[Mahasi] [Ledi] [Other] [Pesala] [Suttas]

The Dhammapada

The Way to the Truth

  1. Yamaka Vagga — Twin Verses
  2. Appamāda Vagga — Heedfulness
  3. Citta Vagga — The Mind
  4. Puppha Vagga — Flowers
  5. Bāla Vagga — The Fool
  6. Pandita Vagga — The Wise Man
  7. Arahanta Vagga — The Worthy
  8. Sahassa Vagga — Thousands
  9. Pāpa Vagga — Evil
  10. Danda Vagga — Punishment
  11. Jarā Vagga — Old Age
  12. Atta Vagga — Self
  13. Loka Vagga — The World
  1. Buddha Vagga — The Buddha
  2. Sukha Vagga — Happiness
  3. Piya Vagga — Affection
  4. Kodha Vagga — Anger
  5. Mala Vagga — Impurities
  6. Dhammattha Vagga — Righteousness
  7. Magga Vagga — The Path
  8. Pakinnaka Vagga — Miscellaneous
  9. Niraya Vagga — Hell
  10. Nāga Vagga — The Elephant
  11. Tanhā Vagga — Craving
  12. Bhikkhu Vagga — The Monk
  13. Brahmana Vagga — The Brahmana

Editor’s Preface

The Dhammapada — The Path to Truth — is an excellent book to keep in one’s pocket and refer to at leisure. It contains 423 verses in 26 chapters, covering all kinds of topics.

In this edition I have included the Pāli text following the Chattha Sangāyana Tipitaka published by the Vipassana Research Institute. The Pāli text is included in the PDF edition, but not in the on-line edition. The PDF edition will not be available until the enitre volume is complete.

The translation is based on Venerable Nārada’s, but I have rephrased the English to bring it up to date, and added my own footnotes to explain some difficult translations. A few words cannot adequately be translated into English, so they have been left in the original Pāli.

The meaning of the verses is greatly clarified by stories from the commentaries, which put them into context. I have relied heavily on this context to give the most appropriate translation. The long narrative of the commentary served to flesh out the characters, which is fine for story-telling, but it adds little for the modern reader, so I give just the essence of the story. The full translation of the commentary by Burlingame for the Pali Text Society runs to three volumes.

I am well aware that this first edition has many defects, but I am sure that the readers will gain some benefit. Later editions may follow to further clarify these valuable verses.

It is an on-going project, and will take some months to complete. I shall add chapters as I complete them, so there will be updates as my time and energy permit.

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