Who wrote the ''Dhammapada''?? was it Buddha himself?? Also is it a good read? and go

Also are there any more text like this (in verses)

like Tao Te Chin and damped???

the Buddha didn't write it
much like Jesus didn't write the bible
these are words of other men

The Buddha wrote nothing in his lifetime. However the Dhammapada has traditionally been viewed as a collection of verses and aphorisms spoken by the Buddha, remembered by his students, written down at a later time, and compiled into a text.

Many of the verses in the Dhammapada are directed towards a monastic audience (which makes sense, given that monks created the compilation). So, while the Dhammapada has many inspiring passages, it doesn't make a particularly good introduction to Buddhist teaching. (Not everyone would agree with me on this.)

If you're looking for a good introduction to Buddhism, then I suggest a modern book, "It's Easier Than You Think" by Sylvia Boorstein. This book provides a systematized view of the basic teachings of Buddhism, without jargon or sectarian bias. One of the reasons I like "It's Easier" is that it shows how these teachings arise from the circumstances of ordinary, everyday life in the modern world.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000H2MEGY?tag=oxher-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=B00 0H2MEGY&adid=027ES72NXV2WJY7ZNM7G

If you're looking for collections of short, spiritual verse, you might also consider:

Cold Mountain Poems
http://www.amazon.com/Collected-Mountain-Mandarin-Chinese-English/dp/1556591403/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1299505871&sr=1-1

Best wishes on your journey!

The Dhammapada, an anthology of 423 verses, has long been recognized as one of the masterpieces of early Buddhist literature. From ancient times to the present, the Dhammapada has been regarded as the most succinct expression of the Buddha's teaching found in the Theravada Pali Canon of scriptures. Buddhist tradition has it that shortly after the passing away of the Buddha his disciples met in council at Rajagaha for the purpose of recalling to mind the truths they had received from their beloved Teacher during the forty-five years of his ministry. Their hope was to implant the principles of his message so firmly in memory that they would become a lasting impetus to moral and spiritual conduct, for themselves, their disciples, and for all future disciples who would seek to follow in the footsteps of the Awakened One. With the Teacher no longer among them, the monks found themselves with the responsibility of handing on the teaching as faithfully as possible. Having no written texts to rely on, they did as their ancestors had before them and prepared their discourses for recitation, that is, basic themes were repeated with variations in order to impress the ideas on their hearers. At that time, the Dhammapada was orally assembled from the sayings of Gautama given on some three hundred different occasions. Since first collated, the Dhammapada has become one of the best loved of Buddhist scriptures, recited daily by millions of devotees who chant its verses in Pali or in their native dialect. It was inevitable that differences in interpretation of teaching as well as of disciplinary practices would arise, with the result that about a century after the First Council was held a second gathering was called to affirm the purity of the doctrine. It was at this Second Council that the Arhats divided into two main streams, namely, the Mahasanghika or "Great Assembly" and the Theravada or "Doctrine of Elders."

"The Dhammpada: The Path of the Dhamma." http://www.pathofdhamma.com/

Some Good Buddhist Books to start out with:

*"What the Buddha Taught: Revised and Expanded Edition with Texts from Suttas and Dhammapada" By: Walpola Rahula is an excellent introduction to Buddhism: http://www.mediafire.com/?d5mz5dztnm4#1

An easy to read beginner's book on Buddhism: *"Buddhism For Beginners" By: Thubten Chodron - teaches the Essence of Buddhism, the Life of The Buddha, Love and Compassion, Purification, and Analytical Meditation, Impermanence and Suffering, Selflessness, Karma: the Functioning of Cause and Effect, Science/Creation/Rebirth, The Buddhist Traditions {ie: Theravada, Mahayana, Pure Land, Zen, Vajrayana, etc.), Steps Along the Path, Working With Emotions, Dharma in Everyday Life, Women and The Dharma, Family & Children, Spiritual Teachers, and Prayers and Rituals.

May all beings be happy and free from suffering.

Good evening, Claire

You've received excellent explanations regarding "The Dhammapada". In many of the setts the Buddha spoke both in prose and after wards restated his discourse in verse. This would make it easier for the audience to remember his teaching in a more concise form. Just as the Greek epic poems "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey" were memorized in verse as opposed to prose long before they were written the same was true with the setts in the Pali Canon.

If you are looking for another compilation in verse from the Pali Canon, "The Sutta-Nipata" is similar to "The Dhammapada" and can be downloaded in PD format at WNW.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/Sutta-nipataBM6.pdf . It is considered along with "The Dhammapada" to be among the earliest texts in the Pali Canon.

If you are looking for a Buddhist text in verse format outside of the Pali Canon, I'd like to suggest "The Bodhicaryavatara" composed by Shantidiva (called "The Way of the Bodhisattva" in English). It is in verse form and essential to all Tibetan traditions of Buddhism. It may also be downloaded in several translations online. Unfortunately, my favorite translation is from the Padmakara Translation Group and is not available for free download but it is available online at Amazon ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1590306147/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lp o-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=1570622531&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX 0DER&pf_rd_r=04C3JQMXZKQ18CS5W32K ) as well as local booksellers.