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The Dhammapada: A New Translation of the Buddhist Classic with Annotations

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The Dhammapada, which literally means "foot," "tool," "saying," or "path" (Pali: pada) of "experience" (Pali: dhamma), is a small collection of sayings about the Middle Way, the Path of Awakening which leads to Nirvana and which is embodied by the Buddha, and also about its opposite, the path of unskillful living which leads to a hellish life and which is embodied by the devilish figure of Mara.

Each of us must choose which of these two paths to follow. We cannot avoid choosing: even if we do not choose, we will become subject to forces outside ourselves (media, advertisement, family, friends, enemies, lovers), and so will have chosen the path of unskillful living by default. Only by consciously choosing the Path of Awakening, and by training our minds so that everything we do is free of unhealthy desire, aversion, and delusion, can we be truly enlightened and happy.

The Dhammapada gives voice to the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism: that suffering exists, that there is a cause to suffering, that suffering has an end, and that there is a means to this end, namely the Noble Eightfold Path. But the Dhammapada focuses mostly on the Noble Eightfold Path, and specifically on the choices we face, at many junctures in our lives, between two starkly contrasting possibilities. It is a message of hope that if we choose wisely, and if we choose now rather than later, we shall find relief for both our own suffering and the suffering of others.

Thus the Dhammapada is similar to other great works of life philosophy, such as Epictetus' Enchiridion. Both focus on the fact that we must choose between two radically different kinds of lives. Both advocate a life of virtue and spiritual practice in order to make progress in life. Both regard training oneself to be mindfully aware of everything one does, and mindfully present at all times, as means for acquiring and exercising virtue, enlightenment and happiness.

Gil Fronsdal, the translator of this perennial classic, holds a PhD in Buddhist Studies from Stanford, where he studied the early Bodhisattva ideal in India as the research topic for his dissertation. He is also an ordained Soto Zen priest. And he is a Vipassana student of Jack Kornfield. He has lived as a monastic in Japan and Southeast Asia. He is the main teacher at the Insight Meditation Center (IMC) in Redwood City, California. The website for IMC has all of Gil's dharma talks, plus those of many guest speakers, as well as some written transcriptions, available for free download at [...]. He is a gifted and compassionate speaker with some serious insight into the psychology of Buddhism.

This translation, rendered from the Pali version of the Dhammapada, is quite beautiful, and is excellent for memorizing special verses (e.g. the first line, "All experience is preceded by mind, Led by mind, Made by mind..."). Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in Buddhism, life philosophy, or insight meditation. My only criticism is that perhaps Gil should also have offered his own commentary in addition to the helpful annotations he gives at the end of the book. He is such an insightful speaker on the Dharma that it is a shame to waste any opportunity to have him share his insight with others!

I have since learned that Gil has a previous book, The Issue at Hand, in which each chapter begins with a passage from Gil's Dhammapada translation, and which does comprise a commentary of sorts, on select passages. This book is a free download from the [...].

I am not a Buddhist, yet I recognise good wisdom when I see it. This gives me a new perspective on my actual beliefs, and enhances them.

This work was recommended to me by a self improvement guru, and the Dhammapada proves that real wisdom is timeless. Dating back 2,500 years, it compares with other classic works I have read such as Tao Te Ching, Bhagavad Gita, and, of course the Bible, and more recent works such as The Prophet.

When I was reading quotations on wisdom, I was very impressed by the wisdom of Buddha. There are some common themes running through these works.

Naturally, I don't agree with everything, the passionless existence, but I understand where he is coming from. I prefer the idea of attachment to the Christian concept of sin.

Some quotes:

The way is in the heart, not in the sky.

You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.

Hate does not conquer hate. Only love can conquer hate, that is a universal law.

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.

A wise man, recognising, recognising the world is but an illusion, does not act as if it is real, so he escapes the suffering.

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.

The Dhammapada is a basically a collection of poems about Buddhist practice. Some are sweet and encouraging; most exhort the reader to vigilance and effort. It's both a guide and encouragement to present practice and a document of past SE Asian Buddhist thought. The overall effect for me is energizing, reminding me that drifting through life is a waste of the precious opportunity of being alive.

This is a graceful translation -- it flows without the awkward locutions that typefy some translations of old texts. It has endnotes explaining the nuances of some of the original, and the choices made by the translator. They're at the back of the book and easily ignored by the reader who just wants to enjoy the text.

I recommend both the text and this translation highly.

Thank you, Gil Fronsdal.

That much consideration went into every phrase of this elegantly translated version of the Dhammapada is evident. As a layperson, I cannot vouch for the translation's scholarly merit or technical accuracy. I can say that it is my favorite translation; the poetic, distilled truth of it resonates with me.

The Dhammapada is part of the Khuddaka Nikaya (or, Collection of Little Texts), the fifth division of the Sutta Pitaka (or, Mountain o' Reading! Kidding. Sort of.) I've known people to recommend that people who are newly serious about Buddhism to begin their studies of the Pali Canon with the Majjhima Nikaya (Middle Length Discourses). I disagree.

Start here. Return often. Be happy.

Do you find yourself saying: I really need a good annotated copy of the Dhammapada. Of course you do! Well, than this is it. It has a fine introduction that puts the work into context and an excellent translation, particularly for me as a western reader. I'd had a version from EA Burt's most excellent The Teaching of the Compassionate Buddha, but his translation didn't exactly leap off the page for me (and it's abridged).

A fine work that I can heartily recommend.

It is with gratitude and relief that I study this translation of the Dhammapada. The simplicity and bareness of the language allows the truth beyond the words to slowly penetrate my body and spirit. I am carried by the rhythms and substance of the phrases to ever-deepening understandings. This is the most accessible translation of any sutta that I have been privileged to read.

Although I already owned a fine copy of The Dhammapada, I immediately bought this new translation when it came out, because I've so enjoyed Gil's dhamma free podcasts talks (available at the iTunes store) and was sure that the translation would share the qualities of heart and mind I've come to appreciate in this teacher. And sure enough, the translation has proved to be my favorite and a daily companion. There's something about this translation that brings the Buddha's words alive and makes one feel that the path is so doable -- and the very happiest way to live! This translation is a great gift to the world and to seekers of truth of whatever persuasion. I can't recommend it enough.

This text has to be my favorite religious text of all time. It is so clear, so simple, and yet so profound. I believe the Dhammapada is the most important section of the Pali canon, to where if all other Buddhist texts in the world disappeared and only the Dhammapada remained, there would still be enough wisdom to go around. I will continue to use this book for the rest of my life to help me get insight in this crazy world we live in. The translation by Gil Fronsdal is absolutely superb. I know of no other English translation as excellent as this one, and the only better way to read this text is to read it in the original Pali.

I just wanted to say that I have just finished reading the Dhammapada as translated by Gil Fronsdal, and I think this has to be the best version I have read thus far.

"You hold in your hands the most beloved of all Buddhist texts, both poetic and profound. These verses of the Dhammapada sum up in the simplest language the core teachings of the Buddha. Memorized and chanted by devoted followers for thousands of years, these words remind all who hear them the universal truths expounded by the Buddha: Hatred never ends by hatred. Virtue and wise action are the foundation for happiness. And the Buddha's teachings offer the possibility of a thoroughly unshakable peace and liberation of heart for those who follow the way of the Dharma and free themselves from clinging."
- from the Forward, by Jack Kornfield

I currently have three favorite translations of "The Dhammapada." Ananda Maitreya's version available in an attractive pocket-sized edition from Parallax Press, Glenn Wallis' erudite rendition for Modern Library, and this one by Gil Fronsdal. In his Preface, Fronsdal sets forth his purpose in writing yet another translation of this popular Buddhist scripture. His aim, he writes, is to reach an understanding of the text free of his own personal interpretation, cultural bias and latter-day interpolations. The result is something that brings the reader as close as possible to understanding what early Buddhism was probably like.

The translation itself is beautiful. Like Wallis, Fronsdal thankfully takes a more literal approach. Most translations rob the text of its poetic beauty by rendering the almost telegraphic quality of the original Pali (not unlike the ancient Sanskrit of the Vedic scriptures or Chinese of Lao Tzu) into bland prose. The prime example of this is Max Mueller's influential version. Consider his rendering of the opening text:

"All that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is founded on our thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him, as the wheel follows the foot of the ox that draws the carriage."

Now compare that with Fronsdal's:

"All experience is preceded by mind,
Led by mind,
made by mind.
Speak or act with a corrupted mind,
And suffering follows,
As the wagon wheel follows the hoof of an ox."

It's almost hard to believe they are the same verse. Mueller's translation is actually rather popular. So popular, in fact, that many subsequent translators borrow heavily from him. (Check out the preview pages provided by Amazon for Eknath Easwaran's and Thomas Byrom's versions - you will no doubt note the similarities with Mueller's.)

Yet, for me, Fronsdal's more spacious rendition is much more evocative of the mindset that the Buddha advocated. The language of the Indian scriptures is refreshingly clear and direct, in stark contrast to the opaque koans and esoteric treatises that would follow. Fronsdal captures this directness, without ruining the restraint and poetry of the text. I find his translation choices for some Pali words highly insightful, especially "experience" for "dhamma." It's an inclusive, all-encompassing word that captures the feeling of dying to our ego-attachments and awakening to life itself that is at the heart of practice.

Definitely a translation worth checking out.