Verses from the Dhammapada | Jenny Hall

Photo by Jan Kopřiva on Unsplash
Scriptures
Buddha
Jun 1, 2020
Jenny Hall

The Dhammapada is one of the oldest collections of sayings of The Buddha. The collection of 423 verses appear in the Pali Canon and arise from specific stories during the teaching life of the Buddha.

Verses from The Dhammapada 1

If the space in between thoughts can be opened up to, the transcendental can appear.

Verses from the Dhammapada 5

The terrible acts of Angulimala provide the backdrop for the Buddha's lesson on choosing the path we take in life.

Verses from the Dhammapada 20

A map of the way is a useful guide but should be no substitute for examining the terrain ourselves.

Verses from the Dhammapada 31

The persistence of the natural world is a good example of how awareness and attention are a natural function of the Buddha-Heart.

Verses from the Dhammapada 36

The Buddha's teachings on The Four Noble Truths can help us through any challenging situation.

Verses from the Dhammapada 53

Despite wanting to be better versions of ourselves we can still act impulsively. The Buddha showed that our future actions are the result of how we cultivate the heart. Jenny Hall tells a story to illustrate the point. 

Verses from the Dhammapada 58

The lotus growing in muddy water and then rising up to bloom in air has become the ideal symbol for rising above the defilements including the delusions of 'I' that bring unhappiness. However, this release arises by coming to terms with the nature of those ties that bind. 

Verses from The Dhammapada 70

If we wish to flow with the ever changing Dharma (law of Buddhism) we must first become familiar with the delusion of ‘I’.

Verses from the Dhammapada 82

The teachings of the Buddha are revealed in everyday phenomena if we are quiet enough and open enough to listen out for them.

Dhammapada Verse 87

Verses from The Dhammapada
The Buddha taught that the very nature of life involves both uncertainty and unease. He taught that the First Sign of Being is impermanence. The Second Sign is suffering.

Verses from the Dhammapada 97

Impassioned thinking makes us hasty in our judgements and prone to 'fake news'. Truth appears in the space vacated by delusion, Jenny Hall explores this view in this latest verse from the Dhammapada.

Verses from the Dhammapada 129

When we want something to change, we may try to to get rid of, ignore or even destroy obstacles in our way. The Buddha taught however, that this will only cause us more suffering.

Verses from the Dhammapada 131

He who injures or kills another who longs for happiness will not find it
'Avoiding killing' is the 1st lay precept, mindfulness helps us in this by not turning a blind eye to ourselves and others. Understanding the life of even 'negative emotions' forms part of this precept too, as we can be too eager to 'get rid' of things 'I' don't like to be

Verses from the Dhammapada 134

Emptiness was described by the Indian sage Nagajuna as the True Nature of phenomena. It's realisation forms the central insight in Mahayana Buddhism. Jenny Hall explores our fear of emptiness and sees the way as going right through this fear.

Verses from the Dhammapada 166

By attending to what arises in our own heart; the practitioner cultivates what she will become. Jenny Hall looks at how the past affects the present.

Verses from the Dhammapada 173

The Great Bodhisattava Vow to help all sentient beings starts with the empty and open heart. Jenny Hall looks at this connection in practice.

Verses from the Dhammapada 175

Space' is a word that describes a physical absence as well as an inward state. Jenny Hall explores the connection between the two to reveal the power in living simply.

Verses from the Dhammapada 190/192

Letting-go of cherished things can be fearful for 'I', but taking refuge also means gaining support. In this verse Jenny Hall discusses the strength found in taking refuge in Buddha.

Verses from the Dhammapada 247

Although renunciation is an essential element of the Buddhist path, it is not the object of ‘my’ desire that is the problem but ‘my' desire to escape whatever is being experienced in this present moment.

Verses from the Dhammapada 250

Jenny Hall explains how 'I' use thoughts about past and future to grasp and how this prevents us resting in the 'now'. In this way we find it difficult to accept this moment as 'enough'.

Verses from the Dhammapada 251

“There is no fire like hatred, no rushing like craving.”
The Buddha taught the delusion of a separate self as the cause of human dissatisfaction. Being a delusion, and thus insubstantial, this lack gives rise to craving to fill the void. Hatred is 'my' attempt to protect myself from this truth.

Verse from the Dhammapada 271

Loneliness is the 21st Century 'malaise' for the first world. Can the Buddha's teachings help us if we are facing this problem?

Verses from the Dhammapada 272

Craving for a particular future can create anxiety and distress in the present. Jenny Hall explores this connection in the light of the teachings.

Verses from The Dhammapada 285

Coming face to face with impermanence can leave us with feelings of sadness and dis-ease. If however, we can open ourselves up to these feelings, we give space for the buddha nature to reveal itself.

Verses from the Dhammapada 289

The 12th Link of the Chain of Dependent Origination is 'Death', but there is a death-in-life necessary to experience life more fully. Jenny Hall explores this theme.

Verses from The Dhammapada 290

It isn't the objects of our desires that are the problem, it's our relationship to them.

Verses from the Dhammapada 306

Motivation for the deception of others may arise as a consequence of an attachment to a self-image. Jenny Hall explores how this attachment can lead to inauthentic ways of living.

Verses from the Dhammapada 328

The 'wise friend' is the subject of this verse which points to the importance played by the 'sangha' or Buddhist community in providing support for practice.

Verses from the Dhammapada 341

Birth and re-birth are central features of the Wheel of Life. In this article Jenny Hall looks at this process and its implications for Zen practice.

Verses from the Dhammapada 358

Giving is the first of the Six Paramitas, however the motivation behind it is as important as the action. Jenny Hall explores this theme.

Verses from the Dhammapada 366

A key element of a Zen monk's life is frugality and the avoidance of waste. Jenny Hall looks at the importance of this in a Buddhist practice to generate compassion and carefulness.

Dhammapada Verse 375

Verses from The Dhammapada
Jenny Hall explores how 'my' expectations can skew the senses which leads to misunderstanding the nature of a situation.

Verses from the Dhammapada 378

Strife brought on by the every-changing nature of the world causes turbulence in our hearts. What did the Buddha teach about attaining equanimity, to establish peace at heart?

Verses from the Dhammapada 399

Anger is a defiling passion in Buddhism, how can this energy become an entryway into the spaciousness of the Buddhanature? Jenny Hall discusses this problem in her latest commentary.

Verses from The Dhammapada 402

When pain or suffering arises it is natural to try and avoid it. To find the way out of suffering however the only way is through it.

Verses from the Dhammapada 404

The simple life may not sound very exciting and 'I' likes stimulation to keep me interested and engaged. However, the attitude we take towards things is key in how we experience them. Jenny Hall explores this connection in this latest verse.

Verses from the Dhammapada 421

In a world that is constantly changing, as the Buddha taught, clinging attachment will lead to suffering. In this article Jenny Hall looks at how this clinging causes us to feel cut off from others.

Verses from The Dhammapada 83

Within happiness lies the seed of sorrow, pleasure being a fleeting experience. When we open ourselves up to sorrow however, the inherent joy of the heart naturally reveals itself. 

Verses from The Dhammapada 35

If we are constantly distracted by past events, or looking for the next thing to satisfy our futures, we can never really savour the present moment in all its richness. When we enter the eternal ‘now,’ true peace is found.

Verses from The Dhammapada 98

Being in a state of gratitude can be the key to a fulfilling and joyous life. Genuine gratitude however cannot be faked and is something that genuinely arises from the heart. Jenny Hall examines how we can open the heart to experience gratitude in our daily lives.

Verses from the Dhammapada 288

The Buddha taught that all things are impermanent, therefore if we rely on the people, things and circumstances that surround us, we will inevitably live in fear that these things will one day leave us. Jenny Hall examines what it means to take refuge in our own hearts.

Verses from The Dhammapada 336

When ‘I’ like something ‘I’ chase after it, when I dislike something ‘I’ tend to avoid it. It’s from this starting point that we can learn to let go of our suffering. Jenny Hall investigates.

Verses from the Dhammapada 360

Given that ’I’ (the ego) am the one who seeks to assert control over myself and ‘my’ environment, and ‘I’ (the ego) am the one who must be let go of, what did the Buddha mean when he says we must control the senses.

Verses from The Dhammapada 3

Why does compassion naturally arise from Zen training?

Verses from The Dhammapada 406

While violence seems to be escalating throughout the world, the Buddha’s teachings show us that anger and desire can be transformed into the warmth of the Buddha nature.

Verses from The Dhammapada 286

While doubt is seen as one of five hindrances to meditation, ‘the great ball of doubt’ is one of the three requirements for Zen training. What is this ball of doubt and how can we develop it?

Verses from The Dhammapada 217

Jenny Hall examines the passing away of Queen Elizabeth II and her long reign as the Monarch of the United Kingdom.

Verses from The Dhammapada 59

The pitch black of the darkness holds many secrets, some terrifying but others sublime. Jenny Hall explores what it really means to bring light to this darkness.

Verses from The Dhammapada 91

The Buddha once said “He presses on with his thoughts controlled never looking back to his home, like a swan who has left its pool.” Jenny Hall investigates.

Verses from The Dhammapada 408

The Buddha once said “He is a Brahmin whose speech is kindly and truthful.” 

Verses from The Dhammapada 354

The Buddha once said, ‘The gift of the Law is greater than all other gifts’.

Verses from The Dhammapada 168

The Buddha once said, “Let a man rouse himself and follow the path of righteousness”. Without discipline and effort, the practice will never fully develop but being too rigid will break our resolve.

Verses from The Dhammapada 133

While it may feel like anger works in the short term, when left unchecked it can quickly lead to a race towards the bottom.

Verses from The Dhammapada 23

The Buddha once said ‘Meditating earnestly, the wise realise Nirvana, the highest happiness.’   

Verses from The Dhammapada 68

Pursuing goals at all costs can often leave a trail of destruction and suffering.

Verses from The Dhammapada 24

Having to do work that we don’t like can leave us feeling drained and fatigued. Zen training teaches us how to reclaim that energy.

Verses from the Dhammapada 26

Jenny Hall takes a look at Right Mindfulness in our day to day life, the key to Buddhist practice.

Verses from the Dhammapada 132

As ‘I’ am gradually emptied out, the beauty of the world begins to fill the heart.
Next

Verses from The Dhammapada 23
From the series

Verses from The Dhammapada 23

Topics

BUDDHA
CH'AN
DHARMA ASSORTMENTS
DHARMA TALKS
FUNDAMENTALS
MAHAYANA
SCRIPTURES
STORIES RETOLD
THE WAY OF DEVOTION
ZEN

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Further reading

Taking the Medicine: The Noble Eightfold Path

The Four Noble Truths
The fourth and final Noble Truth (the way out of suffering) is not a theory or philosophy, it is a call to practice.

The Great Medicine of the Buddha

The Four Noble Truths
Unless we can practice what we have learned, we do not have the means of understanding it or an ability to make it a lived experience.
Series

The Four Noble Truths | Dr. Alan Sidi

Dr. Alan Sidi explores the way out of suffering by bringing to life The Four Noble Truths, the first set of teachings given by the Buddha.

Verses from the Dhammapada 132

As ‘I’ am gradually emptied out, the beauty of the world begins to fill the heart.