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- Lucifer, vol. 4, no. 24, August 1889, pp. 454-456
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Title for references: Sumangala - The Dhammapada
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The Dhammapada is a compilation of verses,[1] principally from the Sutrapitaka, made at the first great council of the Buddhist Church (which was held in the year after the passing away of our Lord Buddha, at the Sattapanni cave near Rajagriha, under the presidency of the great Mahakasyapa) and confirmed at the two succeeding councils. The selection was made as a sort of manual for the student of the spirit of true Buddhism, and almost all the purely moral sayings of our Lord are included in it. It is not to be supposed that there is any chronological order to be observed in its compilation; in many cases where two or three verses are to be found upon the same subject they were delivered by Lord Buddha on entirely different occasions. The word Dhammapada is usually translated “Verses of the Law”; perhaps “Portions of the Law” would be more correct, as there is a reference here to the Sattatimsa-bodhipakkhiya-dhamma, or “The Thirty-seven Portions or Parts of the Law”[2] (or thirty-seven steps of the Path to Nirvana) laid down by our Lord: but Buddhist terminology in the English language is at present so unsettled and unsatisfactory that it is very difficult to give a translation which shall at once convey the whole meaning of the original as understood by an Eastern student. The Dhammapada is said to have three meanings, one within the other: first, its obvious meaning, second, that contained in what is called “the abridged or contracted explanation,” and third, that contained in the complete or perfect explanation. As known to the Southern Church, it consists of twenty-six sections, which are named as follows:
1. Yamakavagga [3] (the section of the pairs of opposites) containing 455a series of verses arranged in pairs, the second of which praises some particular virtue, while the first shows the evil of its opposite.
2. Appamâdavagga (the section on hastening to do good), which shows the evils of delay and the necessity of hastening to perform good works.
3. Chittavagga (the section of the mind or of thought) which speaks of the corruption and the cleansing of the mind, and the attainment of purity of heart.
4. Pupphavagga (the section of flowers) which shows the exaltation of the way to Nirvana, and compares the life of a man who follows the thirty-seven Portions of the Doctrine to a carefully-woven garland of beautiful flowers – each virtue being a blossom fitted in the exact place where it can show to the best advantage and most add to the beauty of the whole.
5. Bâlavagga (the section of the fool) explaining the nature of the foolish man.
6. Panditavagga (the section of the wise man) showing the nature and customs of the truly wise man.
7. Arahatavagga (the section of the Arahats) which speaks of the qualifications and powers of the Arahat or fully-developed man.
8. Sahassavagga (the section of thousands) so called because it states that one good word is better than a thousand foolish ones, that one verse well-understood is better than a thousand repeated without understanding, &c.
9. Pâpavagga (the section of sin) explaining the action of sin and the method of escaping from it and attaining salvation.
10. Dandavagga (the section of injuries or punishments) which condemns the infliction of injury on anyone.
11. Jarâvagga (the section of decay) which explains the nature of the decay of the body, and the coming of old age.
12. Attavagga (the section of self – i.e., self-protection) explaining how to protect oneself from all spiritual harm.
13. Lokavagga (the section of the world) speaking of this world and the future worlds, and pointing out the Good Path.
14. Buddhavagga (the section of the Buddhas) in which the qualities of a Buddha are mentioned.
15. Sukhavagga (the section of happiness) showing in what true happiness consists.
16. Piyavagga (the section of affection) showing the good and evil of the affections, and on what objects they should be fixed, and bidding us beware of sin.
17. Kodhavagga (the section of anger) warning us against the evil effects of anger.
18. Malavagga (the section of impurity) adverting to the evils of impurity either of mind or body.
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19. Dhammatavagga (the section of morality) explaining the nature of the true Doctrine, and the necessity of holding firmly by it.
20. Maggavagga (the section of the Path) in which the nature of the Noble Eight-fold Path is explained.
21. Pakinnakavagga (the miscellaneous section containing advice on various subjects.
22. Nirayavagga (the section of the hells) describing the nature of the men whose karma will bring upon them terrible suffering after death.
23. Nâgavagga (the section of the great) which explains the nature of the truly great man. This is sometimes called the elephant section.
24. Tanhavagga (the section of desire) showing what desire or lust is, and its evil effects.
25. Bhikkhuvagga (the section of monastic life) describing how a monk should live.
26. Brâhmanavagga (the section of the Brahman) showing that the true Brahman is the pure-minded man, whether his birth be high or low – not the mere man of high caste.
There is at present no satisfactory English translation of the Dhammapada, for even that of Professor Max Müller contains many inaccuracies. I do not for a moment wish to depreciate Professor Max Müller’s undoubted scholarship in Sanskrit, but I consider that when he has attempted through his knowledge of Sanskrit to translate Pali literature, he has frequently been unsuccessful. Unless one studies the commentary (Atthakatha) it is quite impossible fully to comprehend and enjoy the beauty of the ancient texts. European scholars spend much time and labour in studying philology and searching for roots and derivations, and yet they often mistake the simplest meanings for want of understanding the living spirit of our religion. We have a proverb which says: – “Among small shrubs the castor-plant passes for a great tree” – something equivalent, I suppose, to the English saying: – “Among the blind the one-eyed man is king”: and I think some of the European Sanskrit and Pali scholars must be estimated on this principle. I hear that Sir Monier Williams has lately presumed to write a book against Buddhism in which he assumes a perfect acquaintance with Sanskrit and Pali; yet when he came to see me a few years ago his knowledge of both languages appeared somewhat rudimentary, and in the latter at any rate he was quite unable to frame an intelligible sentence.
In conclusion I may say that I consider the study of the Dhammapada of the greatest importance, since it is of itself sufficient, if properly comprehended, to give a perfect understanding of the nature of Buddha’s religion. I am much pleased to hear that Sir Edwin Arnold, to whom we already owe so much, has commenced a poetical translation of it, and I hope that he will find time to conclude it.
H. Sumangala, High Priest.
Colombo, Full Moon of Asala, 2433 – (July 12, 1889.)
Footnotes
- ↑ In the Chinese preface to the Dhammapada it is written: – “The verses called Dhammapada are selections from all Sutras. These are the words of Buddha Himself, spoken as occasion suggested, not at any one time, but at various times, and the cause and end of their being spoken is also related in the different Sutras. After Buddha left the world, Ananda collected a certain number of volumes, in each of which the words of Buddha are quoted, whether the Sutra be large or small, with this introductory phrase: – ‘Thus I have heard.’ It was from these works that the Shamans (monks) in after years copied out the various Gathas, some of four lines, some of six lines, and attached to each set a title according to the subject therein explained. But all these verses without exception are taken from some one or other of the accepted Scriptures, and therefore they are called ‘Law-verses’ or Scripture extracts, because they are found in the canon.”
- ↑ The “Thirty-seven Portions of the Law” are the Sattipathana, or Four Earnest Meditations, the Sammappadhana, or Four Great Efforts, the Iddhipada, or Four Steps to the attainment of wonderful powers, the Balani, or Five Superhuman Powers, the Indriyani, or Five Superhuman Senses, the Bodhi-anga, or Seven Kinds of Wisdom, and the Arya-ashtangika marga, or Noble Eight-fold Path. These are explained in the second part of Mr. C. W. Leadbeater’s Introductory Catechism of Buddhism, the English translation of which will commence to appear in our next issue.
- ↑ This is the one translated above by Sir Edwin Arnold.