I would like to introduce a simple, interactive and fun way of learning and
reading basic Pali online. I call it "Pali Reading Online for Beginners"
(PROBE). As I've confessed, this is the first time I'm "officially"
learning Pali in English, so I'm no expert, but we can help each other,
make mistakes together, learn together, have fun with Pali. I think if we
make mistakes bad enough there are many great minds watching us silently,
they might be compelled to intercede for our mutual benefit and their
intellectual comfort (we happily welcome words from those wiser).
After all, the idea of language is to practise it. Here is how we do it,
and you can suggest improvements, but we should stick to some kind of
regulated approach so that PROBE (or whatever people might like to call it)
will be effective.
METHOD
(1) The aim of PROBE is to read canonical texts. Priority will be given to
usage above grammar.
(2) Anyone interested can contribute a phrase, a sentence, a gaathaa or
even an easy passage, but not too long, for others to analyse. You need not
know the correct or best translations (or answers) to them.
(3) Translation exercises should be done from two ways: the literal (for
grammatical structure) and the figurative (for beauty and currency of
language). [If you like, you may try two types of "figurative"
translations: giving the "emic" (inside) meaning, that is, from the
traditional Buddhist context) and/or giving the "etic" (outside) meaning,
that is, a free contemporary rendition.]
(4) All passages and quotes should have references (at least the name of
the Sutta it comes from).
(5) Exercises will be posted once, at most twice, a week. We will work out
some kind of rota of contributors.
(6) If you like, you may discuss a difficult word or passage. If you must
be technical (helpful for some), please give a simplified version of it, too.
This is the basic structure, please feel free to suggest additions or
changes but we must have a consensus on this. That is, if we (some of us
at least) agree to my idea. Let me start with an example and model answers.
attaa hi attano naatho
ko hi naatho paro siyaa
(Dh 160)
Literal:
attaa = the self
hi = indeed
attano = of the self
naatho = the lord, refuge
ko = what?
hi = indeed
naatho = the lord, refuge
paro = other
siyaa = there is
Emic:
The self [mind] indeed is one's refuge
For indeed what other refuge is there?
Etic:
One is one's own master
For who else can one's master be?
Note: The idea is repetition, which helps one remember words (vocabulary)
and usage.