About The Dhammapada

August 11, 2024

Introduction

One of the most famous Theravāda dhamma books would be The Dhammapada. It is a book of Buddhist Poetry consisting of 423 verses. It has been translated numerous times in English and might be the most widely translated Buddhist Book in the world. Some of the translated titles are below:

The Teachings Of The Buddha
Footprint Of The Buddha
The words Of The Buddha
The verses Of The Buddha

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You can find some translated versions of the Dhammapada text here (as shown in the video):

The Commentary stories (explained below) can be found at:

Buddhist Legends

Dhammapada Commentary Stories

The Dhammapada is located in the Khuddaka Nikāya of the Sutta Piṭaka and it was arranged by the first Buddhist Council. Its verses (gāthā) were spoken by the Buddha shortly after an incident happened. The verse can be seen as a “Moral of the Story” that summed up the lessons to be learned. The commentary to the Dhammapada contains many of the stories where the verses are pulled from and we can understand that the commentaries were not a later invention if the Dhammapada was compiled by the First Council. The Commentaries were translated under the title “Buddhist Legends”, which were part of the esteemed Harvard Oriental Series. They were some of the first Pāḷi texts to be translated and are now in the public domain because of the time past since the author’s death. Because the scholars chose this to be one of the first works to translate, you should understand that it is an important text for all Buddhist to read. Some famous stories found in Buddhist Legends include:

Ciñcā falsely accuses the Buddha,
Not Hatred for Hatred,
Paṭācārā (lost family),
Kisā Gotamī (mustard seeds)

If you are a seasoned Buddhist, you might recognize some of these classic stories. In Asian Theravādan countries, it is very common for the monks to give a daily anumodana (rejoicing and thanks-giving) talk based on a verse and the related story. The teachings are rich and often have past life information which can help one understand cause and effect.

Themes

The Dhammapada covers ethical conduct, mental discipline, and philosophical insight. It also contains practical advice for daily living and the attainments of the spiritual perfections. Laypeople and monastic will enjoy the themes which range from:

Anger management,
Faith,
Good friendship
Mindfulness, insight and the development of wisdom.
Spiritual liberation.

Pāḷi Meter or Pāḷi Poetry (Gāthā)

The poetry of the Dhammapada is not a rhyming poetry that speakers of English might be used to. It consists of Metered verses called gāthā, which are based on the number of beats or syllables that are contained in each line. Usually 8 syllables are arranged in one line, but sometimes more are used for different patterns. Long vowels such as “ā” get a longer pronounced time than for a short vowel “a”. The same can be said about double consonants. This system of metered verses provides a rhythmic way of expressing words together to give a profound meaning. It is pleasant to hear, and also easier to remember. If you want to take a deep dive into Pāḷi Meter, you can download this book here .

Using Poetry As A Memory Aid

The teachings of the Buddha were originally memorized and kept in memory, chanted in groups. Only later were the teachings written down. Just as Rhyming poetry can help one remember what will come next, in the same way tones and rhythm can also do the same to aid with memory.

It is common for monks to memorize the Dhammapada. If you want to become a PhD student at ITBMU, you will need to have the entire 423 verses in memory. The monk will be given the first line and then he must complete the other lines to make up the full verse. At The International Institute of Theravāda , we are memorizing the entire Dhammapada over the course of 2 years. We are doing this 7+ verses at a time. While it is not required to keep the entire book in the mind at once, it is still very useful. We will finish 224 verses by mid October. The benefits are below:

Vocabulary is learned for each word
Grammar is learned for each word or verse
The verse is repeated over and over again for memory
A deeper knowledge of each verse is obtained compared to one who has simply read the verse one time.

Sample Verses

Some examples of the Dhammapada are below:

Verse 224 (Donation, morality, and love)

saccaṃ bhaṇe na kujjheyya: speaking truth, one should not get angry
dajjā appampi yācito: give, even if a little, when asked
etehi tīhi ṭhānehi: by these three conditions
gacche devāna santike: one goes to the presence of the gods

Verse 21 (Heedfulness)

appamādo amatapadaṃ: Heedfulness is the path to the Deathless
pamādo maccuno padaṃ: heedlessness is the path to death
appamattā na mīyanti: the heedful do not die
ye pamattā yathā matā: the heedless are as if already dead

Verse 277 (Insight)

“sabbe saṅkhārā aniccā"ti: “All conditioned things are impermanent”
yadā paññāya passati: when one sees this with wisdom
atha nibbindati dukkhe: then one becomes disenchanted with suffering
esa maggo visuddhiyā: this is the path to purification

Verse 5 (Anger)

na hi verena verāni: hatred is never appeased by hatred
sammantīdha kudācanaṃ: here at any time
averena ca sammanti: by non-hatred alone are they appeased
esa dhammo sanantano: this is the eternal law

Verse 183 (Purification)

sabbapāpassa akaraṇaṃ: not doing any evil
kusalassa upasampadā: to undertake what is skillful
sacittapariyodapanaṃ: to purify one’s own mind
etaṃ buddhāna sāsanaṃ: this is the teaching of the Buddhas

AI Generated Meter

In The Dhammapada’s sacred verse,
Buddha’s wisdom, brief and terse.
Teachings flow in rhythmic beat,
Truths that every heart will greet.
Ethics, insight, discipline,
Paths where liberation’s seen.
Through gāthā’s beat, each lesson clear,
Buddha’s voice still whispers near.

Conclusion

The Dhammapada is a book of Pāḷi gāthā poetry composed by the Buddha after incidents happened. The stories are separately recorded in the 3 volume set called Buddhist Legends. They cover a variety of universal themes that often go beyond religious bounds. Because of this, The Dhammapada is an excellent book for all Buddhists to refer to, and that is why it is one of the most popular and most important Buddhist books translated into English today.