Religion & Spirituality · Similar reads
Books like The Dhammapada
The best books like The Dhammapada are What the Buddha Taught, The Bhagavad Gita, and Tao Te Ching. The Dhammapada by Anonymous is about mind, suffering, ethics. If that's what drew you in, here are 12 books that share its DNA — each summarized on Superbook, and ready to chat with in the app.
- What the Buddha Taught
01
Walpola Rahula · Religion & Spirituality
What the Buddha Taught is widely considered the best short introduction to early Buddhism in the English language.
Shares suffering and liberation with The Dhammapada.
Read the summary → - The Bhagavad Gita
02
Anonymous · Religion & Spirituality
The Bhagavad Gita — the Song of the Lord — is an episode embedded in the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata, composed between the 5th and 2nd centuries BCE.
Both dig into liberation.
Read the summary → - Tao Te Ching
03
Laozi · Philosophy
The Tao Te Ching is one of the most translated texts in world literature and the foundational scripture of Taoism.
A kindred religion & spirituality read.
Read the summary →
- Why Buddhism Is True
04
Robert Wright · Religion & Spirituality
Why Buddhism Is True is Robert Wright's argument that modern evolutionary psychology and neuroscience provide independent confirmation for core Buddhist claims about the mind, suffering, and the nature of the self.
Both dig into suffering.
Read the summary → - The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying
05
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying
Sogyal Rinpoche · Religion & Spirituality
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying is Sogyal Rinpoche's comprehensive introduction to the Tibetan Buddhist understanding of death and the dying process, written for a Western audience unfamiliar with the tradition.
Shares impermanence and liberation with The Dhammapada.
Read the summary → - The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
06
trans. Sri Swami Satchidananda · Religion & Spirituality
The Yoga Sutras is a foundational text of classical Indian philosophy, compiled by the sage Patanjali — likely around 400 CE, though some scholars place the compilation earlier or later.
Shares ethics and liberation with The Dhammapada.
Read the summary → - When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times
07
When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times
Pema Chödrön · Religion & Spirituality
When Things Fall Apart is a collection of talks and essays by Pema Chödrön, an American Buddhist nun in the Tibetan tradition, addressing how to work with difficulty, loss, and uncertainty rather than escape them.
Shares suffering and impermanence with The Dhammapada.
Read the summary → - Dark Night of the Soul
08
John of the Cross · Religion & Spirituality
Dark Night of the Soul is a systematic commentary on a short poem John of the Cross wrote while imprisoned in Toledo in 1577.
Both dig into suffering.
Read the summary → - Insight Meditation: The Practice of Freedom
09
Insight Meditation: The Practice of Freedom
Joseph Goldstein · Religion & Spirituality
Insight Meditation: The Practice of Freedom is Joseph Goldstein's distillation of vipassana — the Theravada Buddhist practice of direct investigation into the nature of mind and experience.
Both dig into liberation.
Read the summary → - The Cost of Discipleship
10
Dietrich Bonhoeffer · Religion & Spirituality
The Cost of Discipleship was published in Germany in 1937, four years after Hitler came to power and two years after Bonhoeffer had taken over the underground seminary at Finkenwalde.
Both dig into ethics.
Read the summary → - The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason
11
The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason
Sam Harris · Religion & Spirituality
The End of Faith was written in the weeks following the September 11 attacks and published in 2004.
Both dig into ethics.
Read the summary → - The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching
12
The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching
Thich Nhat Hanh · Religion & Spirituality
The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching is Thich Nhat Hanh's comprehensive introduction to core Buddhist teachings, written with the warmth and accessibility that characterize all of his work.
Both dig into suffering.
Read the summary →
Books like The Dhammapada: quick answers
What are the best books like The Dhammapada?
The best books like The Dhammapada by Anonymous are What the Buddha Taught by Walpola Rahula, The Bhagavad Gita by Anonymous, Tao Te Ching by Laozi, Why Buddhism Is True by Robert Wright, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche, plus 7 more below. Each was chosen for themes it shares with The Dhammapada, such as mind, suffering, ethics.
What should I read after The Dhammapada?
A natural next read after The Dhammapada is What the Buddha Taught by Walpola Rahula. Shares suffering and liberation with The Dhammapada. Other strong choices are The Bhagavad Gita by Anonymous, Tao Te Ching by Laozi, Why Buddhism Is True by Robert Wright.
What books are similar to The Dhammapada by Anonymous?
The Dhammapada centers on mind, suffering, ethics. Books with a similar feel include What the Buddha Taught by Walpola Rahula, The Bhagavad Gita by Anonymous, Tao Te Ching by Laozi, Why Buddhism Is True by Robert Wright, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by trans. Sri Swami Satchidananda — all free to read and chat with on Superbook.
