A robust introduction by Bhikkhu Bodhi describes the structure of the Dhammapada and shows how the work embodies the essential teachings of the Buddha. He states, "Wherever [The Dhammapada] has become known its moral earnestness, realistic understanding of human life, aphoristic wisdom, and stirring message of a way to freedom from suffering has won for it the devotion and veneration of those responsive to the good and the true."