Bhante Dhammanando and all Pali friends,

> As an alternative to the above list of discussion topics I
> propose the following:
>
> 1. Pali language: its history and grammar
> 2. Approaches to the study of Pali
> 3. Pali literature
> 4. Translation theory and practice as applicable to Pali texts

In my opinion this list, due to the high-quality moderation and
organization, has gained good reputation and popularity. However this
popularity has led to the overload of the list, and the quality has
markedly fallen.

Due to this overload I unsubscribed from receiving messages to my
mailbox, and just read selected messages on-line.

As I see, there are several distinctly different areas of discussion,
which should receive appropriate attention at different mailing lists,
interaction of which will provide dynamically developing Pali environment:

1. Yahoo group for primary learning of Pali language, with regular
postings from Pali textbooks.

2. Yahoo group for advanced study of Pali language and literature,
with voluminous quotations from Pali Canon.

3. Topical forum for the discussion of Pali terms. At the mailing list
like this the insightful postings about the meaning of important terms
tend to get lost in the archives. However at the well-moderated forum
the opinions about the meaning of particular term can be accurately
accumulated and preserved in topical thread for many years, forming a
unique spectrum of qualified opinions.

I have an experience of maintaining such Russian forum dedicated to
Pali terms. It proved to be quite useful. Topical threads are very
easy to find and refer to, and the new opinions are easily added.

I can provide for this purpose the forum engine at Sadhu! Thereveda
Web Directory http://dhamma.ru/sadhu/. However the main resorce needed
for such an enterprise is worthy people, and your kind assistance
will be much appreciated.

Best wishes,
Dmytro Ivakhnenko