PALI
LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE WITH BUDDHIST STUDIES
(DRAFT)
(DRAFT)
Prof. Yojana Bhagat
Introduction:
Pali is one of the ancient languages of India and is the MOTHER of
most of the languages spoken in India today.
The
importance of the Pali language lies in the fact that ‘Pali has
protected the buddhavacana-
that is the words of the Buddha’- and hence it is called Pali. The
name Pali is given to the language in the 5th
CE by acariya Buddhaghosa thera, prior to that Pali was known by the
name of Magadhi.
As
we all know that Buddha used the lingua
franca
the local language of the people to give the dhamma-
the teachings, so that it reaches all.
We
have references in the Pali literature where Buddha admonished his
disciples who wanted to translate the teachings in the Chandas
language, Chandas being the name of Sanskrit prior to its
modification by Panini. We thus understand that learning Pali or the
original words of the Buddha is more relevant to know the dhamma
than the gist of the dhamma
through translation.
The
traditional learning of Pali is with Pariyatti, Patipatti and
Pativedhana, where Pariyatti is listening to the dhamma, reading the
books, discussions on the subject and so on, the Patipatti means
genuine efforts to walk on the path of the dhamma, that is following
the precepts, being aware of oneself through meditational practices
and so on and the last is the Pativedhana- which means the
experiential knowledge of the teachings of the Buddha, which develops
your insight- the Panna.
Each
and every word of the Buddha can be experienced and that is the
beauty of the teachings of the Buddha.
We
donot learn Pali through translation, because no language of the
world has the richness or the strength of the words to hold or carry
the meanings or experience which the Pali words carry. That is the
reason the most of the buddhavacana
cannot be translated in any other language and remains the same in
Pali as the Buddha, the Dhamma, the Sangha- the Vipassana and so on.
Learning
Pali is very important today because- Pali has the teachings of the
Buddha and whatever written on the teachings of the Buddha for 2500
years. Pali has the Dhamma- and the characteristic of the dhamma is
it is akaliko-
that is not bound by time.
The
teachings of the Buddha were true 2500 years ago, are true today and
will be true 2500 years henceforth. That is the reason; the scholars
all over the world are learning Pali to find answers to the
contemporary issues faced by the society today. The problem could be
personal or social; the answer is in the teachings of the Buddha.
Buddha
is called the Management guru, who gave the principles of Management
which still governs the Sangha after 2500 years, Buddha is called the
Mahabhessajja guru- the greatest doctor, who not only cured the
illness, but showed the path to eradicate completely the suffering,
Buddha is called the greatest psychotherapist who explained that Mind
is the sixth sense, Buddha is the greatest leader who showed the
right path to the millions and gave the principles of democracy and
equality. Buddha is the greatest teacher the world has ever seen.
Thus
when one learns Pali, it is not just the language- it is the way of
life.
THINGS
WE CAN DO AT
THE
15 DAYS WORKSHOP ON PALI LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE WITH BUDDHIST
STUDIES.
- Introduction to the Pali Language and Literature
- Workshop on Brahmi Script and Pali Language
- Relation of Pali language and Buddhist Art and Architecture
- Places of Buddhist interest and Buddhist Pilgrimage
- Contemporary Issues and the Teachings of the Buddha
- Decline and Revival of Buddhism in India
- Flower Arrangement and the Teachings of the Buddha.
- Buddhist Education and Culture
- Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and Buddhism
No comments:
Post a Comment