I highly recommend Eknath Easwaran’s translation of the Dhammapada, not the least for his excellent introduction.
It is available as a Kindle download—click the image.
According to Eknath Easwaran, if all of the Buddhist sutras had been lost except the Dhammapada, it alone would be enough for readers to understand and appreciate the wisdom of the Buddha. Easwaran’s version of the Dhammapada goes a long way toward proving this. In a lengthy introduction, Easwaran summarizes the life of the Buddha and the main tenets of his thought, including key concepts such as dharma, karma, and nirvana. The language of the Dhammapada is as lucid and flowing as the Psalms or the Sermon on the Mount, and this is why it is one of the most loved and remembered of all Buddhist sutras. Its subject matter, succinctly, is about training the mind, which leads to kind thoughts and deeds, which bring peace and freedom from suffering. If you are interested in reading one of the gems of Buddhist literature, this is a good place to start; and if you are looking for a great version of this beloved scripture, you can’t do better. Like all great world scripture, the verses here reward rereading and reflection, prompting you to "strive for wisdom always." –Brian Bruya
"Easwaran’s clear, contemporary translation makes this classic of India’s spiritual tradition particularly accessible to Western readers. His introduction focuses on what is universal in the Buddha’s life, background, and teachings, including a particularly penetrating account of the Buddha’s four stages of meditation.’ " – Bookpaper
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From Ashwin’s Amazon Review:
Another soothing gem by Easwaran. I had earlier read The Upanishads by the same author, and was inspired into further exploration of his writing. A few words on the author before the book is due here. Easwaran can definitely be counted as one of those individuals who has made a sincere and thorough attempt to understand numerous religions and draw out their common parallels and apply them to his life, in an almost saint-like manner. Easwaran influence on thought can be said to be similar to Parthasarathy’s, another great writer more focused on Hinduism. It is in reading such authors, that we are left with an indelible impact on our psyche, and within a few weeks of regular reading, can see our daily lives transformed by the power of our own tranquil thinking.
In The Dhammapada, Easwaran now embarks on a similar voyage of peace and calm in the exploration of Buddhism, as he did with the Upanishads. The introduction of the book once again gives a brief background into the life of Siddhartha, the prince and charts his transformation into the Buddha, the "one who is awake". The book then goes on to describe one of the fundamental "religious-books" of Buddhism, the Dhammapada and its teachings. The parallels with the Upanishadic teachings, the mystic Sufis and the Sermon on the Mount is often illustrated, thus underlining Easwaran’s belief of the unity of fundamental thought across religions.
Every two chapters are preceded with an introduction to the concepts and principles enshrined in them, and hence makes reading and comprehension and indeed, personal thinking and evaluation that much more effective. Buddhism in the end, comes out as it should, another monumental religion based on very basic truths and grounded in infallible and extremely rigorous logic. The book is a pure delight to read and has an almost immediate impact on the reader’s approach to life itself.
Incidentally, another wonderful book and religion on similar lines is "The way of Zen", by Alan Watts, and I am out to procure it. This is supposed to describe the confluence of Taoism and Mahayana Buddhism to create the Zen.
Somewhere out there lies the truth, our own selves shining in the dark.
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There is, by the way, another excellent translation of the Dhammapada which, while perhaps not the linguistically most accurate (I’m guessing here), nevertheless is the most poetically accurate (as far as I’m concerned), and which actually is my favorite version.
It is by Thomas Byrom and is available in a very small paper edition as a Shambhala Pocket Classic.
(Click on image to order)
It’s one of those books you can carry with you wherever you go, and perhaps that’s the whole point.
Mr. Byrom seems to have really grasped the essence of each of the Dhammapada verses, for they read beautifully, and communicate amazingly well.
Happy reading.
Ulf Wolf