Sacred Texts · The Dhammapada

The Dhammapada and the Way of Jesus

The Dhammapada gathers 423 verses of the Buddha’s path, on the mind, on craving, and on the conquest of hatred by love. Many of its lines run remarkably close to the words of Jesus, and a few mark an honest difference. This page reproduces 11 of those verses in the public-domain Müller translation, each with a clearly-labelled Christian comparison. Read the sources, and see for yourself.

Translation: F. Max Müller (1881), The Dhammapada, Sacred Books of the East vol. X, public domain, via Project Gutenberg (ebook 2017). Reproduced in full and in context; verse 5 and the verse count (423 verses, 26 chapters) validated against the source before publishing.

11 verses that point toward Christ

• Dhammapada 1“All that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is founded on our thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him,…”Read + Christian comparison (The heart and the mind) →
• Dhammapada 5“For hatred does not cease by hatred at any time: hatred ceases by love, this is an old rule.”Read + Christian comparison (Love overcomes hatred) →
• Dhammapada 103“If one man conquer in battle a thousand times thousand men, and if another conquer himself, he is the greatest of conquerors.”Read + Christian comparison (Conquering oneself) →
• Dhammapada 160“Self is the lord of self, who else could be the lord? With self well subdued, a man finds a lord such as few can find.”Read + Christian comparison (Who is Lord of the self) →
• Dhammapada 165“By oneself the evil is done, by oneself one suffers; by oneself evil is left undone, by oneself one is purified. Purity and impurity belong to oneself, no one can purify another.”Read + Christian comparison (Can we purify ourselves) →
• Dhammapada 183“Not to commit any sin, to do good, and to purify one's mind, that is the teaching of (all) the Awakened.”Read + Christian comparison (Do good, purify the mind) →
• Dhammapada 197“Let us live happily then, not hating those who hate us! among men who hate us let us dwell free from hatred!”Read + Christian comparison (Living free from hatred) →
• Dhammapada 223“Let a man overcome anger by love, let him overcome evil by good; let him overcome the greedy by liberality, the liar by truth!”Read + Christian comparison (Overcome evil with good) →
• Dhammapada 273“The best of ways is the eightfold; the best of truths the four words; the best of virtues passionlessness; the best of men he who has eyes to see.”Read + Christian comparison (The best of ways) →
• Dhammapada 338“As a tree, even though it has been cut down, is firm so long as its root is safe, and grows again, thus, unless the feeders of thirst are destroyed, the pain (of life) will return …”Read + Christian comparison (Craving and its root) →
• Dhammapada 354“The gift of the law exceeds all gifts; the sweetness of the law exceeds all sweetness; the delight in the law exceeds all delights; the extinction of thirst overcomes all pain.”Read + Christian comparison (The greatest gift) →

Frequently asked questions

What is the Dhammapada?

The Dhammapada is a collection of 423 verses in 26 chapters, among the best-loved texts of Buddhism, gathering sayings attributed to the Buddha on the mind, craving, conduct, and the path. This page indexes only the verses that carry a genuine, clearly-labelled comparison to the teaching of Jesus.

What translation is used?

F. Max Müller's 1881 translation from the Sacred Books of the East, which is in the public domain, sourced from Project Gutenberg. The verses are reproduced in full and in context; verse 5 and the 423-verse count were validated against the source before publishing.

Does Living Bread change the meaning of the Dhammapada?

No. We reproduce each verse accurately and describe its meaning within Buddhism fairly. Any comparison to Christian belief is clearly labelled as a Christian comparison, never presented as the Dhammapada's own meaning.