Dhammapada

At a glance

History, context & interpretation

The text and its story

Short verses on the mind, desire, anger, wisdom and the path to nirvana. It is one of the most translated Buddhist texts.

Traditional attribution

Verses spoken by the Buddha.

Historical scholarship

An anthology of sayings collected by early monks.

Context and curiosity

Its first verse says the mind is the forerunner of all actions.

Chronology and transmission

This text belongs to Buddhism (India). The catalogue gives its approximate dating as c. 3rd century BCE and original language or script as Pali. The dated manuscript witnesses and traditional claims may not refer to the same historical event.

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Sources and further reading

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhammapada

Historical descriptions are educational summaries. Religious traditions, scholarly interpretations and unverified claims are distinguished where possible; imagery may be illustrative rather than an artifact photograph.