Dhammapada : The Sayings of Buddha

Rating:
Summary: Translation is helpful, Cleary's comments are not
Review:

Since the Dhammapada is a translation from the original Pali language, I have found it helpful to have several translations to better understand the true meaning. Here's an example:

From Thomas Cleary's translation:

Everything has mind in the lead, has mind in the forefront, is made by mind. If one speaks or acts with a corrupt mind, misery will follow, as the wheel of a cart follows the foot of the ox.

From Thanissaro Bhikkhu's translation:

Phenomena are preceded by the heart,
ruled by the heart,
made of the heart.
If you speak or act
with a corrupted heart,
then suffering follows you --
as the wheel of the cart,
the track of the ox
that pulls it.

From Ajahn Munindo's translation:

All states of being are determined by mind. It is mind that leads the way. Just as the wheel of the oxcart follows the hoof print of the animal that draws it, so suffering will surely follow when we speak or act impulsively from an impure state of mind.

As you can see, having several translations can offer a deeper meaning. Based on that, this book can be helpful.

Then "Why?" you may think, did I rate it only 3 stars?

I think of books on Buddhism, and the Buddha's teaching, in my own mind, by placing the book on one of 4 levels.

Level 1

These are written by someone with little knowledge on Buddhism, and seem to treat it as New Aged. These books are like: "Top 10 Things Buddha Would Do", "If The Buddha Drove an SUV", basically, not real teachings of the Buddha, but a very washed down version. (not real titles offered, and I hope they never get used!)

Level 2

These books are written with one or two main things from the Buddha's teachings and applied to helping people today. Things like using mindfulness to help with stress, or addiction. Someone with a meditation practice typically writes these books. They are important in helping people live a life freer from suffering.

Level 3

These are books written by people with a deep practice or those who are monastic. Typically the books offer real teachings with a real life perspective.

Level 4

These are books that are translations of the Buddha's teachings. These are the discourses. Books like, The Middle Length Discourses, The Connected Discourses, and the Dhammapada, etc. These are the actual teachings of the Buddha that have been passed down for nearly 2,500 years.

With that in mind this book, by Thomas Cleary, should be in the Level 4. However, his treatment of the layout and his commentaries, cast a shadow over the book. Cleary offers notes within the flow of the book. He did not place them at the bottom of the page, or in the back of the book. This does break-up the feel of the texts. His commentaries are in a font that overpowers the font of the actual teachings. Also, he refers to other religions to help explain the meaning. I found this unnecessary and inappropriate. Again, this is a book I would put in a framework of sacred texts. Plus, in a couple of instances his comments were out of line. Here's a translation:

Giving truth surpasses all giving; the flavor of truth surpasses all flavors; the enjoyment of truth surpasses all enjoyments; the destruction of craving overcomes all misery.

Cleary's comment of this wonderful teaching?:

"How pessimistic can you get?"

Does that seem appropriate in such a book? I think not.

Based on that and the other things mentioned I offer 3 stars. Don't get me wrong, the translations are helpful, it boils down to Cleary's comments and where they are inserted that brings down the overall rating.

Rating:
Summary: OK Translation, Condescending Commentary
Review: I picked this book up because of Cleary's wide reputation for translating Asian religious classics. The translation is pretty good, but the commentary is woefully insulting to Theravada Buddhism. In this book, Theravada is not referred to as Hinayana as it is in older Mahayana Buddhist books, but it is referred to exclusively as the Lesser Journey, essentially a literal translation of Hinayana. We are told that the Dhammapada, a staple of Theravada Buddhism, really belongs to the Greater Journey. (It should be remembered that Buddhism has no equivalent of the Bible, the Quran, or the Bhagavad Gita. Each Buddhist movement has its own favorite suttas. Some like the Lotus, others the Diamond, etc. However, the Dhammapada may be the most well known Buddhist primary scripture. Therefore, in Cleary's thinking perhaps, it has to be reclaimed for the Greater Journey.) It is translated, Cleary says, in that light. Truly, the translation is adequate, but it is the commentary that tries to force the work into Mahayana Buddhism. And it should be noted, only Zen Mahayana is mentioned, no word about Tibetan, Pure Land, or any other type of Buddhism, including, in Cleary's own estimation, the priggish and pessimistic Lesser Journey. We are told Cleary has a vast knowledge of spiritual wisdom from east and west, but truly his commentary shows his knowledge is of Zen, pre Buddhist Chinese works, and Islam. Impressive, but given that easy parallels with Christianity, Judaism, Hindu, and other forms of Buddhism could be made with the Dhammapada, it is hardly vast. Much of the work shows Cleary's abysmal knowledge of Theravada. We are told in Chapter X that compassion is ordinarily considered the hallmark of the Greater Journey, not usually associated with the Lesser Journey. Has he not heard of metta, the Theravada meditation practice of lovingkindness? I assume compassion is the hallmark of Mahayana only in Cleary's mind, and this bias has prevented him from clearly seeing the great goodness of Theravada. His summation of Theravada, the Lesser Journey, is found in the introduction. We are told that it is sterile and morbid, priggish and pessimistic. At least it is in the view of the Greater Journey...
Overall, I cannot recommend this book at all except to Mahayana chauvinists who feel certain that Theravada is beyond hope, but feel some Theravada works should be salvaged before the ship goes down completely. And those Mahayanists should probably be of Zen as lovers of Tibetan culture will find nothing here. This book is a dud: get the superb, commentary free Dhammapada published by Parallax and translated by Maitreya and Kramer instead. Interestingly Parallax is the publishing organ of Thich Nhat Hanh, about the only Mahayanist I know who actually likes Theravada Buddhism. One notices that he almost only quotes from the Pali canon, yet he is firmly in the Vietnamese Zen Buddhist tradition.

Rating:
Summary: Sayings of Thomas F. Cleary
Review: The Dhammapada is a collection of sayings attributed to the Buddha. In his translation, Cleary has choosen to interject his comments between the verses of the original text, often there is more of Cleary's words on a page than the Buddha's. This is a major distraction for the reader; foot notes would have been more appropriate. Furthermore, most of Cleary's comments are superficial comparisons to other religious traditions which does not help to understand the Dhammapada (nor is it effective comparative religion). I was flabbergasted to see Cleary's comments written in bold itialic print while the Buddha's words are written in plain text! Please, look elsewhere for a decent translation of the Dhammapada.