The Dhammapada is a Buddhist holy scripture in verse traditionally attributed to Gautama Buddha. It is one of the best known texts of the Pali Canon.

The title is a compound term of the words "dhamma" and "pada", each of which has various meanings and connotations. In general "dhamma" refers to the "doctrine" of Buddha or an "eternal truth" or "virtue", and "pada" literally means "foot" and in this context can be translated as "way" or "verse".

According to tradition, the verses of the Dhammapada were spoken by Gautama Buddha on several occasions. Many of the verses deal with ethical issues. The text is part of the Khuddaka Nikaya of the Sutta Pitaka, although about half of the verses are also found in other parts of the Pali Canon. A commentary from the 4th or 5th century AD. C. attributed to Buddhaghosa includes 305 stories that give context to the verses.