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

Gil Fronsdal (Translator)

Book Description

Release date: December 5, 2006

The Dhammapada is the most widely read Buddhist scripture in existence, enjoyed by both Buddhists and non-Buddhists. This classic text of teaching verses from the earliest period of Buddhism in India conveys the philosophical and practical foundations of the Buddhist tradition. The text presents two distinct goals for leading a spiritual life: the first is attaining happiness in this life (or in future lives); the second goal is the achievement of spiritual liberation, freedom, absolute peace. Many of the key themes of the verses are presented in dichotomies or pairs, for example, grief and suffering versus joy; developing the mind instead of being negligent about one's mental attitude and conduct; virtuous action versus misconduct; and being truthful versus being deceitful. The purpose of these contrasts is, very simply, to describe the difference between what leads to desirable outcomes and what does not.

For centuries, this text has been studied in its original Pali, the canonical language of Buddhism in Southeast Asia. This fresh new translation from Insight Mediation teacher and Pail translator Gil Fronsdal is both highly readable and scholarly authoritative. With extensive explanatory notes, this edition combines a rigorous attention to detail in bringing forth the original text with the translator's personal knowledge of the Buddhist path. It is the first truly accurate and highly readable translation of this text to be published in English.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Dhammapada, possibly the most popular and best-known of all Buddhist texts, sums up "in the simplest language the core teachings of the Buddha," as Jack Kornfield writes in the foreword. Translator Fronsdal, a Kornfield protégé who has a doctorate in Buddhist studies from Stanford and has practiced Buddhism for three decades, offers a rendition that is faithful to the original Pali text, but not slavishly so. For example, right in the opening verses he translates dhamma as "experience" when it is often rendered as "teaching" or "truth," and samsara as "wandering" when it usually connotes the cycle of suffering. He also employs gender-neutral language throughout. Fronsdal provides a brief but illuminating introduction in which he describes the history of the Dhammapada and highlights two basic themes: how to obtain happiness in this and future lives, and how to achieve liberation from suffering. He discusses how some verses seem to be specifically addressed to the text's monastic audience, and suggests ways that lay Buddhists might apply those verses to themselves.
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Review

“In his highly praised new translation, Fronsdal brings to bear his considerable experience both as a scholar and a practitioner. His intimacy with the text is obvious: the verses ring out clearly on the first read, communicating their meaning with precision and poetic sensitivity.”—Tricycle

“It's always valuable to go back to the Dhammapada, that most-beloved and oft-translated of Buddhist texts. The publication of Gil Fronsdal's new translation gives us an excellent opportunity to do so. Fronsdal takes care in his choice of words and draws out subtleties of meaning with important significance for people who practice meditation.”—Shambhala Sun

“What sets this particular version apart is that its verses remain true to the original Pali, the canonical language of Buddhism in Southeast Asia. . . . With its easily readable blend of literary sensitivity and clarity of text, this new edition of the Dhammapada is a highly recommended addition to the practitioner's library of classical spiritual texts.”—The Beacon

"A fine new translation of an ancient classic. Fronsdal's balance of fidelity to the text and sensitivity to its spirit is perfect. A book to be treasured."—Carl Bielefeldt, Stanford University

“The language is clear, precise, and inspiring, the phrasing spare and elegant—highly recommended.”—Joseph Goldstein, author of One Dharma


“I have read many Dhammapada translations in several languages, but never have I come across such a crisp, precise, and lucid translation as this.”—Bhante Gunaratana, Bhavana Society

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala (December 5, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590303806
• ISBN-13: 978-1590303801
• Product Dimensions: 4.9 x 0.6 x 7.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,826 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gil Fronsdal is the primary teacher for the "Insight Meditation Center" in Redwood City, California; he has been teaching since 1990. He has practiced Zen and Vipassana in the U.S. and Asia since 1975. He was a Theravada monk in Burma in 1985, and in 1989 began training with Jack Kornfield to be a Vipassana teacher. Gil teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center where he is part of its Teachers Council.

Gil was ordained as a Soto Zen priest at the San Francisco Zen Center in 1982, and in 1995 received Dharma Transmission from Mel Weitsman, the abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center. He is currently serving on the SF Zen Center Elders' Council.

Gil has an undergraduate degree in agriculture from U.C. Davis where he was active in promoting the field of sustainable farming. In 1998 he received a PhD in Religious Studies from Stanford University studying the earliest developments of the bodhisattva ideal. He is the author of "The Issue at Hand, Essays on Mindfulness Practice," "A Monastery Within: Tales from the Buddhist Path", and the translator of The Dhammapada, published by Shambhala Publications.

Hundreds of Gil's talks on meditation and Buddhist practice can be found on www.audiodharma.org

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

109 of 114 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic of world religion and philosophy translated by an expert with a gift for language. December 6, 2005

By P. Hollander

Format:Hardcover

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 [...]. Read more ›

136 of 154 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything that we are arises from our thoughts, we are what we think March 22, 2006

By L. Power TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

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.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Graceful Translation of Inspiring Text September 7, 2005

By Interested Reader

Format:Hardcover

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.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Skillful, beautiful translation April 28, 2006

By Spinner's End VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

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.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful translation, just buy it now September 2, 2005

By Metta Man

Format:Hardcover

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.