This complete course for beginners explains the most basic concepts of Pali grammar in 10 comprehensive lessons. Each lesson is based on original passages from the Tipitaka. The student thus dives into reading and understanding the Buddha's word from the very first chapter. Unlike other books on the Pali language, Kurt Schmidt's primer is both short, precise and extremely pragmatic. At the end of this excellent self-guided course the reader will be able to read and understand Pali texts.

This book is intended and serve as an introduction to the reading of Pali texts. For that purpose, it uses authentic readings especially compiled for the purpose drawn largely from Theravada canonical works, both prose and poetry. The reading are in Roman script, and carefully graded for difficulty, but they have also been selected so that each of them is a meaningful and complete reading in itself, so as to introduce some basic concepts and ways of thought of Theravada Buddhism. This book thus offers and opportunity to become acquainted with the ways in which the teachings of the Buddha are embodied in the language, a sense that it impossible to determine from English translations. The book contains 12 lessons. Each of them has three parts: (1) a set of basic readings and an accompanying glossary, (2) grammatical notes on the forms in the less, and (3) a set of further readings with its own glossary. The further readings introduce no new grammatical points, but reinforce ones already presented and give further practice in them. The work concludes, fittingly, with the Buddhaês first sermon, The Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta. A cumulative glossary and index to the grammar is also provided. The text has been used successfully in its preliminary form at several universities, but it may also be used for self-study. For more information, please log on to www.mlbd.co.in

What language did the Buddha speak? Scholars think it was Pāli, or something very close to it. This book argues that the medium in which the Buddha spoke is just as important as the message. It answers the question, “how does the sonic content of Pāli carry the Buddha’s message, complement and enhance it?” Pāli is based on an oral, vernacular language of the people, full of natural idioms and colloquial expressions. It is the opposite of Sanskrit, the formal, abstract, liturgical language of Brahmanism. In its conversational directness, harmony and musicality, oral immediacy and visceral emotivity, Pāli speaks to the here and now, to the urgency of man’s suffering and to the practicality of a philosophy which promises to end it. Anyone interested in Theravādin Buddhism, what the Buddha taught and the special nature of the language in which he taught will find this book engaging. Buddhist practitioners will find it especially beneficial for their meditation and recitation practice. Academics in any area of Buddhism and Historical Linguistics who do not know Pāli will find it a useful introduction to the language and its evolution, while Pāli scholars will find here a unique perspective on the special role the language played in the communication of the Buddha’s teachings.

The grammar presents a full decription of Pali, the language used in the Theravada Buddhist canon, which is still alive in Ceylon and South-East Asia. The development of its phonological and morphological systems is traced in detail from Old Indic. Comprehensive references to comparable features and phenomena from other Middle Indic languages mean that this grammar can also be used to study the literature of Jainism.

"This landmark collection is the definitive introduction to the Buddha's teachings in his own words. The American scholar monk Bhikkhu Bodhi, whose voluminous translations have won widespread acclaim, here presents selected discourses of the Buddha from the Pali Canon, the earliest record of what the Buddha taught. Divided into ten thematic chapters, In the Buddha's Words reveals the full scope of the Buddha's discourses, from family life and marriage to renunciation and the path of insight. A concise informative introduction precedes each chapter, guiding the reader toward a deeper understanding of the texts that follow." "In the Buddha's Words allows even readers unacquainted with Buddhism to grasp the significance of the Buddha's contributions to our world heritage. Taken as a whole, these texts bear eloquent testimony to the breadth and intelligence of the Buddha's teachings, and point the way to an ancient yet ever vital path. Students and seekers alike will find this systematic presentation indispensable."--BOOK JACKET.

Pali language grammar.

Pali is one of the Middle Indian idioms and the classical language of Theravada Buddhism. It is therefore important both to linguists and students of Buddhism. This introductory book centres on a collection of original texts, each selected as an especially important and beautiful formulation of a Buddhist idea. By means of a vocabulary, translation and commentary, each text is explained so concretely that it can be read with little preparation. Detailed explanations are provided for the many technical terms, which have frustrated so many western explorers of Buddhism. For reference, a grammar is provided. Sanskrit parallels to many of the words are given, as well as a special chapter comparing the two languages.

This book offers an engrossing account both of the origin and development of the sutras and of the monks who braved perilous journeys and mastered unfamiliar languages in order to carry the sutras to new lands.

This is the English translation of the Pali and Hindi chanting by S.N. Goenka from a ten-day Vipassana meditation course. It is formatted so that one can readily find the translations of the chanting from throughout the course, including the opening night, each day's morning chanting, and all other chantings. The Pali and Hindi text appears on pages opposite the English translation.

This edition offers a new translation of a selection of the Buddha's most important sayings reflecting the full variety of material: biography of the Buddha, narrative, myth, short sayings, philosophical discourse, instruction on morality, meditation, and the spiritual life. It provides an excellent introduction to Buddhist scripture.