Description

The Dhammapada (Pali; in Prakrit Dhamapada; in Sanskrit Dharmapada) is a versified Buddhist scripture said to have been preached by the Buddha himself. It is one of the best-known texts from the Theravada canon of the Buddhism.The title, Dhammapada, is a compound term composed of dhammo
(dharma=) and pada (foot), each word having a number of denotations
and connotations. Generally, dhamma refers to the Buddha’s “doctrine”
or an “eternal truth” or “righteousness” or all phenomena”; and, at its root, pada means “foot” and thus by extension, especially in this context,means either “path” or “verse” (cf. “foot=prosody’) or both.It is believed that the Dhammapada’s verses were told by the Buddha on various occasions. Most verses deal with ethics and these religious beliefs are taught and preached and are followed by the buddhists and
others alike. The text is part of the Khuddaka Nikaya of the Sutta Pitaka.
Over half of these verses exist in other parts of the Pali Canon. A 4th or 5th century CE commentary attributed to Buddhaghosa includes 305 stories which give context to the verses.The Dhammapada consists of 423 verses in Pali said to have been uttered by the Buddha on some 305 occasions for mental upliftment of a wide range of human beings.These sayings were selected and compiled into one book as being worthy of special note on account of their beauty and relevance for moulding the lives of future generations of Buddhists as well as all people of this world. They are divided into 26 chapters and stanzas.This book, Fables as told by Gautam Buddha, is a fascinating blend of simple, often untold in’sights into the teachings of the Buddha, interesting glimpses from the Buddha’s life and the author’s own understanding of the Dhamma. It describes the Buddha’s immense respect for life and his belief in denouncing materialism for the good of the masses. According to the Buddha, violence begets violence and fire can never douse fire. But love can win hatred. And a man at peace with himself will bring peace to the world. As a kin of this great writer this is what I have learnt from him. The book explains, in very simple ianguage,how easily one can make the Dhamma a part of daily life.Through its chapters, the book describes the Buddha’s life,his followers and the essence of his teachings.