The Dhammapada

The Buddha (tradition)

Short verses for a mind that will not sit still. One of Buddhism's most read texts: 26 chapters of verses that each fit in a single breath.

Reading: 26 chapters
Format: Text + tutor
Price: $4.99

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About the book

A work to return to, not to consume.

The Dhammapada gathers the verses tradition attributes to the Buddha, arranged in twenty-six chapters by theme: thought, earnestness, anger, pleasure, the wise man, the fool, the way. Each verse is short, often a single image. The trembling mind made straight, as an archer makes straight his arrow. Hatred that never ceases by hatred. Anger checked like a rolling chariot. Impurities removed little by little, as a smith removes the dross of silver. You do not need to read it in order or all at once: open any chapter and take one verse with you for the day; the tutor can help you turn it into a question for your own life. This edition follows Max Müller's English translation (1881), through which the text reached many Western readers.

The Sun, your reading tutor

Answers from this edition and says when it interprets beyond a quote.

For hatred does not cease by hatred at any time: hatred ceases by love, this is an old rule.

The Buddha (tradition) · — Chapter 1

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Inside the book

Chapters

01
Chapter I. The Twin-Verses4 min read
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02
Chapter II. On Earnestness4 min read
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03
Chapter III. Thought4 min read
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04
Chapter IV. Flowers4 min read
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05
Chapter V. The Fool4 min read
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06
Chapter VI. The Wise Man (Pandita)4 min read
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07
Chapter VII. The Venerable (Arhat)4 min read
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08
Chapter VIII. The Thousands4 min read
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09
Chapter IX. Evil4 min read
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10
Chapter X. Punishment4 min read
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11
Chapter XI. Old Age4 min read
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12
Chapter XII. Self4 min read
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13
Chapter XIII. The World4 min read
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14
Chapter XIV. The Buddha (The Awakened)4 min read
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15
Chapter XV. Happiness4 min read
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16
Chapter XVI. Pleasure4 min read
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17
Chapter XVII. Anger4 min read
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18
Chapter XVIII. Impurity4 min read
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19
Chapter XIX. The Just4 min read
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20
Chapter XX. The Way4 min read
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21
Chapter XXI. Miscellaneous4 min read
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22
Chapter XXII. The Downward Course4 min read
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23
Chapter XXIII. The Elephant4 min read
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24
Chapter XXIV. Thirst4 min read
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25
Chapter XXV. The Bhikshu (Mendicant)4 min read
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26
Chapter XXVI. The Brahmana (Arhat)5 min read
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The author

The Buddha (tradition)

Tradition attributes these verses to Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, who taught in northern India around the 5th century BCE. They were passed down orally and preserved in the Pali canon. Friedrich Max Müller (1823–1900), a German philologist based in Oxford, published the English translation this edition follows in 1881, as part of the Sacred Books of the East series, edited under his direction.

Questions

Do I have to be Buddhist to read it?

No. The verses speak of anger, attention and attachment through images anyone recognizes. The tutor helps with any unfamiliar terms.

Am I really talking with The Buddha (tradition)?

No. The conversation is an AI recreation* inspired by the text: it is not The Buddha (tradition) and it can be wrong. Use it to think the book through, not as the author's own word.

How much does it cost?

The book costs US$4.99, or it comes included in ChaTutor Plus. You can read the opening of chapter 1 without signing up. A free account unlocks the whole chapter, the tutor and a full book free every week.

Is the book complete?

Yes: the complete text, chapter by chapter, in English and Spanish.

* AI recreation. Not the author; it may contain errors.