Dhammapada Stories
by Gambhiro Bikkhu
Selected verses from the Dhammapāda and the
stories behind them, all depicted in thirty-two
beautiful illustrations.
Contents
Introduction
Acknowledgement
The Lady and the Ogress
The Cruel Butcher
The Scholar Monk and the Arahat
Mindfulness Means Life
The Wandering Mind
The Fickle-Minded Monk
The Monk Whose Body Stunk
A Father who became a Mother
The Cure for Death
Bilalapadaka, The Selfish Rich Man
The Wise Merchant
The Innocent Monk
The Unfortunate Hunter
Kamma is Inescapable Kamma is Inescapable
The Self-Pampered Monk
Bhikkhu or Brahmana
Not Even for Free
The Impermanence of Beauty
Practise What You Preach
The Pregnant Bhikkhuni
The Necklace of Fingers
The Cloth Baby
The Power of Loving Kindness
The Diligent Do Not Sleep
The Great Pretenders
The Ungrateful Sons
Sainthood on Top of a Pole
Almsfood is Almsfood
The Abusive Brothers
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Introduction
THE BUDDHIST CANON, otherwise known as the Tipitaka, is the collection of the entire teachings of the Buddha. From out of this vast collection, inspirational verses which touch the essence of what the Buddha taught were compiled and recorded in a book called DHAMMAPĀDA. These verses, arranged under twenty-six chapters with such headings as The Wise, Mindfulness, and Happiness are part of the earliest extant records of words uttered by the Buddha himself.
There are 423 verses in the Dhammapāda, and behind each one of them is a story which bears a lesson of great moral value whether they concern such human flaws as pride and greed, or such virtues as compassion and generosity. It is primarily for this reason that for centuries throughout Southeast Asia, the Dhammapāda stories have been used by parents to instruct and entertain their children and have been recounted by monks to inspire and enlighten those who came to seek their guidance.
As to whether the stories are really based on historical fact or merely the products of vividly imaginative minds, discussion still goes on, but it is evident that the stories may not be entirely precise in detail nor free from exaggeration. One is nevertheless advised to keep an open mind in order to be able to appreciate the moral lessons the stories are trying to convey. In any case, even those who do doubt their authenticity would have to agree that the lessons they teach provide food for reflection which may consequently give a whole new direction to the way one thinks and lives. Moreover, because the Buddha always suited his teachings to the age, temperament, character, and mental state of his listeners, one may just be able to identify with any of the characters that are depicted in the Dhammapāda stories and benefit from that identification.
In addition, the Dhammapāda stories are a valuable source of information regarding the personality of the Buddha himself: his temperament—the Buddha was always calm, patient and compassionate (no instance can be cited where the Buddha ever displayed any anger or spoke harshly); his great humility—he accepted food even from lowly servants and slaves, sometimes food that had already been partially eaten; his wisdom and skill in teaching—he was able to uproot the deep-seated unwholesome attitudes of even his most abusive and stubborn accusers and bring them to accept Right View.
For our collection, we have selected thirty-two Dhammapāda stories that we felt were particularly interesting and meaningful, and at the same time, representative of the different kinds of stories that the Dhammapāda contains, whether it be a humorous one as in the story of the fickle-minded monk who kept shuttling between the religious life and the home life so many times that his head was likened to a “whetting stone”; a poignant one as in the st…
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