The Dhammapada (Paperback)

by Eknath Easwaran (Editor) "Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think..." (more)
Key Phrases: true brahmin, eightfold path, compulsive urges, Eightfold Path, Prince Siddhartha, Introduction Chapters (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
According to Eknath Easwaran, if all of the Buddhist sutras had been lost except the Dhammapada, it alone would be enough for readers to understand and appreciate the wisdom of the Buddha. Easwaran's version of the Dhammapada goes a long way toward proving this. In a lengthy introduction, Easwaran summarizes the life of the Buddha and the main tenets of his thought, including key concepts such as dharma, karma, and nirvana. The language of the Dhammapada is as lucid and flowing as the Psalms or the Sermon on the Mount, and this is why it is one of the most loved and remembered of all Buddhist sutras. Its subject matter, succinctly, is about training the mind, which leads to kind thoughts and deeds, which bring peace and freedom from suffering. If you are interested in reading one of the gems of Buddhist literature, this is a good place to start; and if you are looking for a great version of this beloved scripture, you can't do better. Like all great world scripture, the verses here reward rereading and reflection, prompting you to "strive for wisdom always." --Brian Bruya

Review
"Easwaran's clear, contemporary translation makes this classic of India's spiritual tradition particularly accessible to Western readers. His introduction focuses on what is universal in the Buddha's life, background, and teachings, including a particularly penetrating account of the Buddha's four stages of meditation.' " -- Bookpaper

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Nilgiri Press (June 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0915132370
• ISBN-13: 978-0915132379
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 4.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #543,291 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buddhism defined, March 25, 2003

By	Ashwin (Bangalore, India) - See all my reviews

Another soothing gem by Easwaran. I had earlier read The Upanishads by the same author, and was inspired into further exploration of his writing. A few words on the author before the book is due here. Easwaran can definitely be counted as one of those individuals who has made a sincere and thorough attempt to understand numerous religions and draw out their common parallels and apply them to his life, in an almost saint-like manner. Easwaran influence on thought can be said to be similar to Parthasarathy's, another great writer more focused on Hinduism. It is in reading such authors, that we are left with an indelible impact on our psyche, and within a few weeks of regular reading, can see our daily lives transformed by the power of our own tranquil thinking.

In The Dhammapada, Easwaran now embarks on a similar voyage of peace and calm in the exploration of Buddhism, as he did with the Upanishads. The introduction of the book once again gives a brief backrgound into the life of Siddharta, the prince and charts his transformation into the Buddha, the "one who is awake". The book then goes on to describe one of the fundamental "religious-books" of Buddhism, the Dhammapada and its teachings. The parallels with the Upanishadic teachings, the mystic sufis and the Sermon on the Mount is often illustrated, thus underlining Easwaran's belief of the unity of fundamental thought across religions.

Every two chapters are preceeded with an introduction to the concepts and principles enshrined in them, and hence makes reading and comprehension and indeed, personal thinking and evaluation that much more effective. Buddhism in the end, comes out as it should, another monumental religion based on very basic truths and grounded in infallible and extremely rigorous logic. The book is a pure delight to read and has an almost immediate impact on the reader's approach to life itself.

Incidentally, another wonderful book and religion on similar lines is "The way of Zen", by Alan Watts, and I am out to procure it. This is supposed to describe the confluence of Taoism and Mahayana Buddhism to create the Zen.

Somewhere out there lies the truth, our own selves shining in the dark.

56 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Dhammapada to travel., September 12, 2002

By	G. Merritt (Boulder, CO) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

"Our life is shaped by our mind," the Buddha tells us in the opening lines of The Dhammapada, "we become what we think" (p. 78). This is the essence of Buddhism, and the central theme of The Dhammapada ("the path of dharma"), a collection of teachings preserved most likely by the Buddha's original students in the sixth century before Christ. And as Eknath Easwaran tells us, it is a collection of discourses "meant for everyone," not just monks and nuns (p. 75). "If everything else were lost," Easwaran observes in his excellent, 65-page Introduction to this translation, "we would need nothing more than the Dhammapada to follow the way of the Buddha" (p. 7). Although I'm not qualified to comment on his abilities as a translator, Easwaran succeeds at conveying the essence of the Buddha's teachings that point the way down a path less traveled, but a path that makes all the difference when it comes to self-realization. In my opinion, Easwaran's translation is the one to travel.

G. Merritt

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best translations, March 24, 2000

By	Don Carter (United States) - See all my reviews

Somehow I have managed to collect ten different translations of the Dhammapada. This one is my favorite. The introductions to each section are very helpful to understanding the context these verses originated from. The translations themselves are alive, unlike some of the others that I have in my library.

I highly recommend this translation.