The Dhammapada

By: Eknath Easwaran

Narrated by: Paul Bazely

Dhammapada means "the path of dharma", the path of harmony and righteousness that anyone can follow to reach the highest good. This classic Buddhist scripture is a collection of vivid, practical verses gathered from direct disciples who wanted to preserve what they had heard from the Buddha himself. Easwaran's translation of this classic Buddhist text is the best-selling translation in the US. In the comprehensive introduction, he brings the story of the young Prince Siddhartha and his heroic spiritual quest vividly to life. His overview of the Buddha's teachings is reliable, penetrating, and accessible. The Buddha rejected superstition on the one hand and philosophical speculation on the other. He taught the path to the end of suffering and showed how we can achieve lasting joy. In The Dhammapada he spells out our choices with a refreshing realism and frankness.

This audiobook is a complete narration of Eknath Easwaran's introduction and translation, but omits the short chapter introductions by other writers.

©2007 Blue Mountain Center of Meditation (P)2016 Blue Mountain Center of Meditation

Beautiful.

Amazing! reccomend to all. I have listened to it a couple of times with in a few weeks.

simple, straightforward. very well done. Narrator engaging and pleasant

simple, straightforward. very well done. Narrator engaging and pleasant. Highly recommended. As well as other titles.

Beautiful Tao

A must read for anyone seeking wisdom. Excellent narration. Bla bla bla words word 15 words done :)

Exceptional!

The only way to live Life!!! Point, Blank, Period. Listen to this book and get your Life in Order.

Love it. Can listen to over and over.

Absolutely revolutionary and penetrating wisdom so elegantly read. May all beings be free of suffering.

A wonderful version with more than I expected

Having read many interpretations of the
Dhammapada, I found this book to be more than I bargained for. Before even getting to the meat of the original text you're treated to an entire history of the Buddha and the concepts of Buddhism. Delightful. I've already listened to it several times and will undoubtedly listen again.

A must read

I was very optimistic with this book. I wanted to learn more about bhudda and I felt that I accomplished that.

Clarity

Clarity in explaining essential Buddhist principles. Narration excellent and pauses useful. Quite enlightening exposition. Audible needs to learn how to be succinct

Tao te Ching of Buddhism

Although I agree with Eknath's comparison of the Dhammapada with Jesus' sermon on the mount, to me it felt more akin to the Tao te Ching for Buddhists. It's broken up into bitesize chapters that are very easy to take in, and are extremely quotable. It's almost as if Buddhists got a hold of the Tao te Ching, and felt they needed to make their own for Buddhists. At any rate, The Dhammapada is an excellent example of a Buddhist text; it never gets too philosophical, and never gets too repetitive like you see in the rest of the Pali texts. I think anyone from any back round can take something away from this. It is dense with wisdom in every line.

I have a few minor critiques that didn't effect my overall score, but I feel that I need to let people who aren't new to Buddhism know. First of all, Eknath opens on the book with a very lengthy intro to Buddhism (and the Buddha); It takes up at least the first half of this recording. This is great for people who are new to Buddhism, but not for someone who just wants to listen to The Dhammapada; you would have to go in and find when the actual text starts. Another very minor annoyance was the music intro, and outro to each chapter. The chapters are too short to have these breaks constantly. If anything I would have preferred a light bell sound once in between chapters.

You've got the right idea...

Only a few more reviews and then you will finally be able to make a judgement good enough to act on! How are those judgmental thoughts coming along?

This book provides wonderful knowledge and timeless wisdom. if you begin with a mind full of judgment and expectation, what kind of foundation are you giving yourself to open up to its lessons?