Dhammapada and Dhammapada Commentary: The Story of the Verses
Issue: Vol 6 No. 2 (2012) Special Issue: “Tradition and the Reuse of Indic Texts”
Journal: Religions of South Asia
Subject Areas: Religious Studies Buddhist Studies Islamic Studies
Abstract:
The Dhammapada has been translated many times into Western languages and is widely appreciated for its concise presentation of Buddhist teachings. However, the prose commentary that accompanies it, and which explains when, why and to whom the Buddha spoke the verses in the Dhammapada, is less well-known. In this article, I examine the relationship between the verses of the Dhammapada and the narratives of the commentary, and ask what value is added by reading this popular text in its commentarial context.
Author: Naomi Appleton
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