Dhammapada is a collection of sayings of the Buddha compiled by his followers after his death 2,500 years ago and transmitted orally for over 500 years before being written down around 2,000 years ago. It is the core work in Buddhist thought.

Although much loved and often translated, it has never previously been set to Western music. A new singing translation of key sections of Dhammapada has been set for a capella choir by noted choral composer Ronald Corp, who is the founder of the New London Orchestra and New London Children’s Choir as well as Music Director of the London Chorus and Highgate Choral Society.

The choral work, which is around an hour long, is interspersed with field recordings of bells, chants and drums made in the exact locations in India where the Buddha lived and taught.

How to get involved...

We aim to engage modern minds and ideas with this ancient source of understanding and offer a way for people to share the thoughts and insights that give them strength and understanding today, and in so doing create a new volume of understanding about our lives as we see them in the modern world.

Tweet your reactions to this text by sending 140 characters to @dhammapadaUK. We will take these new words of common sense and use them in the performance.  We will project onto the bare walls of the Village Underground the words of the Dhammapada alternating with the words we gather through Twitter.

On the 6 February 2011, Vignette Productions will present the world première of Dhammapada and host the CD launch with Stone Records. Ronald Corp will conduct a choir of 8 soloists in the thrilling setting of Shoreditch’s Village Underground.