I like how the author gave a thorough introduction to Buddha and the Buddhist thought before getting into the text itself. There are many "sayings of Buddha" in this discourse. Full of wisdom that can apply to anyone at anytime in their life.

Brilliant. The Buddha is the closest figure I've had as a role model in my life and this elegantly translated compendium of his teachings rings very true to his word. Excellent work.

A re-read, this time in English translation. I got the Oxford version, because its form looked good in Amazon review (also its introduction is very clear and interesting; its explanatory notes are very useful too, very clear).I think I got more out of this this time, maybe a few years really changed things. I'm not a Buddhist, not believing in reincarnation for example, but even so I got a lot of enjoyment and inspiration out of this. It's a slim volume, so it can be read quickly, but it can als...

Very good edition. The text is beautiful. The message is good. This is the kind of thing that can be read and reread throughout your lifetime and will bring different meanings at different places in your life. I got a copy at the library. I will be looking for a personal copy to keep for my own. So beautiful. I really appreciated the accompanying notes.

The Dhammapada is a collection of Budist writings. These explain their chor beliefs. I found this a very intreaguing read. I am a Christian but I find it very informative to study other people's belief system. The Budist's beliefs are based primarily on love but it has a very practical side of how to conduct one's life here on earth. It does not speak to much of the life her-after. I plan to study further into the Budist religion to gain a more informative opinion. I would recommend every one st...

Just reread this. Little and big gems of wisdom throughout.

So this happened to be the just-in-case-I-get-stuck-waiting-somewhere book I had thrown in my purse on the day my car, later, wouldn’t start as the temperature marched toward 100 degrees (F). I had plenty of time standing in the parking lot to consider Buddha’s message since the tow truck got stuck in Senior Open golf tournament traffic and took three hours to arrive. Did the advice to let go of sensory impressions, perceptions, anger and conditioned reactions help? Yes, I think it did, although...

Notes on translations#13. Desire, passion. Interesting distinction. Chapter 1 - Twins1. Mind is the forerunner of all actions.All deeds are led by the mind, created by mind.If one speaks or acts with a corrupt mind,suffering follows,As the wheel follows the hoof of an ox pulling a cart.*Mind precedes all mental states. Mind is their chief; they are all mind-wrought. If with an impure mind a person speaks or acts suffering follows him like the wheel that follows the foot of the ox.Translator: Ach...

There are books to be read and books to be comprehended. The second class is like learning to ride a bike : you climb on it to fall down & you keep repeating the gesture until at least shakily you can move forth a few feet unaided. What is contained in this book while at a first read is absurdly simple in its spartan-ness is a very difficult set of guidelines to live with.The inspiration to know more about the Buddha was an unlikely source, a little trinket I bought. It was a resemblance of the

The sayings of Buddha as taken down by his followers. A beautiful and uplifting book.

“The one who has conquered himself is a far greater hero than he who has defeated a thousand times a thousand men.” The Dhammapada is a collection of sayings by Gautam Buddha and one of the most popular Buddhist scriptures. The sayings are, obviously, easier said than done. But even following just a fraction of them can bring a drastic change in one's life and perspective.

I'm attempting to read a few non-Western classics of philosophy, and this was my first real brush with Buddhism. I didn't find the Dhammapada quite as interesting as the Tao Te Ching, but (perhaps through naivete) I was surprised how Christian the path to perfection was, how deeply Franciscan. "This world is indeed in darkness, and how few can see the light! Just as few birds escape from a net, few souls can fly into the freedom of heaven.""But he who lives not for pleasures, and whose soul is i...

Very reflective and wholesome moral truths for living, quite a fresh read in the world of inconsequential candy reads. While one might not agree with every Buddhist principle for living, as I myself don't, the general truths that you pick up and contemplate throughout the day are hard to escape. Easy and quick, yet full of substance and worthy of review time and again.

This really is the ultimate guide to optimism, positive thinking and, in a sense, idealistic happiness. Some of the ideas in here speak with clarity and wisdom, the logic behind them is clear and strong; however, I know that practising them is not an easy thing. I tried some of them for a time, a few were easy. Simple things like forgiveness and proactive thinking aren’t too complex or difficult to put into practice, but others require a great deal of willpower and perhaps a deep understanding o...

The first two pages of the preface to Gil Fronsdal's translation say it all: Fronsdal lays out the challenges a translator of an ancient text faces. He talks about the Dhammapada's history in English, about how "a translation mirrors the viewpoint of the translator" (pp. xi-xii)-something Easwaran never did. Most pointedly, he notes that "Hindu concepts appear in English translations done in India" (p. xii)-or by a Hindu, I might add. (Hint: think Easwaran.) He goes on to say (p. xii) "In this t...

Penguin Classics edition, translated by Juan MascaróMost of this is slightly-edited versions of drafts from 2015. I'm posting in 2020, and have by now found an apparent answer to the main problem I had with the text, and which was my reason for giving it three stars - that it has nothing very useful to say about or to certain kinds of people, some of whom might beat themselves up for being unable to follow its teachings. As that answer - which I go into more at the end of the post, and which is

It's mostly just an assortment of platitudes. Examples: Ch. VI, 78.>>"Let one not associate With low persons, bad friends.But let one associate With noble persons, worthy friends."Ch. VIII, stanza 100.>>"Though a thousand the the statements, With words of no avail, Better is a single word of welfare, Having heard which, one is pacified."Ch. XXI, stanza 290.>>"If by sacrificing a limited pleasure An extensive pleasure one would see,Let the wise one beholding extensive pleasure, A limited pleasure...

A wide-ranging and systematic sampling of Buddhist teachings, particularly in Theravada Buddhism, coming as it does from the Khuddaka Nikaya of the Pali Canon (see the external links section for valuable resources, including the Access to Insight collection of translated material). Highly economical and eminently accessible, these verses are indispensible in addressing the myriad misapprehensions and misrepresentations of concepts like karma, detachment, emptiness, et al. often made in casual la...

I am giving this book three stars because, if I have learned anything by reading it, it is that giving a rating of either 5 stars or 1 would be too extreme and passionate. Okay, had to get that tacky wisecrack out of the way. Now, previously I have read The Holy Bible , The Koran , and The Book of Mormon , among religious texts I would classify as major. For some time, I've wanted to read Buddhist scripture as well. My major response is that I felt healthier for having read The Dhammapa...