--- product_id: 11085063 title: "The Dhammapada (Penguin Classics)" brand: "anonymousvalerie roebuck" price: "NZ$37" currency: NZD in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.nz/products/11085063-the-dhammapada-penguin-classics store_origin: NZ region: New Zealand --- # The Dhammapada (Penguin Classics) **Brand:** anonymousvalerie roebuck **Price:** NZ$37 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Dhammapada (Penguin Classics) by anonymousvalerie roebuck - **How much does it cost?** NZ$37 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.nz](https://www.desertcart.nz/products/11085063-the-dhammapada-penguin-classics) ## Best For - anonymousvalerie roebuck enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted anonymousvalerie roebuck brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description The Dhammapada (Penguin Classics) ## Images ![The Dhammapada (Penguin Classics) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91WYX12oHDL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars Scholarly, with helpful stories *by A***R on Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2014* this version is probably the best researched from a linguistic standpoint. It gives a thorough discussion of the details of Sanscrit vocabulary and grammer issues. Especially helpful are the story summaries linked to each verse which help clarify the references in the verse and the point made in the verse. A translation the emphasizes meaning over poetic expression. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars Great Translation! *by G***A on Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2017* The translation is great! With notes for every verse explaining the stories behind them and translation issues. The Dhammapada itself is preceded by a long (about 50 pages) but very interesting introduction covering many themes. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.0 out of 5 stars Good translation and editorial choices *by M***Z on Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2024* Easy to read and understand. Link to commentary/stories is an inspired choice. Excellent annotations and explanations. Helpful introduction, though as usual with texts from "ancient India,", largely a-historical: little attempt is made to contextualise the texts: traditional datings apart (which are highly implausible), when were they written, by whom, with what motif?Consider the Buddhist logic: (1) Metempsychosis (cf. Pythagoras and Plato) => samsara (cycle of deaths and re-births) (2) Samsara => suffering (3) Suffering ends only when the cycle is discontinued (4) discontinuation occurs only with full liberation (nibbana, parinibbana) (5) full liberation is achieved only by Arahats, Paccecabuddhas, and Fully Awakened Ones (6) while at least Arahathood is achievable by anyone, in practice almost always by monksThis last point is instructive: the Dhammapada is not only a set of dhamma verses, instructions on how to live according to precepts and reach liberation: in part, it is an advertisement compelling readers to enter monkhood. Monkhood is a curious state: men (more typically than women) are taken out of the normal cycle of genetic and economic exchange. A systematic attempt at creating monks reflects a surplus of males in a demography, perhaps a society in which relatively few males successfully monopolise access to females and power; in its effect, monkhood replaces war as a means to neutralise surplus men. The first archaeological evidence of Buddhism occurs in the later 1st c. BCE/early 1st c. CE in the Gandhara area. In the mountain valleys, various Saka rulers appear to have created fiefdoms centred on a powerful knightly nobility but largely lacking a priestly caste like the Brahmin, opening the door for monkhood as solution. The sangha appears to have formed quite early, as early reliquary texts suggest, and the idea of pro-actively and systematically fostering monkhood could have been most meaningful at a time when these fiefdoms were under vassalage of more powerful kingdoms, notably the Indo-Parthian (c.19-226 CE), which may have permitted them local self-rule but no standing army. This question deserves much more research and analysis, but the early Indo-Parthian period could have provided the context for fostering monkhood, and hence for compiling the Dammapada (some of whose verses could have preceded their period, of course), originally probably in Gandhari Prakrit). --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.nz/products/11085063-the-dhammapada-penguin-classics](https://www.desertcart.nz/products/11085063-the-dhammapada-penguin-classics) --- *Product available on Desertcart New Zealand* *Store origin: NZ* *Last updated: 2026-04-30*