymn-writers flourished during the third century that followed the demise of Gotamo, as well as earlier.

The first printed edition of the Dhammapada was made in 972, when the Chinese recension of the Buddhist Scriptures and their concomitant literature was first printed. The Pâli original was destined to be printed at last by a Christian scholar at Copenhagen in 1855, when Vincent Fausböll’s edition was also the first Pâli text to be printed in Europe.{4} It is from this veteran scholar’s second edition (London, 1900) that our present translation has been made. Much help has been derived from the Latin translation of

Reviews for The Dhammapada

[stillatim · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm not silly enough to review the Dhammapada; I'm reviewing this edition. So, just know that the Roebuck translation in Penguin Classics is probably not great if you don't know much about Buddhism, but is glorious if you do. The notes are mostly stories that have been used to explain individual verses, which are often very fun, and give you more insight into the religion than more sanitized, Western readings (in which Buddhism is mostly about stabilizing your brain-wave patterns).

Roebuck's introduction focuses on the textual history of the Dhammapada, which is useful for some scholarly purposes, I'm sure, but, again, not very useful if you're coming to ancient Buddhism for the first time. The glossary is very useful, though.

So, all in all, a very nice edition. The translation is readable without straining for poetry, which I liked.

[jefware · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

There is wisdom here hidden in verse form and covered over with years of translation. After decoding it is a great insight into Goatama Buddha,

[booklove1-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a lovely translation, but the word choices lean towards the Christan mind set.

[thedivineoomba · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a slim volume of Buddhist teachings- only a page or two per topic. It ranges from Anger, to Old Age. The wisdom presented is easily understood, but difficult to master. Regardless of what you believe, or religion you follow, there will be something for you to ponder on.

[michael5rimmer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I doubt I have anything original to say about The Dhammapada, but I'll offer my tuppence-worth anyway.Its message is a deceptively simple one, in essence "be kind, be mindful". In that, as the editor of my edition, Juan Mascaró, says, it has a commonality with the essence of every major world religion. I guess the differences between religions are mainly in the particular cultural presentation of universal truths (and, perhaps, the lengths to which we go to justify deviating from the clearly marked path).The passages in the Dhammapada which particularly resonated for me on this reading were those that chime with the person-centred worldview based on the psychological theory of Carl R. Rogers. So, for example, chapters one and two (Contrary Ways and Watchfulness) had meaning for me in respect of Rogers' quality of Congruence: the awareness of the flow of thought and feeling in ourselves and how they arise and are more or less distorted through the lens of past experience and psychological defensiveness. Other chapters speak to me of the process of personality change and the movement from rigid, pre-defined views of the world, to a more fluid, in-the-moment 'way of being' (to borrow the title of one of Rogers' books). There are, for me, other correspondences (though I wouldn't go so far as to say there are exact matches throughout) which I won't elaborate on, but which added to the richness of my reading this time around.I find it fascinating that a secular, science-based approach to understanding the nature of being human can arrive at some very similar conclusions to those underlying our oldest religious traditions. This is why, as an atheist, I'm still interested in religion. It's part of who we are and the tendency towards religious ways of experiencing is likely to continue unabated as a part of us.I'm not personally inclined towards a belief in godhead, but the numinous feeling of universal oneness which I have sometimes (rarely) felt speaks to me of the deep relatedness which, at our best, we can recognise for each other as persons of intrinsic worth, regardless of any other perceived differences.

[clara53_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a golden nugget of a book - a tiny paperback containing tons of wisdom. Dhammapada (Dhamma in Pali, Dharma in Sanskrit - both meaning the Truth), the 423 aphorisms of the way of the Buddha, the Perfect Path, is translated from Pali language. The Introduction by Juan Mascaro, covering one third of the tiny book, is in itself a wonderful interpretation of what is to follow. A must book on one's bedside table.

[davidpwithun_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Dhammapada, a collection of sayings of the Buddha, is certainly a book filled with wisdom from a very wise man. It was great to read it and, as a Christian, to be able to appreciate his insights into human nature and into the nature of reality. Buddhist spirituality has always deeply impressed me and I was certainly not disappointed by reading this book. Easwaran's notes are generally very helpful, though his constant need to compare Christianity and Christ, neither of which he seems to understand very well, with Buddhism and the Buddha was a bit annoying at times. Overall, I think this is a book from which much insight can be gained and I recommend it to others as well.

[jvalamala_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The translation is a bit odd at times: Church for Sangha for instance. Not sure where the yin-yang on the cover comes from?I'm sure there are better translations of this pop collection of Lord Buddha's teachings, but I wouldn't know as after reading I went straight to Bhikkhu Bodhi's excellent translations of the Nikayas.

[anagarika · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Simply beautiful! A reader can immerse oneself for days. An amazing translation. Beautiful! This book is small enough to carry around in a pocket, and I keep it with me at all times. It's that amazing.

[signature103 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Much better than the Penguin edition.