Dear Michael,
op 09-11-2003 16:36 schreef Michael Beisert op mbeisert@...:

> Thank you for posting this message. It only increases my apetite to visit
> Myanmar. I have a related question to this message. Can you explain about
> this Dhamma study group? Is it open?

N: Yes open to all, welcome. < dhammastudygroup@yahoogroups.com >
Discussion on sutta, commentaries, also some Pali, abhidhamma, problems in
life seen in the light of Dhamma, etc.
I continued my correspondance with Suan and asked some questions:
N: "But it is all in Burmese?"

Suan: <No, Nina, the Nissaya texts are in Pali and Burmese, usually more
Pali as the Nissaya writer assumed that the reader knew Pali and
began to omit Burmese terms that appeared previously (to save his
time). This practice is called "peyyaala" usually indicated by the
letter "pa".

Before one can read a serious Nissaya text such as those on
commentaries, one must have studied Pali grammar beforehand. Without
the ability to parse the Pali words (the results of Sandhi, compound
words and the like) and follow the syntax (at least one must be able
to identify a Pali verb as a Pali verb, and a Pali noun as a Pali
noun and the like), a reader would soon feel lost and lose patience
and give up.

As the common feature of the Nissaya texts, the Nissaya Sayadaws also
digress and discuss the issues of Pali grammar either between the
text or as footnotes at the bottom of the pages. These make very
delicious and informative academic readings.>
Nina.