A fundamental Buddhist text, and one of the world's true classic religious scriptures. A must-read for anyone interested in spirituality, Eastern religion, or in just becoming a better person.
423 short aphorisms, none as pithy as "Might makes Right", "If you got it, flaunt it", or even "My Karma ran over my Dogma", but, hey, it's a translation.
This was a fairly quick read, with a lot of very uplifting and encouraging content, which I think we could all profit from these days, all things being equal. The introduction is somewhat esoteric, but still mostly accessible. As with most other scriptural writings by Great Teachers, these short maxims are principle-based guidance for self-improvement rather than rigid laws (although I would argue that many are presented as "universal truths, but that's still somewhat different). They also provide one with a framework - or rather, the building blocks and raw materials for constructing your own - for interacting with others and living a virtuous life. This short but profound collection is often called the Buddhist Book of Proverbs, as it's in a similar format to that book of the Hebrew scripture people in the US are more familiar with.
The term "Dhammapada" is Pali, rather than Sanskrit, meaning, in essence, the "righteous way" or path, being a compound of the term "dhamma" (better known as dharma, in Sanskrit) and pada (ped/peds in Latin, an Indo-European derivative), meaning foot, or path. It is a short collection of "sayings," reportedly composed by the Buddha himself. Because it is so easily accessible, it is one of the most well-known of the comprehensive Buddhist scriptural canon. Each maxim was reportedly uttered by the Buddha in response to a specific occurrence or situation during his life at his monastic community.
The exact date of the text, as it appears in written form, is unknown, although it was likely composed from earlier sources in the fifth century BC. There are also multiple extant versions which have survived including Sanskrit versions and a Tibetan translation. There are 423 verses contained in 26 chapters. This collection is a part of the Sutta-pitaka, or Collection of Sermons of the Pali Tripitaka, a larger collection of proverbs that comprise some of the Buddhist sacred texts. It was reportedly first translated into a European language, Latin, in 1855, so it's a VERY recent introduction into European context. It was only first published in English in 1881, by Oxford University Press.
Part of the difficulty was that translation was fraught with difficulty, even more so in considering the subject, as words and phrases in ancient Pali really have no equivalent in modern English, being highly concept-driven, as the case with many ancient languages. The skill and experience of the translator then becomes critical. Even so, it is often helpful to employ multiple translations to see how different scholars have rendered the meaning of the original text. For example, the concept of "mind" or "mentality," can be both physical spiritual, meaning both the act of physical "sensation," i.e., smell, taste, touch, but also thinking and consciousness.
The point, I think, as in the case of all great literature, is for the reader to meditate upon the text, both its surface and deeper meaning, and then apply the principles in their own lives, as they internalize the significance of the message, which, ideally, is something different to everyone who reads it, based on their own beliefs and experiences. So, what appeals to each individual can also reveal their innermost principles and values. I highly recommend that each person so inclined read it through the lens of their own experiences, and let the words and their deeper meanings inspire you.
The term "Dhammapada" is Pali, rather than Sanskrit, meaning, in essence, the "righteous way" or path, being a compound of the term "dhamma" (better known as dharma, in Sanskrit) and pada (ped/peds in Latin, an Indo-European derivative), meaning foot, or path. It is a short collection of "sayings," reportedly composed by the Buddha himself. Because it is so easily accessible, it is one of the most well-known of the comprehensive Buddhist scriptural canon. Each maxim was reportedly uttered by the Buddha in response to a specific occurrence or situation during his life at his monastic community.
The exact date of the text, as it appears in written form, is unknown, although it was likely composed from earlier sources in the fifth century BC. There are also multiple extant versions which have survived including Sanskrit versions and a Tibetan translation. There are 423 verses contained in 26 chapters. This collection is a part of the Sutta-pitaka, or Collection of Sermons of the Pali Tripitaka, a larger collection of proverbs that comprise some of the Buddhist sacred texts. It was reportedly first translated into a European language, Latin, in 1855, so it's a VERY recent introduction into European context. It was only first published in English in 1881, by Oxford University Press.
Part of the difficulty was that translation was fraught with difficulty, even more so in considering the subject, as words and phrases in ancient Pali really have no equivalent in modern English, being highly concept-driven, as the case with many ancient languages. The skill and experience of the translator then becomes critical. Even so, it is often helpful to employ multiple translations to see how different scholars have rendered the meaning of the original text. For example, the concept of "mind" or "mentality," can be both physical spiritual, meaning both the act of physical "sensation," i.e., smell, taste, touch, but also thinking and consciousness.
The point, I think, as in the case of all great literature, is for the reader to meditate upon the text, both its surface and deeper meaning, and then apply the principles in their own lives, as they internalize the significance of the message, which, ideally, is something different to everyone who reads it, based on their own beliefs and experiences. So, what appeals to each individual can also reveal their innermost principles and values. I highly recommend that each person so inclined read it through the lens of their own experiences, and let the words and their deeper meanings inspire you.
