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Essential Buddhist Literature

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Essential Buddhist Literature

The Dhammapada

Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta

Understanding Dukkha

Buddhist Literature on the Internet

The Dhammapada (The Buddha's Path of Wisdom)

The Dhammapada consists of 423 verses in Pali uttered by the Buddha

on some 305 occasions for the benefit of a wide range of human beings.

These sayings were selected and compiled into one book as being worthy

of special note on account of their beauty and relevance for moulding the lives

of future generations of Buddhists.

 

The four hundred verses of the Dhammapada clarify the nature of mind,

the self, desire, ignorance, the qualities of the Buddha and Dharma,

and the path of liberating knowledge ~ an inspiring compendium of First Turning teachings.

The text is divided into 26 chapters and the stanzas are arranged according to subject matter.

 

The entire text in various versions is available at these sites. 

There are numerous translations of the Dhammapada, so these sites are not necessarily

redundant. 

http://www.serve.com/cmtan/Dhammapada/

http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/ip/sigs/religion/buddhism/introduction/sutras/dhammapada.html

http://members.tripod.com/~MaxwellC/

http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/dhamma/dham-hp.htm

The Random Dhammapada Quote Page http://www.netrover.com/~lwebb/dhamma.html

Here are some selctions from this key text in Buddhism ~ The Dhammapada

adapted from Jack Kornfield, Teachings of the Buddha

Understanding Dukkha

 

Then the Lord addressed the monks thus: "Monks, it is through not understanding,

not penetrating the Four Noble Truths that I as well as you have for a long time

run on and gone round the cycle of birth-and-death.

 

What are they?

By not understanding the Noble Truth of Dukkha we have fared on,

by not understanding the Noble Truth of the Origin of Dukkha,

by not understanding the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Dukkha,

by not understanding the Noble Truth of the Path Leading to the Cessation of Dukkha,

we have fared on round the cycle of birth-and-death.

 

And by the understanding, by the penetration of the same Noble Truth of Dukkha,

of the Origin of Dukkha, of the Cessation of Dukkha and of the Path Leading to the Cessation of Dukkha, the craving for becoming has been cut off, the support of becoming has been destroyed,

there is no more re-becoming."

 

-- Mahaparinibbana Sutta 

    (Digha Nikaya 16; Maurice Walshe translation, with dukkha left untranslated)

Samyutta Nikaya LVI.11

Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta

Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion

Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta (SN LVI.11) -- Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion.

This is the Buddha's first discourse, delivered shortly after his Awakening to the group

of five monks with whom he had practiced the austerities in the forest for many years.

The sutta contains the essential teachings of the Four Noble Truths and the Noble

Eightfold Path. Upon hearing this discourse, the monk Kondañña attained the first stage

of Awakening, thus giving birth to the ariya sangha (Noble Sangha).

I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying at Varanasi in the

Game Refuge at Isipatana. There he addressed the group of five monks:

"There are these two extremes that are not to be indulged in by one who has gone

forth. Which two? That which is devoted to sensual pleasure with reference to sensual

objects: base, vulgar, common, ignoble, unprofitable; and that which is devoted to

self-affliction: painful, ignoble, unprofitable. Avoiding both of these extremes, the

middle way realized by the Tathagata -- producing vision, producing knowledge --

leads to calm, to direct knowledge, to self-awakening, to Unbinding.

 

"And what is the middle way realized by the Tathagata that -- producing vision,

producing knowledge -- leads to calm, to direct knowledge, to self-awakening,

to Unbinding? Precisely this Noble Eightfold Path: right view, right resolve, right speech,

right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. This is

the middle way realized by the Tathagata that -- producing vision, producing knowledge --

leads to calm, to direct knowledge, to self-awakening, to Unbinding.

 

"Now this, monks, is the noble truth of stress: Birth is stressful, aging is stressful,

death is stressful; sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair are stressful;

association with the unbeloved is stressful, separation from the loved is stressful,

not getting what is wanted is stressful. In short, the five aggregates of clinging/

sustenance are stressful.

 

"And this, monks, is the noble truth of the origination of stress: the craving that makes

for further becoming -- accompanied by passion & delight, relishing now here & now there --

i.e., craving for sensual pleasure, craving for becoming, craving for non-becoming.

 

"And this, monks, is the noble truth of the cessation of stress: the remainderless

fading & cessation, renunciation, relinquishment, release, & letting go of that very craving.

"And this, monks, is the noble truth of the way of practice leading to the cessation of stress: precisely this Noble Eightfold Path -- right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.

"Vision arose, insight arose, discernment arose, knowledge arose, illumination arose

within me with regard to things never heard before: 'This is the noble truth of stress'...

'This noble truth of stress is to be comprehended'...'This noble truth of stress has been comprehended.'

 

"Vision arose, insight arose, discernment arose, knowledge arose, illumination arose

within me with regard to things never heard before: 'This is the noble truth of the origination

of stress'...'This noble truth of the origination of stress is to be abandoned'...'This noble

truth of the origination of stress has been abandoned.'

 

"Vision arose, insight arose, discernment arose, knowledge arose, illumination arose

within me with regard to things never heard before: 'This is the noble truth of the

cessation of stress'...'This noble truth of the cessation of stress is to be directly

experienced'...'This noble truth of the cessation of stress has been directly experienced.'

 

"Vision arose, insight arose, discernment arose, knowledge arose, illumination arose

within me with regard to things never heard before: 'This is the noble truth of the way

of practice leading to the cessation of stress'...'This noble truth of the way of practice

leading to the cessation of stress is to be developed'...'This noble truth of the way of

practice leading to the cessation of stress has been developed.'

 

"And, monks, as long as this knowledge & vision of mine -- with its three rounds & twelve permutations concerning these four noble truths as they actually are present -- was not

pure, I did not claim to have directly awakened to the right self-awakening unexcelled in

the cosmos with its deities, Maras, & Brahmas, with its contemplatives & priests, its

royalty & commonfolk. But as soon as this knowledge & vision of mine -- with its three

rounds & twelve permutations concerning these four noble truths as they actually are

present -- was truly pure, then I did claim to have directly awakened to the right

self-awakening unexcelled in the cosmos with its deities, Maras & Brahmas, with

its contemplatives & priests, its royalty & commonfolk. Knowledge & vision arose in me:

'Unprovoked is my release. This is the last birth. There is now no further becoming.'"

 

 

That is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, the group of five monks delighted at his

words. And while this explanation was being given, there arose to Ven. Kondañña the

dustless, stainless Dhamma eye: Whatever is subject to origination is all subject to

cessation.

 

And when the Blessed One had set the Wheel of Dhamma in motion, the earth deities

cried out: "At Varanasi, in the Game Refuge at Isipatana, the Blessed One has set in

motion the unexcelled Wheel of Dhamma that cannot be stopped by priest or

contemplative, deity, Mara or God or anyone in the cosmos." On hearing the earth

deities' cry, the deities of the Four Kings' Heaven took up the cry...the deities of the Thirty-three...the Yama deities...the Tusita deities...the Nimmanarati deities...the Paranimmita-vasavatti deities...the deities of Brahma's retinue took up the cry: "At

Varanasi, in the Game Refuge at Isipatana, the Blessed One has set in motion the

unexcelled Wheel of Dhamma that cannot be stopped by priest or contemplative,

deity, Mara, or God or anyone at all in the cosmos."

 

So in that moment, that instant, the cry shot right up to the Brahma worlds. And this

ten-thousand fold cosmos shivered & quivered & quaked, while a great, measureless

radiance appeared in the cosmos, surpassing the effulgence of the deities.

 

Then the Blessed One exclaimed: "So you really know, Kondañña? So you really know?"

And that is how Ven. Kondañña acquired the name Añña-Kondañña -- Kondañña who knows.

Links to Buddhist Literature on the Internet

a Handful of Leaves: Readings in Theravada Buddhism http://world.std.com/~metta/

Free Buddhist Books   http://rdz.acor.org/lists/vipassana/ freeBooks.html

Zen Buddhist Texts Web Page  http://www.io.com/ ~snewton/zen/index.html

The Electronic Bodhidharma  www.iijnet.or.jp/iriz/ irizhtml/irizhome.htm

Dhammapada Sites

http://www.serve.com/cmtan/Dhammapada/

http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/ip/sigs/religion/buddhism/introduction/sutras/dhammapada.html

http://members.tripod.com/~MaxwellC/

http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/dhamma/dham-hp.htm

The Random Dhammapada Quote Page http://www.netrover.com/~lwebb/dhamma.html

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