Starts With You

“The Dhamma is your refuge”

Below are the last words of the Buddha said to Ananda, his faithful assistant:

attadīpā viharatha attasaraṇā anaññasaraṇā dhammadīpā dhammasaraṇā anaññasaraṇā

You are your own island you live on. You are your own refuge. Others are not your refuge. The Dhamma is your island. The Dhamma is your refuge. Others are not your refuge.

Welcome to Dhammapada.com, your path to the Dhamma, i.e., the Buddha’s teachings. The Dhammapada, one of the most revered texts in Buddhist literature, is a collection of 423 verses spoken by the Buddha himself, offering profound insights into ending grief, anger, dissatisfaction. At Dhammapada.com we present our meticulously crafted translation — a labor of love aimed at creating the clearest and most understandable rendition ever produced. Our original version thus seeks to capture the essence of the original Pali text in a way that resonates personally with today's students and seekers.

Because people are suffering in the world, we have made our Dhammapada translation available to read without charge.