U Thaw Zin - Dhammapada

The foundation of Buddhism

Dhammapada is a compound word of Dhamma and Pada. Dhamma can be translated as follows according to the context.

Dhamma, wholesome pursuits, Sutta - Abhidhamma,

True nature, truth, worldly things, body,

Ayatana, substance, grace, perfection, virtue, action

Ethics, proper conduct, rules, principles, Pali.

Similarly, the verse can be translated as follows, according to the context.

Feet, footprints, paws, parts, letters, all are noble.

The right way to attain, the

A group, a group, a piece.

Here, the Dhammapada is the foundation of the Buddha's Dhamma. Therefore, when the venerable Buddha Ghosa was about to open the Dhammapada, he, in accordance with the scriptures, revealed and paid homage to the Buddha's feet with the words "Tassapade Namasteikata". The Sangha Sayadaw also, in his Burmese translation of the Dhammapada, praised it with the words "Aham, I am the one who has the fifteen Dhammapadas, the refuge of the Blessed One." The Dhammapada is the foundation of the Buddha's Dhamma. It can also be interpreted in various ways according to our understanding. In any case, it will be appropriate to the author. Because the merit of the Dhammapada is inexhaustible and abundant, no matter how much is said, it will always be the same.

The most famous and popular book in Buddhist literature is the Dhammapada. It has been translated into every civilized religion in the world. It is filled with sermons and teachings that the Buddha gave to his various disciples during his lifetime. Dr. Kathiyap Aparya explains this in detail.

If someone were to ask me to name a book from the Three Pitakas, I would point to the Dhammapada without hesitation. Because it is the single best book in the world of literature and has been of great benefit to me. For more than forty years, whenever I have been in distress or in trouble, it has comforted me like a loyal friend. The incomparably beautiful verses are never in vain, whether for advice, for relief from various sufferings, for spreading fame, or for insight. They are effective for something.

Moreover, the great person named Saramakrishna also introduced the Dhammapada in this way.

Now the people of the world are trying to build a single world. For this, the people of the world, each other and each other, need to understand and connect with each other. As a support for this, the most famous and influential Dhammapada in the Buddhist literature should be translated and given. The main point of the Dhammapada is to show that morality, concentration, and wisdom are more important than thinking about the powerful. It is also in line with the times. The teaching of the Dhammapada that completely restraining the mind can lead to madness. Letting it be free is more evil can be supported by modern psychology. Only the Dhammapada can provide a satisfactory answer to the various problems of everyone.

The English missionary and preacher, the first monk, Ashin Setthila, said this about the translation of the Dhammapada.

The Dhammapada Pali, which includes the Kuddaka Nikala among the five Nikalas, is a small book, but it is an anthology of verses, containing all the teachings that the Buddha preached, addressing the various moods of various people.

By listening to the teachings of the Pali Canon, countless numbers of people have attained true freedom and true peace, which is the bliss of Nibbana. The Buddha preached these teachings more than 2,500 years ago, but if we understand them well and practice them, even now the world will be free from war and all people will live in peace, both physically and mentally, and we will attain true freedom and true peace, which is the bliss of Nibbana.

In the world today, the external fires that rage so fiercely, such as bullying one another, taking one another's property, envying one another, hating, torturing, killing, and warring against one another, are all rooted in the three internal fires of desire and greed, hatred and anger when one does not get what one wants, and ignorance and ignorance. As long as the internal fire is not extinguished, the external fire will never be extinguished.

The formation of the League of Nations, the peace conference, the unity conference, etc., and the conclusion of non-aggression pacts, alliance treaties, etc., are very good works. However, doing so is like trying to extinguish the external fire without extinguishing the underlying internal fire. It is like only exploding the surface and applying ointment to the wound, which seems to have healed, and will soon return.

The only thing that can quench the inner fire of greed, anger, and delusion that is the source of external fires is the cold water of the Buddha's teachings. The only medicine that can cure the root cause of the suffering of many people is the Buddha's teachings.

The Dhammapada Pali, which can provide this refreshing and soothing medicine, has been very prominent and immensely beneficial to Eastern Buddhism, and has gradually become more prominent in the West over the past hundred years, and is now the most prominent and beneficial book among Buddhist scriptures. It is also known that it has been translated into English, French, and German.

Although various teachers have translated the Dhammapada Pali into Burmese, these Burmese translations are only a mixture of Pali and Burmese, making it difficult for the public to understand. As it is difficult, only the Dhammapada texts are presented, and the public does not experience the taste of the Dhamma as much as they should when the Buddha preaches. Therefore, in order for the public to easily understand the Dhammapada while he preaches, and to understand and practice it, and to remind those who are now in Burma to hold on to the Dhamma, it is necessary to translate it into Burmese, relying on the Dhammapada Atthakatha, with the hope of various benefits. The Italian monk U Lokanath also said this.

Fifteen years ago I was a Roman Catholic. Today I am a Buddhist monk, a son of the Buddha, who is passionate about spreading Buddhism in the West. The Dhammapada changed me. No one came to me, no one came to me to preach Buddhism. The Dhammapada changed my life. If I had not read the Dhammapada, I would still be a Roman Catholic. The Buddha, in the form of the Dhammapada, is the supreme religious figure who changed my life. Although the Buddha has passed away, the Dhamma of the Buddha is still alive and working.

I was born in Italy. I grew up in New York, USA. I studied both the arts and sciences. However, I studied chemistry with particular emphasis, and I obtained a BSc (Chemistry). My scientific knowledge clashed with my old Roman Catholic views. Immediately, Roman Catholicism gave way to science. My religion gradually became a religion of science. However, I still had a deep devotion to Jesus Christ and St. Francis.

One day in America, while I was concentrating on my work in the laboratory of a large factory, a friend of mine, a chemical officer, gave me a large book. In the book, among other things, was the Dhammapada and the Assa Ghosara of the Buddha, translated by Professor Max Mulla. My friend