THE DHAMMAPADA REBORN
An American Blues TranslationBy William Altig
Length3h 7m
About this audiobook
The Dhammapada Reborn: An American Blues Translation
The Mississippi Delta meets the Ganges River. 2,500 years of Buddhist wisdom translated into the honest, visceral idiom of the American Blues.
The Dhammapada contains 423 verses spoken by the Buddha himself—teachings on the mind, karma, craving, and the path to liberation. This interpretation breaks the Dhammapada out of its glass case of academic detachment and lets it hit where it's supposed to hit: in the gut, in the bones, in the midnight hour when you're alone with your thoughts.
All 26 chapters preserved intact. Every verse reimagined through the call-and-response rhythm of the Blues tradition.
This is a meditation manual for the modern seeker—designed for daily practice, walking meditation, or recitation. Whether you're new to the Dhamma or have studied it for decades, this translation will wake you up in ways you didn't expect.
The Buddha gave us the melody. The Blues gives us the key.
Let the music play.
Audiobook details
GenrePhilosophy, Spirituality and Religion
Length3 hrs 7 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateJul 18, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1THE DHAMMAPADA REBORN
2OPENING SALUTATION
3ABOUT THE DHAMMAPADA
4PREFACE: THE CROSSROADS OF TRUTH
5HOW TO USE THIS BOOK FOR PRACTICE
Show all chaptersShow less
6DAILY VERSE PRACTICE
7CHAPTER CONTEMPLATION
8CALL-AND-RESPONSE
9WALKING MEDITATION
10RECITATION PRACTICE
11THE MIDNIGHT HOUR
12Chapter 1: Yamakavagga - Blues Edition
13Opening Words
14Verses 1-2: Your Mind Writes the First Verse
15Verses 3-4: Don’t Keep Singing That Sad Song
16Verse 5: The Old, Old Law
17Verse 6: We’re All Dying Here
18Verses 7-8: Weak Trees and Mountains
19Verses 9-10: The Robe Don’t Make the Monk
20Verses 11-12: Fool’s Gold and Real Gold
21Verses 13-14: Leaky Roofs and Good Roofs
22Verses 15-16: Now and Later
23Verses 17-18: Burning and Bliss
24Verses 19-20: Talking Ain’t Walking
25End of Chapter 1: The Twin Verses
26Chapter 2: Appamādavagga - Blues Edition
27Opening Words
28Verses 21-22: Wake Up or Stay Dead
29Verse 23: The Meditators Who Keep At It
30Verse 24: The One Who Does the Work
31Verse 25: Build Your Island
32Verses 26-27: Fools Sleep, Wise Stay Woke
33Verse 28: The View from the Mountain
34Verse 29: The Fast Horse and the Slow Horse
35Verse 30: How the King of Gods Got His Throne
36Verses 31-32: The Monk Who Can’t Fall
37End of Chapter 2: Heedfulness
38Chapter 3: Cittavagga - Blues Edition
39Opening Words
40Verses 33-34: The Mind Like a Fish, Like an Arrow
41Verses 35-36: Guard What You Can’t See
42Verse 37: The Mind That Roams Far
43Verses 38-39: Unsettled and Settled
44Verse 40: The Jar and the Fortress
45Verse 41: The Body’s Fate
46Verses 42-43: Your Worst Enemy, Your Best Friend
47End of Chapter 3: The Mind
48Chapter 4: Pupphavagga - Blues Edition
49Flowers: What Blooms and What Fades
50Opening Words
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