Thomas Byrom (1941–1991)

I just love the 'Dhammapada'. With a few other philosophical works, here's a practical text I always refer to when in need of comfort or strength. I am not Buddhist, yet such philosophy (as I see it through my secular lenses, in any case) embodies indeed the type of person I aspire to be -a deep mind serving gentleness, no matter how tough to achieve.

Better be warned: the verses might be clear, easy to access and quick to read (striking, some even are a real treasure to memorise and draw show more upon when facing the challenges of daily life) but, I would nevertheless strongly recommend any potential reader to get familiar with the dharma, and especially the eightfold path, before delving into it! The 'Dhammapada' being above all, if not explicitly, an outline of it, such approach might sound obvious but, without such background clearly in mind I am afraid most might go beyond your head.

Having said that, for those open enough to understand, apply and experience the precepts given here, the 'Dhammapada' will be one of those few cherished reads which, the more you come back to it, the more you'll appreciate how truthful and useful it is to lead an ethical and rewarding life. A pure jewel of a book. show less

The Purest of Scriptures

Nothing much can be written about this peerless scripture. Before its verses, you lie defenceless. “Abandon desire, the enemy, along with gain, itself so full of loss, and the good deeds which are the cause of the other two — practice indifference to everything,” says Ashtavakra to Janaka, the spiritual aspirant. He speaks from the highest point of view, that of Absolute Truth, sheer Reality. Here is Ashtavakra’s view of the world: “Realising that all this show more varied and wonderful world is nothing, one becomes pure receptivity, free from inclinations, and as if nothing existed, one finds peace.”
Here is he on Reality: “This existence is just imagination. It is nothing in reality, but there is no non-being for natures that know how to distinguish being from non-being.”
And a stanza earlier, on happiness: “How can there be happiness for one who has been burnt inside by the blistering sun of the pain of thinking that there are things that still need doing, without the rain of the nectar of peace?”
Such a radical departure from the monologue on ‘doing your duty’. The sage unequivocally asks us to stop. Here are five full-bodied verses:
You are one, conscious and pure, while all this is inert non-being. Ignorance itself is nothing, so what is the point of wanting to understand?
Kingdoms, children, wives, bodies, pleasures — these have all been lost to you life after life, attached to them though you were.
Enough of wealth, sensuality, and good deeds. In the forest of samsara the mind has never found satisfaction in these.
How many births have you not done hard and painful labour with body, mind, and speech. Now at last, stop!

Ashtavakra distinguishes between mere intellectual understanding and true realization: “He by whom all this is seen may well make out it doesn’t exist, but what is the desireless one to do? Even in seeing it he does not see it.”
One very likeable English translation is by John Richards and is freely available over the net. Another, highly recommended, is titled The Heart of Awareness: A Translation of the Ashtavakra Gita by Thomas Byrom.
The most scholarly one, with a weighty introduction that relates the book to Advaita Vedanta, is by Swami Nityaswarupananda. It has the text, the full twenty chapters, in Sanskrit, followed by a word-to-word translation and then the full verse in English. “The existence of an other is the cause of all our worry and unhappiness,” the Swami writes in the translation. “When the self is realized as the only reality, differences and distinctions vanish like the mist before the sun and freedom is attained.”
The Preface suggests the first translation of this Samhita (compilation) came out in the Prabuddha Bharat from January, 1929 to December, 1931 and the first edition of this work was likely translated in 1940.
Here is the sixth verse of the first chapter in Devanagari:
धर्माधर्मौ सुखं दुःखं मानसानि न ते विभो।
न कर्तासि न भोक्तासि मुक्त एवसि सर्वदा॥
Here is how John Richards’ translates this:
Righteousness and unrighteousness, pleasure and pain are purely of the mind and are no concern of yours. You are neither the doer nor the reaper of the consequences, so you are always free.
Here is the Swami’s translation:
Virtue and vice, pleasure and pain, are of the mind, not of you, O all-pervading one. You are neither the doer nor enjoyer. Verily you are ever free.
Here is Thomas Byrom:
Right and wrong,
Joy and sorrow,
They are of the mind only,
They are not yours.
It is not really you
Who acts or enjoys.
You are everywhere,
Forever free.

The Byrom introduction (and translation) has a freedom, finality, and concision to it that are in Ashtavakra’s voice. Byrom quotes Ashtavakra in the introduction: “What is the rising or the vanishing of thought? What is the visible world, or the invisible? What is the little soul, or God Himself?” And answers from Ashtavakra: “Awareness. Pure awareness. The clear space, the sky, the heart of awareness.” Byrom adds that his satguru, Neem Karoli Baba, called the Ashtavakra Gita the purest of scriptures. And that gives it the highest rating if you will.
One would be entirely remiss in not mentioning Shri Rajneesh or Osho’s commentary titled the Ashtavakra Mahageeta, which is in Hindi. It also involves Q&As with the audience to whom he was expounding extempore on the Gita. It has fantastic insights, very valuable extrapolations from the Sanskrit terminology. (For e.g., a vitaragi is beyond raga (attachment or desire) and virag (renunciation).) It is a fascinating eight-volume compilation.
Availability: The single source for accessing many translations can be the John Richards’ translation, which can be accessed at https://realization.org/p/ashtavakra-gita/ashtavakra-gita.html. It notes all translations and links to them while also mentioning commentaries and a useful bibliography.
The Heart of Awareness is easily had from Amazon. It was likely published in 1990. Another edition predating this, which Byrom refers to, is a translation by Radhakamal Mukerjee which subtitles the Gita as The Song of the Supreme. It is available from the publisher Motilal Banarsidass, and was originally published in 1971. The Swami Nityaswarupananda from the Ramakrishna lineage is available from the Advaita Ashrama website. Osho’s commentary, which is published as the Ashtavakra Mahageeta is available over Amazon and as 91 discourses on the Osho World site. show less

I have read many translations of The Dhammapada, and I think this is the best. The writting is clean, but still contains the relevent feeling of more in-depth translations.

Yikes! No religion should be that difficult and obtuse. Less is more. Give me the Golden Rule and be done with it.