Why Dhammapada is so appealing to foreigners?

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SarathW
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Why Dhammapada is so appealing to foreigners?

Post by SarathW »

Why Dhammapada is so appealing to foreigners?
I have read Dhammapada and I never felt Dhammapada is unique or especially appealing to me. However, I have listened to many stories about the total strangers who became Buddhist by reading Dhammapada. The following video is a Dhammasermon by a Tamil Hindu priest who became a Buddhist monk. He said he decided to become a Buddhist by reading Dhammapada.
He said Dhammapada is the Buddhist handbook. He asked the participants to raise their hands if they have seen, read, or have the book of Dhammapada. Only six people out of a few hundreds Buddhist raised their hands! You can see that in the video. (in the Sinhalese language) Another interesting thing is to see the number of men in this gathering. What has happened to Sri Lankan men?
By the way, the name of this monk is Bogavantalawe Rahula

“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
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suriyopama
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Re: Why Dhammapada is so appealing to foreigners?

Post by suriyopama »

Westerners are exposed to Dhammapada quotes at many different places, from Facebook, to a fortune cookie, a banner in a NewAge site, or the Instagram of an influencer. They are rarely exposed to Suttas, but most Dhammapada quotes are short, and they can easily be appealing and make sense to non-Buddhists.
SarathW
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Re: Why Dhammapada is so appealing to foreigners?

Post by SarathW »

The link to the Dhammapada book I have read.

https://www.tipitaka.net/tipitaka/dhp/
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
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suriyopama
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Re: Why Dhammapada is so appealing to foreigners?

Post by suriyopama »

Now I remember the first Dhammapada quote that I read, when I was very young:

"Be an island unto yourself"

I was a rebel without God or religion, raised in a Catholic country (Spain), and that phrase resonated with my independent and anarchist spirit. That isolated quote by itself didn't made me a Buddhist, but at that moment I thought that the Buddha was a cool guy, because he was not submitted to a god, to a blind belief, or to a higher power. That opened my mind to be interested in the Dhamma when I found it years later (after a disappointment with the Dharma)
SarathW
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Re: Why Dhammapada is so appealing to foreigners?

Post by SarathW »

suriyopama wrote: Tue Jan 11, 2022 12:33 pm Now I remember the first Dhammapada quote that I read, when I was very young:

"Be an island unto yourself"

I was a rebel without God or religion, raised in a Catholic country (Spain), and that phrase resonated with my independent and anarchist spirit. That isolated quote by itself didn't made me a Buddhist, but at that moment I thought that the Buddha was a cool guy, because he was not submitted to a god, to a blind belief, or to a higher power. That opened my mind to be interested in the Dhamma when I found it years later (after a disappointment with the Dharma)
Thanks. Being a Buddhist by birth I can't see the value of that phrase. Perhaps this is due to drumming these things to our ears since young without any experience, it has become just another sound. I had to byheart about 80 versers of Dhammapada for my GCE Ordinary Level exam but had no appreciation for it.
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
Ontheway
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Re: Why Dhammapada is so appealing to foreigners?

Post by Ontheway »

It is easy to read, short, and easy language.
Comes with interesting stories.
Hiriottappasampannā,
sukkadhammasamāhitā;
Santo sappurisā loke,
devadhammāti vuccare.

https://suttacentral.net/ja6/en/chalmer ... ight=false
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bodom
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Re: Why Dhammapada is so appealing to foreigners?

Post by bodom »

Ontheway wrote: Tue Jan 11, 2022 1:18 pm It is easy to read, short, and easy language.
Comes with interesting stories.
This and plus the fact that it has been the mostly widely translated and first Buddhist text available to westerners. It was my introduction to the Buddha's Teachings and continues to be one of my favorite books in the Canon.

:anjali:
Liberation is the inevitable fruit of the path and is bound to blossom forth when there is steady and persistent practice. The only requirements for reaching the final goal are two: to start and to continue. If these requirements are met there is no doubt the goal will be attained. This is the Dhamma, the undeviating law.

- BB
form
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Re: Why Dhammapada is so appealing to foreigners?

Post by form »

Dhammapada seldom make people argue over its content like other suttas. The longer, the more complicated the more argument. Argument over Pali meaning and other points.
Ontheway
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Re: Why Dhammapada is so appealing to foreigners?

Post by Ontheway »

Dhammapada is, undoubtedly, the best material to be studied for those who are interested to learn practical Buddhism. It is far better than random Buddha meme quotes on internet.

But for some verses, we need to be cautious when reading Dhammapada:

E.g.
Mataram pitaram hantva
rajano dye ca khattiye
rattham sanucaram hantva
anigho yati brahmano.

Mataram pitaram hantva
rajano dve ca sotthiye
veyagghapancamam hantva
anigho yati brahmano.
Atta hi attano natho
ko hi natho paro siya
attana hi sudantena
natham labhati dullabham.
It is very easy to one to fall into wrong views just by reading the verses plainly without understanding. Like the first example, one might thinks the act of killing is encouraged by the Buddha. While the second verse might causes someone to affirm Sakkaya-Ditthi.

This is why Atthakatha is important.
Hiriottappasampannā,
sukkadhammasamāhitā;
Santo sappurisā loke,
devadhammāti vuccare.

https://suttacentral.net/ja6/en/chalmer ... ight=false
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Ceisiwr
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Re: Why Dhammapada is so appealing to foreigners?

Post by Ceisiwr »

Personally I hardly ever read it. Not really a fan.
“Knowing that this body is just like foam,
understanding it has the nature of a mirage,
cutting off Māra’s flower-tipped arrows,
one should go beyond the King of Death’s sight.”
form
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Re: Why Dhammapada is so appealing to foreigners?

Post by form »

Ontheway wrote: Tue Jan 11, 2022 2:15 pm Dhammapada is, undoubtedly, the best material to be studied for those who are interested to learn practical Buddhism. It is far better than random Buddha meme quotes on internet.

But for some verses, we need to be cautious when reading Dhammapada:

E.g.
Mataram pitaram hantva
rajano dye ca khattiye
rattham sanucaram hantva
anigho yati brahmano.

Mataram pitaram hantva
rajano dve ca sotthiye
veyagghapancamam hantva
anigho yati brahmano.
Atta hi attano natho
ko hi natho paro siya
attana hi sudantena
natham labhati dullabham.
It is very easy to one to fall into wrong views just by reading the verses plainly without understanding. Like the first example, one might thinks the act of killing is encouraged by the Buddha. While the second verse might causes someone to affirm Sakkaya-Ditthi.

This is why Atthakatha is important.
What is that in English? What verses?
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bodom
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Re: Why Dhammapada is so appealing to foreigners?

Post by bodom »

form wrote: Tue Jan 11, 2022 3:07 pm
Ontheway wrote: Tue Jan 11, 2022 2:15 pm Dhammapada is, undoubtedly, the best material to be studied for those who are interested to learn practical Buddhism. It is far better than random Buddha meme quotes on internet.

But for some verses, we need to be cautious when reading Dhammapada:

E.g.
Mataram pitaram hantva
rajano dye ca khattiye
rattham sanucaram hantva
anigho yati brahmano.

Mataram pitaram hantva
rajano dve ca sotthiye
veyagghapancamam hantva
anigho yati brahmano.
Atta hi attano natho
ko hi natho paro siya
attana hi sudantena
natham labhati dullabham.
It is very easy to one to fall into wrong views just by reading the verses plainly without understanding. Like the first example, one might thinks the act of killing is encouraged by the Buddha. While the second verse might causes someone to affirm Sakkaya-Ditthi.

This is why Atthakatha is important.
What is that in English? What verses?
Yes please provide English translations for Pali texts. Thank you.

:anjali:
Liberation is the inevitable fruit of the path and is bound to blossom forth when there is steady and persistent practice. The only requirements for reaching the final goal are two: to start and to continue. If these requirements are met there is no doubt the goal will be attained. This is the Dhamma, the undeviating law.

- BB
Ontheway
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Re: Why Dhammapada is so appealing to foreigners?

Post by Ontheway »

The first two verses:

Having killed mother and father,
and the two kings,
and having destroyed the kingdom together with its revenue officer,
the brahmana goes free from dukkha.

Having killed mother and father,
the two brahmin kings and having destroyed the hindrances of which the fifth is like a tiger-infested journey,
the brahmana goes free from dukkha.

The second verse:
One indeed is one's own refuge; how can others be a refuge to one? With oneself thoroughly tamed, one can attain a refuge, which is so difficult to attain.


These are the direct translation. I think these verses are quite famous among Buddhists.
Now the Atthakatha (or Dhammapadatthakatha) commented on these verses:
https://www.tipitaka.net/tipitaka/dhp/v ... ?verse=294
https://www.tipitaka.net/tipitaka/dhp/v ... ?verse=160
Hiriottappasampannā,
sukkadhammasamāhitā;
Santo sappurisā loke,
devadhammāti vuccare.

https://suttacentral.net/ja6/en/chalmer ... ight=false
Red Belly
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Re: Why Dhammapada is so appealing to foreigners?

Post by Red Belly »

I think its brevity and relative simplicity, coupled with the beauty of the instructions offered, have made it the spiritual classic that it is. Anyone, even someone not familiar with the Buddha's full teachings, can pick it up and leave with much to ponder. Christians will sometimes say that if, heaven forbid, all the scriptures and all the later teaching of the saints were to be lost, as long as the Sermon on the Mount survived, the teachings of Christ would still be a viable thing - and honestly, they may be right. I'll go out on a limb and say that the same is true of the Dhammapada and Buddhism.

:namaste:
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JamesTheGiant
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Re: Why Dhammapada is so appealing to foreigners?

Post by JamesTheGiant »

SarathW wrote: Tue Jan 11, 2022 11:38 am Why Dhammapada is so appealing to foreigners?
Foreigners? You're the foreigner from where I'm standing. :D
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