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.See, for instance, Buswell (2003): "rank[s] among the best known Buddhist texts" (p. 11); and, "one of the most popular texts with Buddhist monks and laypersons" (p. 627). Harvey (2007), p. 322, writes: "Its popularity is reflected in the many times it has been translated into Western languages"; Brough (2001), p. xvii, writes: "The collection of Pali ethical verses entitled "Dhammapada" is one of the most widely known of early Buddhist texts." The original version of the Dhammapada is in the Khuddaka Nikāya, a division of the Pāli Canon of Theravāda 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 Aṭṭhakatha, presents the details of these events and is a rich source of legend for the life and times of the Buddha.This commentary is translated into English as Buddhist Legends by E W Burlingame.
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";See, e.g., Rhys Davids & Stede (1921-25), pp. 335-39, entry "Dhamma," retrieved 25 November 2008 from "U. Chicago" at . at its root, pada means "foot" and thus by extension, especially in this context, means either "path" or "verse" (prosodic foot) or both.See, e.g., Rhys Davids & Stede (1921-25), p. 408, entry "Pada," retrieved 25 November 2008 from "U. Chicago" at . English translations of this text's title have used various combinations of these and related words.See, for instance, C.A.F Rhys David's "Verses on Dhamma," Kalupahana's "The Path of Righteousness," Norman's "The Word of the Doctrine," Woodward's "The Buddha's Path of Virtue," and other titles identified below at "English translations".See also Fronsdal (2005), pp. xiii-xiv. Fronsdal, p. xiv, further comments: "... If we translate the title based on how the term dhammapada is used in the verses [see Dhp verses 44, 45, 102], it should probably be translated 'Sayings of the Dharma,' 'Verses of the Dharma,' or 'Teachings of the Dharma.' However, if we construe pada as 'path,' as in verse 21 ..., the title could be 'The Path of the Dharma.' Ultimately, as many translators clearly concur, it may be best not to translate the title at all."
History According to tradition, the Dhammapada's verses were spoken by the Buddha on various occasions.Pertinent episodes allegedly involving the historic Buddha are found in the commentary (Buddharakkhita & Bodhi, 1985, p. 4). In addition, a number of the Dhammapada's verses are identical with text from other parts of the Pāli tipiṭaka that are directly attributed to the Buddha in the latter texts. For instance, Dhammapada verses 3, 5, 6, 328-330 can also be found in MN 128 (Ñāṇamoli & Bodhi, 2001, pp. 1009-1010, 1339 n. 1187). 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."Wallis (2004), p. xi. The text is part of the Khuddaka Nikāya of the Sutta Piṭaka, although over half of the verses exist in other parts of the Pāli 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 Theravāda literature. Its 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 Pāli 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:Buddhist Studies Review, 6, 2, 1989, page 153, reprinted in Norman, Collected Papers, volume VI, 1996, Pali Text Society, Bristol, page 156 "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 scriptBrough (2001). The original manuscript is believed to have been written in the first or second century CE. "Patna Dharmapada" – a version in Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit,See, e.g., Cone (1989) . most likely of the Sāmatiya sectJournal of the Pali Text Society, volume XXIII, pages 113f "Udānavarga" – a seemingly related Mula-Sarvāstivāda or Sarvāstivāda textBrough (2001), pp. 38-41, indicates that the Udanavarga is of Sarvāstivādin origin.Hinüber (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,Rockhill, William Woodville (trans.): Udānavarga: A collection of verses from the Buddhist canon compiled by Dharmatrāta being the Northern Buddhist version of Dhammapada / transl. from the Tibetan of the Bkah-hgyur, with notes and extracts from the commentary of Pradjnāvarman. London: Trübner 1883 PDF (9.1 MB) 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.Ānandajoti (2007), "Introduction," "Sahassavagga" and "Bhikkhuvagga." "Fajujing 法句经" – 4 Chinese works; one of these appears to be an expanded translation of the Pāli 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 Pāli Dhammapada, the Gāndhārī Dharmapada and the Udānavarga, 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 Pāli Dhammapada contains 423 verses in 26 chapters (listed in Pāli and English):English chapter titles based on Ānandajoti (2017).Brough (2001) orders the chapters of the Gāndhārī Dharmapada as follows: [Parenthesized question marks are part of Brough's titles.]
Cone (1989) orders the chapters of the Patna Dharmapada as follows: Ch.PaliEnglish 1Yamaka-vaggo The Pairs (see excerpt below) 2Appamda-vaggo Heedfulness 3Citta-vaggo The Mind 4Puppha-vaggo Flowers 5Bla-vaggo Fools (excerpt) 6Paita-vaggo The Wise 7Arahanta-vaggo The Arahats 8Sahassa-vaggo The Thousands 9Ppa-vaggo Wickedness 10Daa-vaggo The Stick (excerpt) 11Jar-vaggo Old Age 12Atta-vaggo The Self (excerpt) 13Loka-vaggo The World (excerpt) 14Buddha-vaggo The Buddha (excerpt) 15Sukha-vaggo Happiness 16Piya-vaggo Love 17Kodha-vaggo Anger 18Mala-vaggo Stains 19Dhammaha-vaggo One who stands by Dhamma 20Magga-vaggo The Path (excerpt) 21Pakiaka-vaggo Miscellaneous 22Niraya-vaggo The Underworld 23Nga-vaggo The Elephant 24-vaggo Craving (excerpt) 25Bhikkhu-vaggo Monastics 26-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 Pāli verses and corresponding English translations are from Ānandajoti (2017), which also contains explanatory footnotes.