The Dhammapada

Name: The Dhammapada
Author: Traditional (attributed to the Buddha)

Traditional (attributed to the Buddha)

— 300 BCE —

“

All that we are is the result of what we have thought.

The record

Time
An eveningA season
225 pages, about 4 hours: two-thirds the length of a typical book on the shelf.
Getting in
Walk right inSteep climb
The Twin Verses, the first chapter, contrast a corrupted mind that brings suffering with a peaceful mind that brings happiness.
What it gives
Plot and actionIdeas to live by
In 11 reviews from critics and book blogs, none credit the plot and 6 credit the ideas or a change in how they live.
One of a kind
Others do thisNothing else does
One reviewer compares it to the Tao Te Ching, on the shelf at 124 pages.

on Easwaran’s translation
“His language is instantly absorbable and modern, yet not dumbed-down.”
a Substack review
on the tone
“An insistent, yet gently repetitive rather than hectoring or grating tone eases these admonitions.”
a book blog
on the chapter title
“I really like Fronsdal’s translation of the title as “Dichotomies””
a book blog
on the simplicity
“Profundity lies in the simplicity.”
a book blog

on the repetition
“mostly variations of “do bad and you’ll be damned, do good and you’ll be blessed.””
a book blog
on the arrangement
“The Dhammapada is also rather poorly arranged”
a book blog
on the narrative drive
“you need narrative drive, character arcs, or anything resembling a story”
a book blog
on the translations
“Most, however, seem to be either awkward and clumsy or airy and vague.”
a book blog