The Dhammapada

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AFTER 2500 years, the teachings of Gotama Buddha are being regarded as "really quite modern." It would perhaps be less presumptuous and more true to say that the present growing-tips of Western psychology are now beginning to touch The Problem of Man where Buddha laid gentle but firm hand so long ago. Throughout the past fifty years, the relevance of Buddha's perceptions to a "science of soul" has be-come increasingly clear. This Indian sage, perhaps more than any other who has ever lived, provided a meeting-ground for all extremes of persuasion-Gnosticism and agnosticism, belief and the skepticism of caution, appreciation of intuition, and devotion to logic. While the world of the mind is still quivering from abrupt change-transition from too much other-worldly religion to too much physical science-a man who recognized, as parts of a larger whole, the valid emphases of each, is a man whose thoughts are worth knowing today.

In the Dhammapada, while Buddha both affirms and denies some things with assurance, many verses also contain, in sequence, the converse of what is first said. We find, therefore, that the sharp delineationsbetween "good" and "evil" which characterize familiar religious forms, are supplanted by the establishment of a number of subtle ethical dimensions-presented in the form of "on the other hands" and "yes, buts." Now, it is clearly this very quality of the Buddha's thought, at once rendering its precepts philosophically valuable and psychologically sound, which arouses the admiration of Westerners.

A student once under Freud's personal tutelage has reported that the "father of psychoanalysis" named Buddha as the greatest psychologist of all time. In any case, there are logical reasons for the favour Buddha has found among modern psychotherapists. Four sentences from the last two pages of "The Downward Course" in the Dhammapada provide sufficient explanation:

… A blade of kusa grass wrongly handled cuts the hand; asceticism wrongly practised leads down-ward, to hell.

... They who feel shame when there is no cause for shame [as well as) they who feel no shame when they ought to be ashamed-both enter the downward path, following false doctrines.

... They who fear when there is no cause for fear [as well as) they who do not fear when they ought to fear-both enter the downward path, following false doctrines.

Since its first publication in 1950, this founding text of Buddhist teaching has established itself as a classic and essential reading for anyone interested in Buddhist philosophy and theology.

The Dhammapada is perhaps the only Buddhist scripture which contains the actual words of the Buddha. Divided into twenty six chapters, the Dhammapada is a collection of 423 verses of Buddha's wisdom and moral philosophy.

Radhakrishnan is a masterful commentator, cross-referencing many of the verses with other Buddhist scriptures. Radhakrishnan's accurate translation, original-language text and commentary make this THE Dhammapada in English.

Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was born on September 5, 1888, at Tiruttani, forty miles north-east of Madras in South India. His earlyyears were spent in Tiruttani and Tirupati, both famous as pilgrim centres.

He graduated with a Master's Degree in Arts from Madras University. In April 1909, he was appointed to the Department of Philosophy at the Madras Presidency College. From then on, he was engaged in the serious study of Indian philosophy and religion, and was a teacher of Philosophy.

In 1918, he became Professor of Philosophy in the University of Mysore. Three years later, he was appointed to the most important philosophy chair in India, King George V Chair of Mental and Moral Science in the University of Calcutta. In 1929, Radhakrishnan took the post vacated by Principal J. Estin Carpenter in Manchester College, Oxford where he lectured on Comparative Religion. From 1936-39, he was the Spalding Professor of Eastern Religions and Ethics at Oxford University and in 1939 waselected Fellow of the British Academy. From 1939-48, he was the Vice-Chancellor of the Banaras Hindu University. He later held offices that dealt with India's national and international affairs. He was leader of the Indian delegation to UNESCO (1946-52) and Ambassador of India to U.S.S.R (949-52). He was the Vice-President of India (1952-1962) and the President, General Conference of UNESCO (1952-54). He held the office of the Chancellor, University of Delhi, from 1953-62. From May 1962 to May 1967, he was the President of India.

**Sample Pages**