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By Thanissaro
Bhikkhu.
For
free distribution only.
Another translation of the
Dhammapada.
Many other English translations are
already available -- the fingers of at least five people would be needed to
count them -- so I suppose that a new translation has to be justified, to prove
that it's not "just" another one. In doing so, though, I'd rather not
criticize the efforts of earlier translators, for I owe them a great debt. Instead,
I'll ask you to read the Introduction and Historical Notes, to gain an idea of
what is distinctive about the approach I have taken, and the translation
itself, which I hope will stand on its own merits. The original impulse
for making the translation came from my conviction that the text deserved to be
offered freely as a gift of Dhamma. As I knew of no existing translations
available as gifts, I made my own.
The
explanatory material is designed to meet with the needs of two sorts of
readers: those who want to read the text as a text, in the context of the
religious history of Buddhism -- viewed from the outside -- and those who want
to read the text as a guide to the personal conduct of their lives. Although
there is no clear line dividing these groups, the Introduction is aimed more at
the second group, and the Historical Notes more at the first. The End Notes and
Glossary contain material that should be of interest to both. Verses marked
with an asterisk in the translation are discussed in the End Notes. Pali terms
-- as well as English terms used in a special sense, such as effluent,
enlightened one, fabrication, stress, and Unbinding -- when they
appear in more than one verse, are explained in the Glossary.
In
addition to the previous translators and editors from whose work I have
borrowed, I owe a special debt of gratitude to Jeanne Larsen for her help in
honing down the language of the translation. Also, John Bullitt, Charles
Hallisey, Karen King, Andrew Olendzki, Ruth Stiles, Clark Strand, Paula Trahan,
and Jane Yudelman offered many helpful comments that improved the quality of
the book as a whole. Any mistakes that remain, of course, are my own
responsibility.
Thanissaro
Bhikkhu
Metta
Forest Monastery
Valley Center, CA 92082-1409
December, 1997
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