Dear Jim,

I've simplified and adapted the academic Pali text convetions for my own use
which I find very convention. I find the "industry standard" change every
academic tenure or so. As such, we are on our own so to speak as far as
conventions apply, but some commons sense standard helps. Authors usually
give the key to the conventions they use at the beginning or the end of
their works.

However, through years of key-punching and writing I find it easier to write
D rather than DN for Diigha Nikaaya and so one. One reason is when I have to
quote the Commentaries, I would rather use the DA than DNA (?) or DN-A or D
Comy.

I think the obiquitous hyphens in the UKABS convention are redundant and
tedious.

I find the simplest and briefest abbreviations helpful, sort of Okcham's
razor ("Entities are not to be multiplied beyond necessity"), especially
when Buddhism ultimately reject "entities". As such, sometimes I do lose
touch with the convetion fashion.

Attached is the file for the convention I use.

Sukhi.

P.

----- Original Message -----
From: <jimanderson_on@...>
To: <Pali@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Friday, 21 February, 2003 2:29 AM
Subject: [Pali] Re: sutta reference industry standard


> Dear Frank et al,
>
> The industry standard for the Pali abbreviation of the texts is the
> one used by the largest and most authoritative of all Pali-English
> dictionaries, A Critical Pali Dictionary (CPD) published by the The
> Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters, Copenhagen. In the
> Epilegomena of Vol. I, it gives a double standard for the
> Diighanikaayo (D or DN), Majjhimanikaayo (M or MN), Sa.myuttanikaayo
> (S or SN), & A"nguttaranikaayo (A or AN). Judging by fascicle 17 of
> Vol. II (1990) the single letter is now the preferred one. The new A
> Dictionary of Pali by M. Cone also adopts the CPD standard but uses
> only D, M, S, & A for the nikaayas. The Suttanipaato is Sn (sn should
> be avoided). I find it convenient to use D, etc. when referencing the
> vol. and page no. of the PTS edn. eg. D II 192 and to use DN, etc.
> when referencing the sutta location number eg. DN XXII or DN 22, SN
> XXII.49 or SN 22.49, etc. Vin is the one used for Vinayapi.taka. I
> don't know where on the web one could find a comprehensive listing if
> such is available.
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Jim
>
> --- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, Frank Kuan <fcckuan@...> wrote:
> >
> >
> > > --- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, Piya Tan wrote:
> > > > Are good reasons why DN, MN, SN, AN is better than
> > > using D, M, S,
> > > A? What about Sutta Nipata, which has to have a
> > > longer abbreviation?
> >
> > That's what I would like to know. Was there a good
> > reason why the longer abbreviation method is now the
> > current standard, and who set this standard? ATI uses
> > SN=samyutta and sn=sutta nipata. If you're going to
> > set a new standard, then why not avoid that kind of
> > ambiguity with case sensitivity.
> >
> > What ever the most widely accepted standard is, I'll
> > go along with it. I'm just confused how this new
> > standard came about, since books that I deem pretty
> > important like B.Bodhi's nikaya translations, seem to
> > use the "old" standard.
> >
> > -fk
>
>
>
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