The Dhammapada

For 2,500 years, The Dhammapada has been an essential Buddhist classic. Translated by Ananda Maitreya, the 100-year-old elder of Sri Lankan Buddhism.

From the foreword:

“Even though the Dhammapada appeared a little later than some other writings attributed to the Buddha, there is no doubt that the 423 verses of the Dhammapada contain the authentic teachings of the Buddha. They express the insight of this special human being who suffered, practiced the Way, experienced transformation, and reached liberation.

There is a Buddha in each of us. That is why, while reading the Dhammapada, we feel that the insights of the Buddha are also our own. When we read and contemplate this book, we touch seeds of understanding and love that are buried deep inside of us, and we help them grow so we can offer to ourselves and the world the flowers of insight and liberation. I encourage you to carry this small book in your pocket and use it like a mirror, reflecting your deepest true nature back to you. Let us live our daily lives in harmony with the deep understanding brought to us by the Buddha in the beautiful verses of the Dhammapada.”

—Thích Nhất Hạnh
Plum Village France, 1998