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Pali, the language : the medium and message / by Bryan G. Levman.
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Levman, Bryan G., author.
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Gautama Buddha--Language.
- Gautama Buddha.
- Buddhism.
- Physical Description:
- 1 online resource (310 pages)
- Edition:
- 1st ed.
- Place of Publication:
- Newcastle upon Tyne, England : Cambridge Scholars Publishing, [2020]
- Summary:
- 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.
- Contents:
- Intro
- Dedication
- Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Preface
- Chapter One
- Chapter Two
- Chapter Three
- Chapter Four
- Chapter Five
- Chapter Six
- Chapter Seven
- Chapter Eight
- Chapter Nine
- Chapter Ten
- Chapter Eleven
- Chapter Twelve
- Chapter Thirteen
- Works Cited
- Abbreviations
- Index of Subjets
- Index of Teachings
- Index of Pali Words Discussed.
- Notes:
- Description based on print version record.
- Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.
- ISBN:
- 1-5275-4700-0
- OCLC:
- 1376366006
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