The Dhammapada The Sayings of the Buddha

by Carter, John Ross; Palihawadana, Mahinda

• ISBN13: 9780192836137
• ISBN10: 0192836137
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-11-23
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

The Dhammapada, the Pali version of one of the most popular texts of the Buddhist canon, ranks among the classics of the world's great religious literature. Like all religious texts in Pali, the Dhammapada belongs to the Therevada school of the Buddhist tradition, adherents of which are now found primarily in Kampuchea, Laos, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Dhammapada, or 'sayings of the dhamma', is taken to be a collection of the utterances of the Buddhahimself. Taken together, the verses form a key body of teaching within Buddhism, a guiding voice along the struggle-laden path towards true enlightenment, or Nirvana. However, the appeal of these epithets of wisdom extends beyond its religious heritage to a general and universal spirituality. This edition provides an introduction and notes which examine the impact that the text has had within the Buddhist heritage through the centuries.

Table of Contents

Introduction	xi
Select Bibliography	xxvii
THE DHAMMAPADA
The Pairs	3	(3)
Awareness	6	(2)
The Mind	8	(2)
Flowers	10	(3)
The Childish	13	(3)
The Sagacious	16	(2)
The Worthy	18	(2)
The Thousands	20	(3)
The Wrong	23	(2)
The Rod	25	(3)
Old Age	28	(2)
The Self	30	(2)
The World	32	(2)
The Awakened One	34	(3)
Happiness	37	(2)
The Pleasant	39	(2)
Wrath	41	(2)
Stains	43	(3)
The Firm in Dhamma	46	(3)
The Path	49	(3)
Miscellaneous	52	(3)
Hell	55	(2)
The Elephant	57	(2)
Craving	59	(4)
The Bhikkhu	63	(3)
The Brahmana	66	(6)
Explanatory Notes	72