PATIENT
The Dhammapada
SIZE
423 verses, 26 chapters
COMPILED
c. 400 BCE, after the Buddha's death
FORM
Short verses, grouped by theme
CHIEF COMPLAINT
Why do I suffer, and what, specifically, do I do about it?
HISTORY OF PRESENT ILLNESS
The most widely read Buddhist scripture in the world, compiled shortly after the Buddha's death around 400 BCE: 423 verses in 26 chapters, practical, direct and demanding. No mythology and no cosmology, just the mechanics of mind and the path out of suffering. The opening chapter sets the premise: every experience has mind as its root. A corrupted mind brings suffering as the wheel follows the ox; a serene mind brings happiness like a shadow that never leaves.
REVIEW OF SYSTEMS
MIND
Chapters on the twin verses, the mind, and heedfulness. The mind is flickering, hard to guard, and trainable.
CONDUCT
Evil accumulates drop by drop, like a water pot. Anger is conquered by non-anger. All beings tremble at violence.
CRAVING
Tanha is the longest, most technical chapter: the clinging quality of wanting that produces becoming and rebirth, not desire in general.
THE PATH
The Eightfold Path and the Four Noble Truths. Oneself is one's own refuge; no one else can do the inner work.
FREEDOM
The arahant is untroubled and finished. The last chapter redefines 'brahmin' by inner qualities instead of birth.
PHYSICAL EXAM — STYLE & STRUCTURE
- —Chapter titles end in -vagga, meaning chapter: Yamakavagga (pairs), Cittavagga (mind), Tanhavagga (craving).
- —The fool is the one who does not recognize their own ignorance. The fool who knows they are a fool is thereby wise.
- —The wise person is defined by behavior: points out faults, is not disturbed by praise or blame.
- —The elephant is the image of steadiness under abuse. The mind is the unsteady arrow-shaft.
- —Some chapters, like Bhikkhuvagga, are for monastics but hold principles for anyone serious about the path.
ASSESSMENT & PLAN
Read the first three chapters, then Anger (Kodhavagga), Self (Attavagga), and Craving. One verse a day is a fair pace. It is a non-denominational reference guide, and the Pali glossary in the full guide helps with the terms.