Dhammapada: Wisdom of the Buddha (English and Pali Edition) [Hardcover] Tipitaka. Suttapitaka. Khuddakanikaya. Dhammapada. English & Pali and Kaviratna, Hariscandra

The Dhammapada, long perpetuated through oral tradition, is a synthesis of the Buddha s ethical teachings. This English translation by noted Sinhalese pandit Harischandra Kaviratna, with the original Pali text (in roman script) on facing pages, was produced after comparison with Sanskrit, Burmese, and Chinese versions. A glossary of Pali philosophical terms with Sanskrit equivalents and English definitions is included. In a valuable introduction, Dr. Kaviratna discusses the history of the Dhammapada and its place in the Buddhist canon together with its relation to the Vedas and Brahmanical literature.

I can imagine no scholar in this country or elsewhere, who could produce a better rendition of Dhammapadam than Dr. Harischandra Kaviratna. Early in life he acquired a knowledge of Sanskrit, Prakrit, Magadhi, Hindi, English, German, Latin, and other languages and arts. Dr. Kaviratna has contributed immensely to our Sinhala literature on a multiplicity of subjects such as Yoga, Indian philosophy, Mahayana, Theravada, Zen, Tantrikism, Peruvian and Mayan cultures, pre-Christian European cultures, and Egyptology. The present version of Dhammapadam is a verbatim translation which has carefully preserved the true spirit of Buddha's very word. This anthology may be regarded as a Buddhist encyclopaedia in miniature. — Rt. Ven. G. Punnasara Maha Thero, Spiritual Instructor, Government Central College, Madamba, Sri Lanka