A Course in the Pali Language

Pali is the language used to preserve the Buddhist canon of the Theravada Buddhist tradition, which is regarded as the oldest complete collection of Buddhist texts surviving in an Indian language. Pali is closely related to Sanskrit, but its grammar and structure are simpler. Traditional Theravadins regard Pali as the language spoken by the Buddha himself, but in the opinion of leading linguistic scholars, Pali was probably a synthetic language created from several vernaculars to make the Buddhist texts comprehensible to Buddhist monks living in different parts of northern India. It is rooted in the Prakrits, the vernacular languages, used in northern India during the Middle period of Indian linguistic evolution. As Theravada Buddhism spread to other parts of southern Asia, the use of Pali as the language of the texts spread along with it, and thus Pali became a sacred language in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Pali has been used almost exclusively for Buddhist teachings, although many religious and literary works related to Buddhism were written in Pali at a time when it was already forgotten in India.

Book used:The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha translated by Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli and Bhikkhu Bodhi

Click here to view the syllabus of this course.

This course delves into the direct teachings of the Buddha himself as preserved in some of the oldest records of his discourses. As the themes of the Buddha’s discourses are mutually implicative and closely interwoven, it will not take long for the earnest student to acquire a clear sense of the fundamental framework of the teachings. The student is given a detailed overview of all the major teachings of Early Buddhism, including:

• Life of the Buddha
• Fundamental Ethics
• Meditation and Mind-training
• Nature of True Wisdom

NOTE: All of the MN Series audio files have been re-edited for better sound quality, and the series is available on CDs and DVDs.

Introduction

On 2003.01.07
An introduction to the organization of the Pali Canon and to some of the background conditions in India from which the Suttas arose.

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I. The Buddha’s Enlightenment

On 2003.01.14
MN 26: Ariyapariyesanā Sutta — The Noble Search (through paragraph 18)

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On 2003.01.21
MN 4: Bhayabherava Sutta — Fear and Dread
Realization of the three knowledges

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On 2003.01.28
MN 4: Bhayabherava Sutta — Fear and Dread
(continued)

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On 2003.02.04
MN 36: Mahāsaccaka Sutta — The Greater Discourse to Saccaka
The discovery of the middle way

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On 2003.02.11
MN 36: Mahāsaccaka Sutta — The Greater Discourse to Saccaka (continued through paragraph 44)
MN 26: Ariyapariyesanā Sutta — The Noble Search
(return to MN 26 from paragraph 18 through paragraph 30)

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The Sutta-Nipāta contains some of the oldest discourses in the Pali Canon. It is a rich source of texts offering guidance to lay Buddhists and also abounds in suttas that extol the contemplative ideals of early Buddhism. Though the Sutta-Nipāta as a collection exists only in the Theravada tradition, some of the individual suttas are found in other traditions. One whole chapter, the Aṭṭhakavagga, is also found in the Chinese Tripiṭaka.

In this series of lectures given at Bodhi Monastery beginning in October 2004, Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi explains suttas from the first three chapters. The first three suttas studied, the Ratana, Mahāmaṅgala, and Mettā Suttas, are among the most popular texts in Theravada Buddhism. They provide the backbone of understanding, practice, and attitude in the Theravada Buddhist world and are often taught to lay people so that they will grow up imbibing the values and ideals of Buddhism. They also serve as paritta suttas (“Protective Discourses”), recited to provide blessings and protection in times of difficulty and danger. The first discourse on the Ratana also gives a good introduction to the Sutta-Nipāta in general and its place and history in the Sutta Pitaka.

In the fall of 1979, while living at the Washington Buddhist Vihara, Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi gave a series of lectures on the fundamental teachings of Early Buddhism. Bhante Gunaratana, at the time the President of the Buddhist Vihara Society, suggested he record the lectures so that the Vihara could distribute them as a set of cassette tapes.

In the summer of 1981, Ven. Bodhi recorded his ten lectures in the basement of the Washington Buddhist Vihara, using an ordinary, nonprofessional recorder. An enthusiastic lay supporter had the master copies reproduced in large quantities for expanded distribution. They have continued to be distributed on tape and as CDs for over twenty-five years, and are considered “public domain” for anyone to copy and distribute freely. The one condition is that they must not be sold.