Essence of the Dhammapada: The Buddha’s Call to Nirvana

Eknath Easwaran, translator of the bestselling edition of the Dhammapada, offers his interpretation of a wellknown, powerful Buddhist scripture. For Easwaran, the Dhammapada is a perfect map for the spiritual journey. Said to be the scripture closest to the Buddha’s actual words, it is a collection of short teachings memorized during his lifetime by his close disciples. This ancient text reveals a world that is remarkably like ours - less populated and polluted, but facing the same violence, greed, and suffering that we read in our media headlines. The Buddha’s own life was fraught with challenges, and his timeless appeal lies not just in his deep warmth and wisdom but also in his realism and emphasis on selfreliance.