The Dharmapada
Paper Question:
?*How is a good Buddhist depicted in the Dhammapada? Are there features of this depiction that fit with
the images? That fit with the narrative depictions in art? Or are the two (teachings and art) quite different?
The Dharmapada is a religious book that is used by people who practice the Buddhist Faith. It is
divided into several chapters that discuss life principles of what would make the reader a good
Buddhist. The various verses of the Dharmapada are divided into various themes that if followed
will lead the reader to enlightenment. The verses of the Dharmapada achieve this through the
provision of advice to the reader on how he or she can interact more productively with his or her
environment. The fourth chapter for instance the fourth chapter draws parallels between real life
and the bee’s interaction with a flower to emphasize the importance of one not being destructive
to his or her surrounding while making use of resources at his or her disposal (Pereira, 1978).
The seventh chapter on the other hand discusses the manner in which the believers need to be at
peace with humanity by divorcing oneself from all forms or manner of selfishness. This chapter
also discusses the nobility that one achieves by being committed to his or her duty without
imposing himself on the world but rather embracing the state of being a part of it. Good
Buddhists are also expected to be keen on avoiding Evil at all costs as this makes life much
easier down the line. The principles that are presented in the Dharmapada can be summarized as
a series of teachings that define a good Buddhist as one who strives to be at peace with everyone
and everything around his life while giving his best in the same regard (Byron, 2010).
While the Dharmapada is primarily a textual document, there are several illustrative images that
have been made to accompany the narrative. Images that accompany text, especially religious
text are usually included with the aim of strengthening the message contained in the texts. The
artwork that is used alongside the text in this religious text is mostly in tandem with the
messages that are contained with the verses about what it means to be a good Buddhist. The
mood carried by most of the images communicates a message of tranquility but there appears to
be a grave error that is carried in all of them. In nearly all of the images starting with the cover
image for the text’s different versions, the human subject or element is placed in the middle. This
suggests an element of selfishness and the fact that humanity is the most important element in
each of the environments. This is done by centering the image of the human or focusing on the
same. The more powerful images however are those that show the human subject interacting
positively with nature. The common image for this is that of the individual maintaining a
meditation like position and others include the human subject appearing to feed a monkey
(Rahula, 2007).
The message of the Dharmapada mainly gives guidelines on how the individual can achieve
nobility by avoiding all vices basically through changing his or her attitude towards life. The
images used to illustrate these verses’ messages are a good effort as they help in enabling the
readers to form a tangible image or form tangible mental references for the insights they are
getting. As one reads he or she gets to place him in the various hypothetical yet practical
situations contained in the images.
Works Cited
Rahula, Walpola. What the Buddha taught: Revised and expanded edition with texts from Suttas
and Dhammapada. Grove/Atlantic, Inc., 2007.
Byron, Thomas. The dhammapada: The sayings of the Buddha. Random House, 2010.
Pereira, Cassius A. The Dhammapada. BM S, 1978.
