Everything on this site is either public domain or openly licensed. Here is exactly what comes from where.
The text
- Pali root text: the Mahāsaṅgīti edition of the Pali Canon, published by SuttaCentral from the Dhammachakra Tipitaka project.
- English translation: by Bhikkhu Sujato, created in and published by SuttaCentral. Translations created in Bilara and supported by SuttaCentral are dedicated to the public domain via CC0 — see SuttaCentral's licensing page and the bilara-data repository licence.
- No changes have been made to the translated text beyond joining the verse's line segments into a single passage.
The Dhammapada itself — like the Pali Canon — is an ancient text long in the public domain.
The photographs
All photographs are from Wikimedia Commons and are used under their respective Creative Commons licences, credited in the site footer:
- “Stone statue of the Buddha seated with moss-covered stone alms bowl in Ryōan-ji” by Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- “Buddhist alms in Si Phan Don” by Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- “Around Jakar, Tamshing Lhakhang, young monks studying” (video) by Arian Zwegers, CC BY 2.0
- “Bodhi Tree Distant View” by Neil Satyam, CC BY-SA 3.0
- “Adoration of the Diamond Throne and the Bodhi Tree, Bharhut relief” by Ken Kawasaki, CC BY-SA 3.0
- “Burmese-Pali Manuscript” (Wellcome Collection), CC BY 4.0
The verse cards
Cards are drawn in your browser from the verse text and the site's own palette. They carry no watermark. The translation being CC0, the resulting images are yours to use, share, and print.
Citing a verse
A short form that works in most contexts: Dhammapada verse 5 (trans. Bhikkhu Sujato).