The Dhammapada

by F. Max Muller

Overview

"The Dhammapada," as translated and interpreted by F. Max Müller, is a seminal version of this classic Buddhist text. Friedrich Max Müller, a noted 19th-century German philologist and Orientalist, brought the teachings of the Buddha to a broader Western audience through this translation. His work is part of the "Sacred Books of the East" series, which played a crucial role in introducing Eastern philosophical and religious thought to the Western world.

Müller's translation of the Dhammapada from Pali into English is recognized for its linguistic precision and scholarly approach. The text consists of succinct verses that encapsulate the core principles of Buddhist teachings, such as the nature of the mind, the path to enlightenment, moral living, and the cultivation of wisdom. Müller’s introduction and commentary provide valuable insights into the historical and philosophical context of the Buddha's teachings, making it accessible and relatable to a 19th-century Western audience. His work has been influential in shaping Western understanding of Buddhist philosophy and continues to be a reference for students and scholars of Buddhism and comparative religion.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789359882918
Publisher:	True Sign Publishing House
Publication date:	11/27/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	166 KB

About the Author

Friedrich Max Müller (6 December 1823 - 28 October 1900), generally known as Max Müller, was a German-born philologist and Orientalist, who lived and studied in Britain for most of his life. He was one of the founders of the western academic field of Indian studies and the discipline of comparative religion.





In 1844, prior to commencing his academic career at Oxford, Müller studied in Berlin with Friedrich Schelling. He began to translate the Upanishads for Schelling, and continued to research Sanskrit under Franz Bopp, the first systematic scholar of the Indo-European languages.




Swami Vivekananda, who was the foremost disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, met Max Muller over a lunch on 28 May 1896. Regarding Max Müller and his wife, the Swami later wrote:




The visit was really a revelation to me. That little white house, its setting in a beautiful garden, the silver-haired sage, with a face calm and benign, and forehead smooth as a child's in spite of seventy winters, and every line in that face speaking of a deep-seated mine of spirituality somewhere behind; that noble wife, the helpmate of his life through his long and arduous task of exciting interest, overriding opposition and contempt, and at last creating a respect for the thoughts of the sages of ancient India - the trees, the flowers, the calmness, and the clear sky - all these sent me back in imagination to the glorious days of ancient India, the days of our brahmarshis and rajarshis, the days of the great vanaprasthas, the days of Arundhatis and Vasishthas. It was neither the philologist nor the scholar that I saw, but a soul that is every day realizing its oneness with the universe.





Max Müller's translation of Dhammapada from the Pali is one of most important translations in the domain of Buddhism.