DHAMMAPADA, THE

Undoubtedly one of the greatest teachers in history, the Buddha has had an immeasurable influence on the human race. He taught that our suffering stems from desire and that the only way to remove desire is to purify the heart. Dhamma means law, discipline, justice, virtue, truth - that which holds things together. Pada means way, path, step, foot. So, The Dhammapada is the path of virtue, or the way of truth. This collection of sayings of the Buddha was probably first gathered together a hundred years after his death, and written down in the first century BC. Thomas Byrom's lyrical yet concise translation reveals the practical and timeless simplicity of the Buddha's teaching. There is also a preface by Ram Dass, the writer and teacher on Eastern spiritual philosophy and its integration into Western thought and society.