Biblexika

Dhammapada

easternpali~300 BCE

Translation: F. Max Muller (1881) (public-domain)

Overview

The Dhammapada ('Path of the Dharma' or 'Words of Truth') is the most beloved and widely read text in the Theravada Buddhist canon. A collection of 423 verses in 26 chapters, it distills the Buddha's ethical and psychological teachings into memorable, aphoristic form. Covering topics from the nature of the mind and the consequences of action to the path of liberation, the Dhammapada has served for over two millennia as both an introduction to Buddhist thought and a daily companion for meditation and moral reflection.

Bible connections
  • Proverbs (wisdom sayings, contrast of wise and foolish)
  • Matthew 5-7, Sermon on the Mount (non-retaliation, inner purity)
  • James (practical ethics, taming the tongue, self-control)
  • Galatians 6:7-8 (sowing and reaping/karma)
  • Matthew 7:12 (Golden Rule)
  • Romans 12:21 (overcoming evil with good)
  • Ecclesiastes 1:2 (impermanence, vanity)
Key terms
dhamma (dharma)– the Buddha's teaching; natural law; truth; righteousness
dukkha– suffering, unsatisfactoriness, the first Noble Truth
kamma (karma)– action and its moral consequences
nibbana (nirvana)– liberation, the cessation of suffering and craving
sati– mindfulness, awareness, attentiveness
tanha– craving, thirst; the origin of suffering
Did you know?

The Dhammapada's verse on overcoming hatred with non-hatred was quoted by Martin Luther King Jr. and has been cited as an independent parallel to Jesus' command to love your enemies.