I just joined the Pali Discussion Group, so allow me to introduce myself.

My name is Charles Pyle. I have Ph. D. in linguistics and was professor of linguistics at U of Michigan. I also studied and taught at varous universities in other countries, of notable releveance for this group, in Thailand. Now I am Database and Internet Systems Coordinator at Jackson Community College.

I have been studying and practicing Buddhism for many years. I first came to Buddhism through the influence of Chogyam Trungpa, whose insights into language deeply impresssed me. He was a Tantric Buddhist, but he always emphasized the importance of the Tipitaka texts, and Samatha and Vipassana meditation. Over the past ten years or so I spent a lot of time in Thailand working, studying, and teaching. I was profoundly influenced by my experience teaching at Mahachula Buddhist University in Bangkok, and also came to appreciate the teachings of Buddhadasa there.

I only know a little Sanskrit, and a little Pali. Many questions about Pali texts have arisen in my mind over the years. My purpose for joining this group is that I hope to harvest insights into the Buddha's teaching here in spite of my meager knowledge of Pali.

Given my background, it will not come as a surprise that I have a special interest in the Buddhist theory of language, the theory that is implicit in the Buddha's teachings, with special focus on the function of language in captivating and enslaving human beings in the realm of ignorance, and the corresponding implications for the ways of liberation.