The Dhammapada

← all texts · Buddhist · c. 3rd c. BCE (collection)

What this is

A collection of 423 verses of the Buddha's teaching — the most widely read Buddhist scripture, on mind, craving, mindfulness and the path to liberation. Max Müller's translation is the public-domain classic.

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The gods & things in it

The Buddha

Companion reading path

What to read alongside it, and why.

The Tao Te Ching Taoist & Chinese

The other great short book of Eastern wisdom — compare the Way and the Path.

The Upanishads Hindu

The Hindu thought the Buddha responded to and departed from.

The Bhagavad Gita Hindu

Contrast the Buddhist non-self with the Gita's eternal Self.