Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Dhammapada: Your Guide on the Path to Enlightenment in the 21st Century
    The Dhammapada: Your Guide on the Path to Enlightenment in the 21st Century
    The Dhammapada: Your Guide on the Path to Enlightenment in the 21st Century
    Ebook207 pages4 hours

    The Dhammapada: Your Guide on the Path to Enlightenment in the 21st Century

    By David Tuffley

    5/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    The Dhammapada is a foundational text of the Theravada Buddhist tradition. It is a collection of 423 verses, grouped into 26 themes that the Buddha was fond of telling to those who would gather around and listen. They are the oral teachings of the Enlightened One. How delightful it is to imagine him under a shady tree with a group of people around him, telling these gems of spiritual instruction.

    The collection of verses was compiled soon after the Buddha’s death. Interested parties and disciples met and agreed that the oral teachings of the Buddha should be recorded so they would not be lost or corrupted in the absence of the author himself. The Dhammapada is the result of that worthy effort.

    The original text was expressed in the language and idiom of an ancient time and place (2,500 years ago in Northern India). After all, the authors wanted to reach the audience that was alive then and there, not at some far distant future world whose language and customs would be very difficult to understand.

    This edition with a commentary expressed in 21st Century language to make it accessible to a wide range of modern readers, is based on the work of Friedrich Max Müller (1823: –1900) at Oxford University. Müller, who was born in Dessau, Germany, was an notable scholar of comparative religions. While the Dhammapada has been translated many times in the centuries since it was written, Müller’s version is considered one of the best.

    Every effort has been made in the writing of this commentary to preserve the underlying message that the Buddha wanted to convey. This has been done through careful study of not just the Buddhist writings, but those of other major religions and philosophies. This study has been performed by the author over four decades, the objective of which has been to identify and understand the sub-text, the common underlying message that all religions express regardless of the language in which it is expressed. If an idea, such as the Golden Rule of doing unto others what you would have them do to you exists independently in every religion, regardless of time or place, then we have what is arguably an absolute truth, at least in relation human beings. There are many such truths to be found across various religions.

    Each verse has a heading and commentary that expresses in 21st century language the essence of the verse. Müller’s translation of the verse then appears in italic script, complete with verse number. Readers are therefore able to easily compare and contrast the verses in this edition with those in other renderings of this classic work.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAltiora Publications
    Release dateMay 29, 2012
    ISBN9781476452234
    The Dhammapada: Your Guide on the Path to Enlightenment in the 21st Century
    Author

    David Tuffley

    David Tuffley (PhD) is a Senior Lecturer in Applied Ethics & Socio-Technical Studies at Griffith University in Australia.David writes on a broad range of interests; from Comparative Religion, Anthropology, Psychology, Ancient and Modern History, Linguistics, Rhetoric, Philosophy, Architectural History, Environments and Ecosystems.

    Read more from David Tuffley

    Related to The Dhammapada

    Titles in the series (17)

    View More
    View More

    Related ebooks

    Self-Improvement For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      21st Century Samsara

      Jan 19, 2021

      21st Century Samsara
      5 min read

    • Article

      Everything’s Made Of Mind

      Jan 22, 2019

      Everything’s Made Of Mind
      8 min read

    • Article

      What If Our Delusions Aren’t a Barrier to Enlightenment?

      Nov 7, 2017

      IF YOUR INABILITY to cut off ceaseless thought has ever left you feeling hopeless or inadequate, you’re not alone. Anyone who has practiced earnestly for any length of time has likely wrestled with the thinking mind, motivated by a desire to evolve a

      5 min read

    • Article

      The Ultimate Self-Help

      Jul 23, 2019

      HERE IS A HERESY: Buddhism is not only self-help, it’s the ultimate self-help. Many people would consider this a heresy because it appears to violate one of Buddhism’s central principles—nonself. If there’s no self, how can there be self-help? But no

      2 min read

    • Article

      Don’t Let Hatred Destroy Your Practice

      Feb 5, 2019

      Don’t Let Hatred Destroy Your Practice
      12 min read

    • Article

      Why Buddhanature Matters

      Sep 20, 2023

      Why Buddhanature Matters
      12 min read

    • Article

      A Short Guide to Key Buddhanature Texts

      Sep 20, 2023

      Buddhanature, or tathagatagarbha: some say it is not Buddhist, some say it is quintessentially so. I do not want to push either judgment upon you; there is more than one way to be a Buddhist! Instead, I want to provide a roundup of some formative bud

      3 min read

    • Article

      Thanks To Guanyin

      Mar 23, 2021

      Thanks To Guanyin
      2 min read

    • Article

      Nothing Is More Important Than Your Buddhanature

      Sep 20, 2023

      BUDDHISTS OFTEN talk about suffering, emptiness, interdependence, and other philosophies and practices, but behind all of it is one simple teaching: buddhanature. Buddhism is notoriously complex, and sometimes it seems difficult for people to know wh

      2 min read

    • Article

      More from Lion’s Roar

      Nov 20, 2018

      More from Lion’s Roar
      2 min read

    • Article

      Shambhala Publucations

      Mar 21, 2023

      shambhala.com Poignant reflections on the power of spiritual friendship and mentorship through Senauke’s personal stories of over 30 luminaries including, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, Joan Halifax, Joanna Macy, and more. Stop trying

      1 min read

    • Article

      The Vipassana Revolution

      Jul 20, 2021

      The Vipassana Revolution
      6 min read

    • Article

      Teachers You May Not Know But Should

      Nov 23, 2021

      Ven. Bhante Suhita Dharma taught through his good deeds. “EXPERIENCE IS the best teacher when it comes spiritual practice,” the late Ven. Bhante Suhita Dharma once said, reflecting on his own life. Born into the Jim Crow South, the racism he endured

      12 min read

    • Article

      Beginner’s Mind

      Nov 19, 2019

      ACCORDING TO BUDDHISM, our basic problem is not sin. It’s more like a giant mistake. Because we misunderstand the true nature of ourselves and what we experience, we create poisons that cause ourselves and others endless suffering. These are the many

      3 min read

    • Article

      Joseph Goldstein: It’s Not Either-Or

      Sep 20, 2023

      Joseph Goldstein: It’s Not Either-Or
      8 min read

    • Article

      The Natural World Is a Powerful Teacher

      Feb 5, 2019

      The Natural World Is a Powerful Teacher
      4 min read

    • Article

      Beginner’s Mind

      Jan 22, 2019

      THE BRAHMAVIHARAS are four prized emotions or mindstates that give us a framework to cultivate positive behaviors and minimize harmful ones. They are called the “divine abodes” because they are the mindstates in which all the enlightened ones reside.

      4 min read

    • Article

      Queering Shinran

      Nov 21, 2023

      Queering Shinran
      4 min read

    • Article

      Why Meditation Isn’t Enough

      May 21, 2019

      IN THE TIBETAN tradition, the study of Buddhist philosophy is known as “learning and reflecting on the view.” Through a process of sustained inquiry, we can become free from all doubts about the true nature of reality as described by the Buddhist tea

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Sutta Pitaka

      Jul 19, 2022

      The Sutta Pitaka
      6 min read

    • Article

      Forum: Understanding Dukkha

      Nov 7, 2017

      Forum: Understanding Dukkha
      20 min read

    • Article

      Ajahn Chah

      Nov 23, 2021

      Ajahn Chah
      2 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Dhammapada

    5/5

    1 rating0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      The Dhammapada - David Tuffley

      The Dhammapada

      Your Guide on the Path to Enlightenment in the 21st Century

      David Tuffley

      Published by Altiora Publications at Smashwords

      www.altiorapublications.com

      © Copyright 2012 David Tuffley

      Our progress on the spiritual path is greatly helped or hindered depending on the company one keeps. If you can find a wise and intelligent companion, then travel together, meeting difficulties and overcoming dangers. But if you do not find a wise and intelligent companion, then go your way alone like a wealthy man leaving his riches behind, or like a great elephant living alone in the deep forest. – The Buddha.

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the work of this author.

      About the Author

      David Tuffley David Tuffley PhD is a lecturer and researcher at Griffith University in Australia.

      Join him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tuffley

      David Tuffley’s Profile & other eBooks: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/tuffley

      Contents

      Introduction

      Chapter 1: The Twin-Verses

      Chapter 2: Mindfulness

      Chapter 3: Consciousness

      Chapter 4: Enlightenment is an art

      Chapter 5: The Fool

      Chapter 6: The Wise

      Chapter 7: The Enlightened

      Chapter 8: The Thousands

      Chapter 9: Evil

      Chapter 10: Punishment

      Chapter 11: Old Age

      Chapter 12: Self

      Chapter 13: The World

      Chapter 14: The Buddha

      Chapter 15: Happiness

      Chapter 16: Pleasure

      Chapter 17: Anger

      Chapter 18: Impurity

      Chapter 19: The Just

      Chapter 20: The Way

      Chapter 21: Miscellaneous

      Chapter 22: The Downward Path

      Chapter 23: The Elephant

      Chapter 24: Thirst

      Chapter 25: The Monk

      Chapter 26: The Enlightened

      Epilogue

      Introduction

      The Dhammapada is a foundational text of the Theravada Buddhist tradition. It is a collection of 423 verses, grouped into 26 themes that the Buddha was fond of telling to those who would gather around and listen. They are the oral teachings of the Enlightened One. How delightful it is to imagine him under a shady tree with a group of people around him, telling these gems of spiritual instruction.

      The collection of verses was compiled soon after the Buddha’s death. Interested parties and disciples met and agreed that the oral teachings of the Buddha should be recorded so they would not be lost or corrupted in the absence of the author himself. The Dhammapada is the result of that worthy effort.

      The original text was expressed in the language and idiom of an ancient time and place (2,500 years ago in Northern India). After all, the authors wanted to reach the audience that was alive then and there, not at some far distant future world whose language and customs would be very difficult to understand.

      This edition with a commentary expressed in 21st Century language to make it accessible to a wide range of modern readers, is based on the work of Friedrich Max Müller (1823 –1900) at Oxford University. Müller, who was born in Dessau, Germany, was an notable scholar of comparative religions. While the Dhammapada has been translated many times in the centuries since it was written, Müller’s version is considered one of the most consistent and accurate.

      Every effort has been made in the writing of this commentary to preserve the underlying message that the Buddha wanted to convey. This has been done through careful study of not just the Buddhist writings, but those of other major religions and philosophies. This study has been performed by the author over four decades, the objective of which has been to identify and understand the sub-text, the common underlying message that all religions express regardless of the language in which it is expressed. If an idea, such as the Golden Rule of doing unto others what you would have them do to you exists independently in every religion, regardless of time or place, then we have what is arguably an absolute truth, at least in relation human beings. There are many such truths to be found across various religions.

      Each verse has a heading and commentary that expresses in 21st century language the essence of the verse. Müller’s translation of the verse then appears in italic script, complete with verse number. Readers are therefore able to easily compare and contrast the verses in this edition with those in other renderings of this classic work.

      Chapter 1: The Twin-Verses

      The verses of this chapter are twinned; each set of two expresses the same truth from opposing points of view. Doing this helps the reader understand the concept. One verse says what the idea is, the second verse says what it is not. You get an understanding from both sides.

      Negative actions follow negative thoughts

      Your experience of the world begins with your thoughts. To a greater extent than most people realize, what happens to you is the result of what you have thought at some earlier time. There are cause-and-effect linkages between past thoughts and present circumstances. Your challenge is to learn to recognize them.

      If you think malicious thoughts, negative consequences inevitably follow. The situation is likened to the trailer being pulled by a car. The trailer has no choice but to follow the car and its driver. So too the consequences of evil thoughts cannot be anything other than negative.

      Verse 1: 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.

      Positive actions follow positive thoughts

      Likewise (see previous) when your thoughts are positive and you have good will, your experience of the world will be a positive one. How could it be otherwise when there is a cause-and-effect link between what you think and what happens to you.

      Verse 2: 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 a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.

      Anger is an acid that burns the vessel

      You will remain angry for as long as you hold onto past hurt. Have you been harshly treated? For your own sake, you must let go of this hurt, of your victim-hood, and forgive. Not for their sake but for yours. As the Mark Twain saying goes, anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.

      The negative thoughts associated with an angry and aggrieved mind-set inevitably attracts negative events into your life. Vengeance never results in positive outcomes.

      Verse 3: He abused me, he beat me, he defeated me, he robbed me,--in those who harbour such thoughts hatred will never cease.

      Let go of anger and find inner peace

      Living with people inevitably results in conflict. It is human nature, we are a quarrelsome species. We must not allow these conflicts to remain unresolved. To do so is to allow the negativity to accumulate over time until you are full of resentment and bitterness. This is a kind of poison. No good can come of it, only suffering and death.

      Make the effort to rid yourself of anger and hatred by forgiving those who have wronged you. Only then will you find inner peace, contentment and happiness. It is impossible to hold onto your anger and be truly happy.

      Verse 4: He abused me, he beat me, he defeated me, he robbed me,--in those who do not harbour such thoughts hatred will cease.

      Hatred can only be defeated by love

      Meeting hated with more hatred will only intensify the hatred, raising it to a higher level of destructiveness.

      The only way to end hatred is to apply love to the problem. The results can be miraculous. This principle has been known about since the dawn of time, but so seldom practiced and only then by the wise.

      Verse 5: For hatred does not cease by hatred at any time: hatred ceases by love, this is an old rule.

      Accept your mortality and be at peace

      The fear of death is the root fear of all fears, therefore it follows that if you can master the fear of death, you need not fear anything; you can live your life to the fullest, you be at peace.

      Attachment to impermanence is the fundamental cause of suffering in this world. The human ego becomes attached to all manner of things, all of which are impermanent. Most of all, the ego is attached to its own existence. As a self-aware living entity, the ego wants more life; it seeks to survive this threat. But the ego knows, deep down, that there is no avoiding death, so the it deals with the inevitability of death by avoiding the issue.

      This refusal to acknowledge the impermanence of our earthly existence creates a deep anxiety that inhibits your spiritual progress. Put another way, if we are to progress on the spiritual path, it is necessary to fully accept the impermanence of life and the certainty of death.

      Come to terms with your mortality. Accept the reality that one day your egoic identity will cease to exist, that the illusion of separateness will vanish and the essence of you that has always existed will come to experience itself with indescribable joy as being one with all things, like a rain-drop falling into the ocean and feeling its oneness. As Socrates wisely said, death may be the greatest of all human blessings.

      Verse 6: The world does not know that we must all come to an end here;--but those who know it, their quarrels cease at once.

      Let your higher self be in control

      Humans are multi-layered creatures. We have our base nature, that we share with animals, which seeks to eat and drink and procreate and exert as little effort as possible. We also have a higher nature that seeks after spiritual growth, or at least the capability is there, even if it remains unused in many people.

      If you live only for sensory gratification, for the many pleasures enjoyed by the flesh, you will lack the discipline to grow spiritually, since such growth depends on having brought our emotional, pleasure-seeking natures under control. Your rational, higher self must be in control.

      This does not imply that you should deny yourself all pleasures. Enjoy them if you wish, but in moderation and never to let them control you by becoming addicted to them. Doing so makes you weak, susceptible to harm.

      Verse 7: He who lives looking for pleasures only, his senses uncontrolled, immoderate in his food, idle, and weak, Mara (the tempter) will certainly overthrow him, as the wind throws down a weak tree.

      Spiritual strength

      When you transcend the weakness that dependency on worldly pleasures bring, you become stronger than you imagined possible because the physical world does not have a tight hold on you.

      When you dwell consistently in the higher self you become strong like a mountain. You achieve this by practicing your daily discipline of meditation, reading the sacred texts (from whatever tradition you choose) and living moderately (not eating or drinking too much, taking recreational drugs, having indiscriminate sex, greedily pursuing wealth and so on).

      This does not preclude having engagement with the world through your family or career or hobbies. You can still have these, but spiritual discipline comes first. The Noble Eight-Fold Path outlines how. After all, the only thing you can take with you when you die is your state of mind, your level of spiritual understanding. Nothing is more important than that.

      Verse 8: He who lives without looking for pleasures, his senses well controlled, moderate in his food, faithful and strong, him Mara will certainly not overthrow, any more than the wind throws down a rocky mountain.

      Clothes do not maketh the man

      A person does not become virtuous simply by putting on the clothes of a virtuous person or indeed by adopting any outward appearance of virtue.

      Virtue is an inner quality acquired through self-discipline, moral behavior and transcendence of base nature. It comes from within; it does not come from without.

      So it is that a person ruled by their base nature, even though they wear the yellow robes of a monk, is

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1