DhammapadaJohn Ross Carter, Mahinda Palihawadana The Dhammapada, the Pali version of one of the most popular texts of the Buddhist canon, ranks among the classics of the world's great religious literature. Like all religious texts in Pali, the Dhammapada belongs to the Therevâda school of the Buddhist tradition, adherents of which are now found primarily in Kampuchea, Laos, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Dhammapada, or 'sayings of the dhamma', is taken to be a collection of the utterances of the Buddha himself. Taken together, the verses form a key body of teaching within Buddhism, a guiding voice along the struggle-laden path towards true enlightenment, or Nirvana. However, the appeal of these epithets of wisdom extends beyond its religious heritage to a general and universal spirituality. This edition provides an introduction and notes which examine the impact that the text has had within the Buddhist heritage through the centuries. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more. |
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Common terms and phrases
according appear arises attachment attained Awakened awareness become better bhikkhu birth blessing body bonds Buddha Buddhist call a bra¯hman˙a calm canon century Chapter childish commendable Commentary conduct conquer Constantly contents craving dear death deeds delight desire detrimental dhamma Dhammapada disciples dwell ease enmity existence faith fall fear fire five flower forest Four fruit fully gods gone grass grief guard hard human insight intoxicants king known knows language leading learned liberation live means meditation mental mind misery monks move Nibba¯na night Noble one’s oneself original Oxford Pa¯li Pali path perception person places pleasure possessed realm received reference refuge regard released religious restrained Sanskrit schools sense sensual sorrow speaks speech stain standing suffering teaching term Therava¯da tradition translated Truly truth verses views virtue wholesome wisdom wise wish wrong