Dhammapada is the earliest (and arguably the most authentic) of Buddhist texts.  The story goes that at the time of Buddha’s death several hundreds of his disciples gathered and committed to memory (if not a written form) the key teachings and sayings of Buddha.  This collection is called Dhammapada.  It comprises of 423 sayings in 26 chapters.  The sayings were recorded (or remembered in Pali).  There are no other primary or foundational framework books attributed directly to Buddha.

In line with my approach for other readings and reviews and to make it easy for everyone to follow common materials, I am going to read from online versions of this book.  The two versions are

1. Dhammapada on Project Gutenberg.  It is the translation done by F. Max Muller

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2017/2017-h/2017-h.htm#link2HCH0026

2. Dhammapada: Wisdom of the Buddha translated by Harishchandra Kaviratna

http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/dhamma/dham-hp.htm#palm

I have also read The Dhammapada by Eknath Easwaran, a delightfully easy read.

The first chapter is called The Twin Verses.  It comprises of 20 verses. The verses are arranged mostly in pairs of a negative and a positive version of a thought.  For example the first two link our life to thoughts.  Bad thoughts lead to suffering (verse 1) and good thoughts lead to happiness (verse 2).  For brevity, I have collapsed such verses into one translation and comment.

Verse 1-2: Our life’s experience is lead by our thoughts. Bad thoughts lead to pain, and good thoughts lead to happiness.

Verse 3-5: Hatred begets hatred. Hatred can never be ended by hatred or ill feeling.

Verse 6: It is difficult to remember the impermanence of this life.  Those who remember do not continue quarrels

Verse 7-8: Person seeking sensual pleasures, glutton, intolerant and idle get taken over by Mara (evil).

Verse 9-10:To become a renunciate one must cleanse ones thoughts, be based in temperance and truth.

Verse 11-12: Those who recognize truth do not follow vain desires, while those who do not recognize truth do continue to follow vain desires.

Verse 13-14: Passion corrupts an disciplined/unreflecting mind, while it can’t corrupt a disciplined/reflecting mind. I don’t have the original Pali script so have to go with the translations which are quite different.

Verse 15-18: Doing wrong actions leads to sorrow, just as doing right actions leads to delight (in this world and next).  This is important, there is no concept of retribution from a supreme force.  The statement is more of how the doer themselves feel.

Verse 19-20: Reciting the scriptures without practicing it does not get you the benefits of the path, but living the life according to precepts even without knowing the scriptures does get you nirvana. So giving up passion and hatred and one who knows the truth and keeps the mind calm gets the fruits of devotion. Again an important message of high living, not the more common prescription of ritualistic adherence to religion or repetition of scriptures.

So right at the start a few things have been established

1. No supreme judge, creator, etc. (your own thoughts are the basis of everything)

2. This life is impermanent 

3. Realizing truth, living with high purity and avoiding sensual pleasures is the way to “liberation”