Editing Dhammapada (section)

{{Short description|Collection of sayings of the Buddha in verse form}}
{{For|the specific English-language translations|Dhammapada (Easwaran translation)|Dhammapada (Radhakrishnan translation)}}
{{Redirects|Dharmapada|the legend of an architect's daughter and son who completed a Konark temple in one night|Dharmapada (person)}}
{{italic title}}
{{TheravadaBuddhism}}
{{PaliCanon|sutta}}
{{Infobox_Buddhist_term
|sinhala= ධම්මපදය
|pr=धम्मपद Dhammapada
|km=ធម្មបទ
|km-Latn=thômmôbât
|my=ဓမ္မပဒ
|zh= 法句經
|zh-Hans=法句经
|zh-Latn=fǎjù jīng
|ja=法句経/ダンマパダ
|ja-Latn=hokkugyō/danmapada
|ko=법구경/담마 파다
|ko-Latn=beobgugyeong/damma pada
|vi= Kinh Pháp Cú
|th=ธรรมบท}}

The '''''Dhammapada''''' ({{langx|pi|धम्मपद}}; {{langx|sa|धर्मपद|Dharmapada}}) is a collection of sayings of [[the Buddha]] in verse form and one of the most widely read and best known [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] [[Buddhist texts|scriptures]].<ref name="best-known text">See, for instance, Buswell (2003): "rank[s] among the best known Buddhist texts" (p. 11); and, "one of the most popular texts with Buddhist monks and laypersons" (p. 627).  Harvey (2007), p. 322, writes: "Its popularity is reflected in the many times it has been translated into Western languages"; Brough (2001), p. xvii, writes: "The collection of Pali ethical verses entitled "Dhammapada" is one of the most widely known of early Buddhist texts."</ref> The original version of the Dhammapada is in the [[Khuddaka Nikaya]], a division of the [[Pali Canon]] of [[Theravada|Theravada Buddhism]].

The Buddhist scholar and commentator [[Buddhaghosa]] explains that each saying recorded in the collection was made on a different occasion in response to a unique situation that had arisen in the life of the Buddha and [[Sangha (Buddhism)|his monastic community]]. His translation of the commentary, the ''Dhammapada Atthakatha'', presents the details of these events and is a rich source of legend for the life and times of the Buddha.<ref>This commentary is translated into English as ''Buddhist Legends'' by E W Burlingame.</ref>