0: Introduction
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I am a relative beginner in learning Pali. I started learning the language in earnest on 30 June 2023. This is my conceited attempt at thinking I can author my own Pali textbook, based on what I have learnt so far.
Motivation
Why write my own book when there are so many excellent textbooks already on Pali?
The first, and best answer, is that I don’t learn until I am able to explain it to someone else, even if that someone else is an imaginary reader. There is nothing more conducive to solidifying knowledge than to have to distill it and explain it in language a “golden retriever can understand” (to paraphrase a line from the film Margin Call).
Secondly, I find other Pali textbooks, particularly the ones written by English (or European) linguists confusing and somewhat frustrating. They use highly technical linguistic terms, which I don’t understand well. Their grammatical explanations can often be over complicated and obtuse. I am not saying every book is like this, there are many examples of books that appear to be clearly written. Perhaps the one who is obtuse is me.
I find I learn a language best “natively”, ie. by its own terms and gradually “bootstrapping” myself until I achieve a minimum viable level of competency to start reading text. As children, this is how we learn a language, by osmosis from hearing others, until we are confident enough to form our own words. We then improve by reading, which broadens our knowledge and proficiency further.
There are no native speakers of Pali, but fortunately there are books describing the Pali language written by ancient Pali speakers. The earliest, and probably most well known is the Kaccāyana Pali Vyākaraṇam. This was probably written in the 5th-6th century CE in India, and the author has been ascribed to the Arahat Mahākaccāyana (but this is disputed).
There are, of course, other Classical Pali grammars, including those written by Moggalāna (circa 11-12 AD), and Saddanīti by Aggavaṃsa (circa 1157 AD). Rūpasiddhi (circa 13 AD) updated and reorganised the content of Kaccayana. However, to avoid confusion from multiple sources, I have decided to primarily derive my textbook from Kaccāyana. Also, there is an excellent translation of Kaccāyana into English (which I am heavily reliant on) by A. Thitzana which can be downloaded for free from Kaccāyana Pāli Grammar Volumes 1 - 2.
In authoring this textbook, I have decided to avoid using linguistic technical terms as much as possible (such as conjugation, declension, nominative, etc.) but use “ordinary” English words to describe elements of the Pali language. I will use Pali terminology to describe aspects of the Pali language as much as I can, and only resort to English to describe what they mean.
So you will find my textbook do not use the same terms as you will find in other Pali textbooks and grammar books. I apologise in advance if this leads to confusion and frustration. I will attempt to point out the equivalent terms used in other textbooks whenever possible, to help readers in drawing comparisons if they wish.
Again, I do so because I feel strongly that it is best to learn Pali on it’s own terms, and not impose an external linguistic framework on it. Such frameworks may be useful to linguists, but they tend to confuse beginners like me.
Goal and Structure
The aim of this textbook is to get the reader to a level where they can
tackle the texts in the Tipiṭaka (the Three Baskets of the Buddhist canon) as
quickly as possible. Less emphasis is placed on the ability to listen, speak
or write.
Most Pali textbooks gently introduce the various features of the language over
a number of chapters, so significant progress needs to be made before a reader
is able to understand moderately complex sentences, let alone entire suttas
from the Tipiṭaka. For example, A.K. Warder’s “Introduction to Pali” covers
the basics of Pali grammar over 16 lessons. Assuming a reader will cover 1-2
lessons per week, this means a reader is not ready to read the Tipiṭaka until
2-4 months later.
By contrast, this textbook gives an overview of all the essential features of
the Pali language in the first chapter, so the reader in theory should have
the key knowledge to read the Tipiṭaka in days, or weeks, rather than months,
or years.
I am speaking from experience. I started studying Pali in late June,
and by mid July I was already starting to read my first sutta.
How is this achieved? All the complex production rules with regards to sandhi
and word endings are moved to appendices. The goal is to enable the reader to
be able to read Pali, not necessarily to be able to write or speak it. So
the reader can study the production rules based on their own needs and priority
rather than being forced to apply them from the beginning.
Also, unlike other textbooks, this textbook does not focus on teaching vocabulary, nor does it require the reader to memorise long lists of words. Vocabulary is introduced only when necessary, and just before it is required. The reader is encouraged to develop their own vocabulary based on the material they choose to read, and therefore they only need to learn the words that are important to them.
After the initial overview of the Pali language, the textbook alternates from
diving deeper into aspects of the Pali language, to exercises involving
reading, understanding and translating extracts from the Tipiṭaka. The
reader is encouraged not to necessarily follow the textbook linearly but
tackle chapters in their own order of preference, or to embark on their own
reading journey and read whatever parts of the Tipiṭaka they wish to,
using the textbook merely as a reference and light guidance.
Prerequisites
This textbook does not require prior familiarity with either the Pali language or the Buddhist Pali canon. It does, however, require the reader to have a strong interest in both and willing to focus their efforts in learning.
Knowledge of multiple languages (including computer languages) and prior experience in learning a foreign language can be advantageous, but not required.
This textbook takes advantage of modern technology. It is not written in paper but available as hyperlinked pages on a website. It also assumes the reader has access to and is familiar with modern tools such as the Digital Pali Dictionary or the online version of The Pali Text Society’s Pali-English Dictionary so the reader can easily look up any words they are encountering for the first time.
In particular, the Digital Pali Dictionary can look up words in inflected form
and has advanced features like sandhi splitting and compound word
deconstruction, which further reduces the need to learn how to do those.
Finally, the textbook also assumes the reader is familiar with electronic
editions of the Tipiṭaka, including:
- SuttaCentral
- SuttaCentral contains early Buddhist texts, known as the Tipiṭaka or “Three Baskets”. This is a large collection of teachings attributed to the Buddha or his earliest disciples, who were teaching in India around 2500 years ago. They are regarded as sacred canon in all schools of Buddhism.
- Ancient Buddhist Texts
- Materials from the early and medieval Buddhist tradition covering texts in Pāli and Sanskrit; line by line (interlinear) texts and translations; translations in English only; studies of grammar, prosody and compilation; maps, reference works and audio files.
- Pali Tipitaka
- This web site is based on the Chaṭṭha Saṅgāyana CD published by the Vipassana Research Institute. Based at Dhamma Giri, Igatpuri, near Mumbai, India, the Vipassana Research Institute also publishes literature & disseminates information related to Vipassana Meditation Technique as taught by S.N.Goenka in the tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin.
- Tipitaka.app
- Tipitaka.app is a free software built and distributed as a Dhamma donation. It will always be free and a property of the Buddhist World.
- Digital Pali Reader
- The Digital Pali Reader provides a database of the Tipiṭaka in romanised script with a search facility and the inbuilt dictionaries allow for instant lookup of any word
- Tipiṭaka Pāḷi Projector
- TPP is a software program to help one navigate the vast amounts of Pāḷi texts. It includes, 21 English Ebooks that can be displayed side by side with the Pāḷi texts. The Dictionaries and Search functions are where TPP separates itself from the other Pāḷi readers. It is very fast and totally off-line. It works on Windows as an installable Exe or MacOS DMG file too. The project can also run on any operating system that supports FireFox Web Browser. This application was created at Pa-Auk Forest Monastery in Maymyo. The FireFox version supports Sinhala, Myanmar, Thai and Devanagiri Scripts.
- Access to Insight
- Access to Insight is an HTML website dedicated to providing accurate, reliable, and useful information concerning the practice and study of Theravada Buddhism, as it has been handed down to us through both the written word of the Pali canon and the living example of the Sangha.
- Sri Lanka Tripitaka Project
- The Sri Lanka Tripitaka Project is a public domain electronic version of the Pali Canon.
Note
Every writer’s style is influenced by their background and personal interests. My interests in music and photography have influenced my approach to structuring this textbook. In particular, I think of constructing Pali word endings as similar to music composition, applying the rules of harmony and I refer to the noun genders as “major” and “minor”. I also have a tendency to shift viewpoints and zoom in and out of specific topics much like a photographer would. I do apologise if you are not used to my way of thinking.
Familiarity with software development and even a cursory knowledge of computer languages will also be advantageous. I believe computer literacy should be regarded as a fundamental aspect of basic literacy, and the ability to “program” or “code” is as important as reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic.
Having said that, even prior exposure to writing web pages or the most basic knowledge of HTML and CSS is probably enough of an advantage. I use a notation similar to functional programming to label word endings, and sometimes illustrate a sentence’s meaning using pseudo UML diagrams. Even if the reader has no prior experience of either, hopefully the notation should be self-evident.
So, without further ado, let’s begin!