====================================================================== = Dhammapada = ====================================================================== Introduction ====================================================================== The 'Dhammapada' (; ) is a collection of sayings of the Buddha in verse form and one of the most widely read and best known Buddhist scriptures. The original version of the Dhammapada is in the Khuddaka Nikaya, a division of the Pali Canon of Theravada Buddhism. The Buddhist scholar and commentator Buddhaghosa explains that each saying recorded in the collection was made on a different occasion in response to a unique situation that had arisen in the life of the Buddha and his monastic community. His translation of the commentary, the 'Dhammapada Atthakatha', presents the details of these events and is a rich source of legend for the life and times of the Buddha. Etymology ====================================================================== The title "Dhammapada" is a compound term composed of 'dhamma' and 'pada', each word having a number of denotations and connotations. Generally, 'dhamma' can refer to the Buddha's "doctrine" or an "eternal truth" or "righteousness" or all "phenomena"; at its root, 'pada' means "foot" and thus by extension, especially in this context, means either "path" or "verse" (cf. "prosodic foot") or both. English translations of this text's title have used various combinations of these and related words. History ====================================================================== According to tradition, the Dhammapada's verses were spoken by the Buddha on various occasions. Glenn Wallis states: "By distilling the complex models, theories, rhetorical style and sheer volume of the Buddha's teachings into concise, crystalline verses, the Dhammapada makes the Buddhist way of life available to anyone...In fact, it is possible that the very source of the Dhammapada in the third century B.C.E. is traceable to the need of the early Buddhist communities in India to laicize the ascetic impetus of the Buddha's original words." The text is part of the Khuddaka Nikaya of the Sutta Pitaka, although over half of the verses exist in other parts of the Pali Canon.Geiger (2004), p. 19, para. 11.2 writes: In a similar vein, Hinüber (2000), p. 45, para. 90 remarks: "The contents of the [Dhammapada] are mainly gnomic verses, many of which have hardly any relation to Buddhism." A 4th or 5th century CE commentary attributed to Buddhaghosa includes 305 stories which give context to the verses. The Pāli Dhammapada is one of the most popular pieces of Theravada literature. It is the oldest available manuscripts date to 1500 CE. A compiler is not named. A critical edition of the Dhammapada in Latin was produced by Danish scholar Viggo Fausbøll in 1855, becoming the first Pali text to receive this kind of examination by the European academic community. Parallels =========== Although the Pāli edition is the best-known, a number of other versions are known: * "Gāndhārī Dharmapada" - a version possibly of Dharmaguptaka or Kāśyapīya originBrough (2001), pp. 44-45, summarizes his findings and inferences as: :"... We can with reasonable confidence say that the Gāndhārī text did not belong to the schools responsible for the Pali Dhammapada, the Udānavarga, and the Mahāvastu; and unless we are prepared to dispute the attribution of any of these, this excludes the Sarvāstivādins and the Lokottaravāda-Mahāsānghikas, as well as the Theravādins (and probably, in company with the last, the ). Among possible claimants, the Dharmaguptakas and must be considered as eligible, but still other possibilities cannot be ruled out." in Gāndhārī written in Kharosthi script * "Patna Dharmapada" - a version in Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit, most likely of the Sāmatiya sect * "Udānavarga" - a seemingly related Mula-Sarvastivada or Sarvastivada textHinüber (2000), p. 45, para. 89, notes: :More than half of [the Dhammapada verses] have parallels in corresponding collections in other Buddhist schools, frequently also in non-Buddhist texts. The interrelation of these different versions has been obscured by constant contamination in the course of the text transmission. This is particularly true in case of one of the Buddhist Sanskrit parallels. The Udānavarga originally was a text corres[p]onding to the Pāli Udāna.... By adding verses from the Dhp [Dhammapada] it was transformed into a Dhp parallel in course of time, which is a rare event in the evolution of Buddhist literature. in ** 3 Sanskrit versions ** a Tibetan translation, which is popular in traditional Tibetan Buddhism * "Mahāvastu" - a Lokottaravāda text with parallels to verses in the Pāli Dhammapada's 'Sahassa Vagga' and 'Bhikkhu Vagga'. * "FaJuJing 法句经" - 4 Chinese works; one of these appears to be an expanded translation of the Pali version; this has not traditionally been very popular. ** The 'Faju jing -' translated and compiled by Weizhinan in 224 CE ** The 'Faju piyu jing -' compiled by Faju and Fali between 290-306 CE ** The 'Chuyao jing' '-' translated by Zhu Fonian in 383 CE ** The 'Faju yaosong jing' '-' translated by Tianxizai between 980-999 CE Comparing the Pali Dhammapada, the Gandhari Dharmapada and the Udanavarga, Brough (2001) identifies that the texts have in common 330 to 340 verses, 16 chapter headings and an underlying structure. He suggests that the three texts have a "common ancestor" but underlines that there is no evidence that any one of these three texts might have been the "primitive Dharmapada" from which the other two evolved.Brough (2001), pp. 23-30. After considering the hypothesis that these texts might lack a "common ancestor," Brough (2001), p. 27, conjectures: :On the evidence of the texts themselves it is much more likely that the schools, in some manner or other, had inherited from the period before the schisms which separated them, a definite tradition of a Dharmapada-text which ought to be included in the canon, however fluctuating the contents of this text might have been, and however imprecise the concept even of a 'canon' at such an early period. The differing developments and rearrangements of the inherited material would have proceeded along similar lines to those which, in the Brahmanical schools, produced divergent but related collections of texts in the different Yajur-veda traditions. He then continues: :... [When] only the common material [is] considered, a comparison of the Pali Dhammapada, the Gandhari text, and the Udanavarga, has produced no evidence whatsoever that any one of these has any superior claim to represent a 'primitive Dharmapada' more faithfully than the others. Since the contrary appears to have been assumed from time to time, it is desirable to say with emphasis that the Pali text is 'not' the primitive Dharmapada. The assumption that it was would make its relationship to the other texts altogether incomprehensible. Organization ====================================================================== The Pali Dhammapada contains 423 verses in 26 chapters (listed in Pali and English):Brough (2001) orders the chapters of the Gandhari Dharmapada as follows: [Parenthesized question marks are part of Brough's titles.] Cone (1989) orders the chapters of the Patna Dharmapada as follows: !Ch. !Pali !English 1 |'Yamaka-vaggo' The Pairs ('see excerpt below') 2 |'Appamda-vaggo' Heedfulness 3 |'Citta-vaggo' The Mind 4 |'Puppha-vaggo' Flowers 5 |'Bla-vaggo' Fools ('excerpt') 6 |'Paita-vaggo' The Wise 7 |'Arahanta-vaggo' The Arahats 8 |'Sahassa-vaggo' The Thousands 9 |'Ppa-vaggo' Wickedness 10 |'Daa-vaggo' The Stick ('excerpt') 11 |'Jar-vaggo' Old Age 12 |'Atta-vaggo' The Self ('excerpt') 13 |'Loka-vaggo' The World ('excerpt') 14 |'Buddha-vaggo' The Buddha ('excerpt') 15 |'Sukha-vaggo' Happiness 16 |'Piya-vaggo' Love 17 |'Kodha-vaggo' Anger 18 |'Mala-vaggo' Stains 19 |'Dhammaha-vaggo' One who stands by Dhamma 20 |'Magga-vaggo' The Path ('excerpt') 21 |'Pakiaka-vaggo' Miscellaneous 22 |'Niraya-vaggo' The Underworld 23 |'Nga-vaggo' The Elephant 24 |'Taṇhā-vaggo' Craving ('excerpt') 25 |'Bhikkhu-vaggo' Monastics 26 |'Brahmin-vaggo' Brahmins Many of the themes within the Dhammapada are dichotomous. For example, contrasts between joy and suffering, virtuous action and misconduct, and truth and deceit recur throughout the text. Excerpts ====================================================================== The following Pali verses and corresponding English translations are from Ānandajoti (2017), which also contains explanatory footnotes. cellspacing="20" Chapter 1: Pairs (''Yamakavaggo'') ==================================== colspan="3" The translation of this simile is debated. Suddhaso Bhikku interprets the simile as "just as a track follows a wheel." He argues that other interpretations involve adding words that are not a direct translation of the original text. Specifically, 'cakkaṁ' means wheel, 'va' means as, 'vahato' means following, and 'padaṁ' means track, path, or foot. English translations ====================================================================== See also online translations listed in External links. * Daniel Gogerly, printed the first English translation of 'Dhammapada', comprising verses 1-255 in 1840 in Ceylon. * Tr F. Max Müller, from Pali, 1870; reprinted in 'Sacred Books of the East', volume X, Clarendon/Oxford, 1881; reprinted in 'Buddhism', by Clarence Hamilton; reprinted separately by Watkins, 2006; reprinted 2008 by Red and Black Publishers, St Petersburg, Florida, ; the first complete English translation; (there was a Latin translation by V. Fausböll in 1855). * Tr J. Gray, American Mission Press, Rangoon, 1881 * Tr J. P. Cooke & O. G. Pettis, Boston (Massachusetts?), 1898 * 'Hymns of Faith', tr Albert J. Edmunds, Open Court, Chicago, & Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., London, 1902 * Tr Norton T. W. Hazeldine, Denver, Colorado, 1902 * 'The Buddha's Way of Virtue', tr W. D. C. Wagiswara & K. J. Saunders, John Murray, London, 1912 * Tr Silacara, Buddhist Society, London, 1915 * Tr Suriyagoda Sumangala, in 'Ceylon Antiquary', 1915 * Tr A. P. Buddhadatta, Colombo Apothecaries, 1920? * 'The Buddha's Path of Virtue', tr F. L. Woodward, Theosophical Publishing House, London & Madras, 1921 * In 'Buddhist Legends', tr E. W. Burlinghame, Harvard Oriental Series, 1921, 3 volumes; reprinted by Pali Text Society [http://www.palitext.com], Bristol; translation of the stories from the commentary, with the Dhammapada verses embedded * Tr R. D. Shrikhande and/or P. L. Vaidya (according to different bibliographies; or did one publisher issue two translations in the same year?), Oriental Book Agency, Poona, 1923; includes Pali text * "Verses on Dhamma", in 'Minor Anthologies of the Pali Canon', volume I, tr C. A. F. Rhys Davids, 1931, Pali Text Society, Bristol; verse translation; includes Pali text * Tr N. K. Bhag(w?)at, Buddha Society, Bombay, 1931/5; includes Pali text * 'The Way of Truth', tr S. W. Wijayatilake, Madras, 1934 * Tr Irving Babbitt, Oxford University Press, New York & London, 1936; revision of Max Müller * Tr K. Gunaratana, Penang, Malaya, 1937 * 'The Path of the Eternal Law', tr Swami Premananda, Self-Realization Fellowship, Washington DC, 1942 * Tr Dhammajoti, Maha Bodhi Society, Benares, 1944 * Comp. Jack Austin, Buddhist Society, London, 1945 * 'Stories of Buddhist India', tr Piyadassi, 2 volumes, Moratuwa, Ceylon, 1949 & 1953; includes stories from the commentary * (see article) Tr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Oxford University Press, London, 1950; includes Pali text * 'Collection of Verses on the Doctrine of the Buddha', comp Bhadragaka, Bangkok, 1952 * Tr T. Latter, Moulmein, Burma, 1950? * Tr W. Somalokatissa, Colombo, 1953 * Tr Narada, John Murray, London, 1954 * Tr E. W. Adikaram, Colombo, 1954 * Tr A. P. Buddhadatta, Colombo, 1954; includes Pali text * Tr Siri Sivali, Colombo, 1954 * Tr ?, Cunningham Press, Alhambra, California, 1955 * Tr C. Kunhan Raja, Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar/Madras, 1956; includes Pali text * Free rendering and interpretation by Wesley La Violette, Los Angeles, 1956 * Tr Buddharakkhita, Maha Bodhi Society, Bangalore, 1959; 4th edn, Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy, Sri Lanka, 1996; includes Pali text * Tr Suzanne Karpelès, serialized in 'Advent' (Pondicherry, India), 1960-65; reprinted in 'Questions and Answers', Collected Works of the Mother, 3, Pondicherry, 1977 * 'Growing the Bodhi Tree in the Garden of the Heart', tr Khantipalo, Buddhist Association of Thailand, Bangkok, 1966; reprinted as 'The Path of Truth', Bangkok, 1977 * Tr P. Lal, New York, 1967/70 * Tr Juan Mascaró, Penguin Classics, 1973 * Tr Thomas Byrom, Shambhala, Boston, Massachusetts, & Wildwood House, London, 1976 () * Tr Ananda Maitreya, serialized in 'Pali Buddhist Review', 1 & 2, 1976/7; offprinted under the title 'Law Verses', Colombo, 1978; revised by Rose Kramer (under the Pali title), originally published by Lotsawa Publications in 1988, reprinted by Parallax Press in 1995 * 'The Buddha's Words', tr Sathienpong Wannapok, Bangkok, 1979 * 'Wisdom of the Buddha', tr Harischandra Kaviratna, Pasadena, 1980; includes Pali text * 'The Eternal Message of Lord Buddha', tr Silananda, Calcutta, 1982; includes Pali text * Tr Chhi Med Rig Dzin Lama, Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, Sarnath, India, 1982; tr from the modern Tibetan translation by dGe-'dun Chos-'phel; includes Pali & Tibetan texts * Tr & pub Dharma Publishing, Berkeley, California, 1985; tr from the modern Tibetan translation by dGe-'dun Chos-'phel * Commentary, with text embedded, tr Department of Pali, University of Rangoon, published by Union Buddha Sasana Council, Rangoon (date uncertain; 1980s) * Tr Daw Mya Tin, Burma Pitaka Association, Rangoon, 1986; probably currently published by the Department for the Promotion and Propagation of the Sasana, Rangoon, and/or Sri Satguru, Delhi * 'Path of Righteousness', tr David J. Kalupahana, Universities Press of America, Lanham, Maryland, c. 1986 * Tr Raghavan Iyer, Santa Barbara, 1986; includes Pali text * (see article) Tr Eknath Easwaran, Arkana, London, 1986/7(); reissued with new material Nilgiri Press 2007, Tomales, CA () * Tr John Ross Carter & Mahinda Palihawadana, Oxford University Press, New York, 1987; the original hardback edition also includes the Pali text and the commentary's explanations of the verses; the paperback reprint in the World's Classics Series omits these * Tr U. D. Jayasekera, Colombo, 1992 * 'Treasury of Truth', tr Weragoda Sarada, Taipei, 1993 * Tr Thomas Cleary, Thorsons, London, 1995 * 'The Word of the Doctrine', tr K. R. Norman, 1997, Pali Text Society, Bristol; the PTS's preferred translation * Intro/Ed. Anne Bancroft (Tr Byrom), Element Books, Shaftesbury, Dorset, & Richport, Massachusetts, 1997 * The Dhammapada: The Buddha's Path of Wisdom, tr Buddharakkhita, Buddhist Publication Society, 1998. () * 'The Way of Truth', tr Sangharakshita, Windhorse Publications, Birmingham, 2001 * Tr F. Max Müller (see above), revised Jack Maguire, SkyLight Pubns, Woodstock, Vermont, 2002 * Tr Glenn Wallis, Modern Library, New York, 2004 (); '[https://books.google.com/books?id=uuAEIUzh9J0C The Dhammapada: Verses on the Way]' * Tr Gil Fronsdal, Shambhala, Boston, Massachusetts, 2005 () * Tr Bhikkhu Varado, Inward Path, Malaysia, 2007; '[http://www.suttas.net/english/suttas/khuddaka-nikaya/dhammapada/index.php Dhammapada in English Verse]' Musical settings ====================================================================== * Ronald Corp's 2010 a cappella choral setting of Francis Booth's translation, released on Stone Records * Dhammapada - Sacred Teachings of the Buddha. Hariprasad Chaurasia & Rajesh Dubey. 2018 - Freespirit Records Sources ====================================================================== * Ānandajoti, Bhikkhu (2007). '[http://www.ancient-buddhist-texts.net/Buddhist-Texts/C3-Comparative-Dhammapada/index.htm A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada]'. U. of Peradeniya. [http://www.ancient-buddhist-texts.net Ancient Buddhist Texts] Retrieved 25 Nov 2008. * Ānandajoti, Bhikkhu (2017). '[https://www.ancient-buddhist-texts.net/Texts-and-Translations/Dhammapada/index.htm Dhammapada: Dhamma Verses],' 2nd edition. [https://www.ancient-buddhist-texts.net/ Ancient Buddhist Texts] Retrieved 1 May 2022. * Brough, John (2001). 'The Gāndhārī Dharmapada'. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited. * Buswell, Robert E. (ed.) (2003). 'Encyclopedia of Buddhism'. MacMillan Reference Books. . * Cone, Margaret (transcriber) (1989). "[http://www.ancient-buddhist-texts.net/Buddhist-Texts/C5-Patna/index.htm Patna Dharmapada]" in the 'Journal of the Pali Text Society' (Vol. XIII), pp. 101-217. Oxford: PTS. Online text interspersed with Pali parallels compiled by Ānandajoti Bhikkhu (2007). [http://www.ancient-buddhist-texts.net Ancient Buddhist Texts] Retrieved 06-15-2008. * Easwaran, Eknath (2007) (see article). 'The Dhammapada'. Nilgiri Press. . * Fronsdal, Gil (2005). 'The Dhammapada'. Boston: Shambhala. . * Geiger, Wilhelm (trans. by Batakrishna Ghosh) (1943, 2004). 'Pāli Literature and Language'. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers. .. * Harvey, Peter (1990, 2007). 'An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices'. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. . * Hinüber, Oskar von (2000). 'A Handbook of Pāli Literature'. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. . * Müller, F. Max (1881). 'The Dhammapada' (Sacred Books Of The East, Vol. X). Oxford University Press. * Ñāamoli, Bhikkhu (trans.) & Bhikkhu Bodhi (ed.) (2001). 'The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Majjhima Nikāya'. Boston: Wisdom Publications. . * Rhys Davids, T.W. & William Stede (eds.) (1921-5). 'The Pali Text Society's Pali-English Dictionary'. Chipstead: Pali Text Society. [https://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/pali/ Search inside the Pali-English Dictionary], University of Chicago Translations ============== * [https://www.wisdomlib.org/buddhism/book/dhammapada-illustrated Dhammapada, illustrated edition] (1993) With stories and commentary, by Ven. Weagoda Sarada Maha Thero [Includes glossary] * by Max Müller (1881) from Wikisource * by Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1950) [https://books.google.com/books?id=YSZ-QQAACAAJ Reprint, Oxford University Press] (1996) * [http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/dhamma/dham-hp.htm by Harischandra Kaviratna] (1980) * [http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/dhp/dhp.intro.budd.html by Buddharakkhita] (1985) ([http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/scrndhamma.pdf pdf] has intro by Bhikkhu Bodhi) * [https://web.archive.org/web/20060418154616/http://eawc.evansville.edu/anthology/dhammapada.htm by John Richards] (1993) * [https://archive.org/stream/pdfy-5xsS5pSi8sQDrKnc/The%20Dhammapada_djvu.txt by Thomas Byrom] (1993) * by Eknath Easwaran (1996) * [https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/KN/Dhp/index_Dhp.html by Thanissaro] (1997) * [http://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/books-articles/dhammapada/ by Gil Fronsdal - Reading by Chapter from 'The Dhammapada: A New Translation of the Buddhist Classic with Annotations'] - 2006 * [http://www.suttas.net/english/suttas/khuddaka-nikaya/dhammapada/index.php by Bhikkhu Varado and Samanera Bodhesako] (2008) * [http://buddhism.lib.ntu.edu.tw/BDLM/en/lesson/pali/lesson_pali3.htm Detailed word-by-word translation of the Dhammapada], including explanation of grammar * [https://www2.hf.uio.no/polyglotta/index.php?page=volume&vid=80 Multilingual edition of Dhammapada in the Bibliotheca Polyglotta] * [http://nanda.online-dhamma.net/tipitaka/sutta/khuddaka/dhammapada/dhp-contrast-reading/dhp-contrast-reading-en/ Parallel Reading (paragraph granularity) of The Buddha's Path of Wisdom-- Dhammapada (Dhp.)] Voice recordings ================== * [http://amberstar.libsyn.com/webpage/category/The%20Dhammapada Readings (mp3) from the Dhammapada], translated and read by Gil Fronsdal * License ========= All content on Gopherpedia comes from Wikipedia, and is licensed under CC-BY-SA License URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Original Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhammapada .