Dear Piya and friends,

thanks very much for your advice, Piya.

Like yourself, I am also grateful to the monks and scholars who have
contributed to our collective learning. This list is not for myself
or a selected fraction of members, but a group of willing students
interested in understanding the Buddha's teachings.

So far, we are fortunate to have many members who are respectful and
sincere in their words, it must be our good karma. And for them to
share their knowledge and expertise with no expectation from others,
and correct others without fear of blame, I call it real dana.

I count it a great priviledge to be part of an independent yet
dynamic body of Pali students, and it is my honour to be of service
to everyone.

I like to thank you for the reminder of the detriments of speaking
ill of others, not just the teacher(s). If this group is to remain
open and free, as you proposed, learning has to be bidirectional, not
unidirectional.

We should also welcome counter-arguments to certain opinions put
forward by scholars or monks, even if it is the results of years of
research. I think this is totally in line with the Buddhist and
scientific spirit. This is especially true when jhanic experience is
brought in to substantiate certain points. Jhanic experience in
Buddhism is like communicating to god(s) in other religions. A link
to the spiritual dimension, and knowing what other do not know. It
can be dangerous if we go down this path of learning the Dhamma
through others' jhanic experiences. I am especially wary of
scandalous motives similar to monastic scandals which happened in
recent times, particularly in Thailand.

I think we have to give credit to everyone whose message remains
standing in the archive. And I hope we all grow and mature
intellectually and spiritually as a group.

May the blessings of the triple gems be with you always.
Tiratanasampadaa vo sadaa bhavatu.
(Btw, is the Pali correct?)

metta,
Yong Peng.

--- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, Piya Tan wrote:

What I am trying to say is that these illustrious monks and scholars
may be inspired to give wonderful teachings and make helpful
contributions.

In a way, Pali Yahoo is like a class room and we are all students,
and you are the monitor (I am evoking the good old British school
system). Some of us are a bit naughty and impolite and personal in
our remarks and think only we have the right answers, and the monitor
has to keep us in line: especially when we speak ill of the teacher
(s).

If this could be done, we will benefit from more that just learning
Pali. After all learning Pali is for the sake of knowing the Suttas
better, which is for the sake of knowing ourselves better, for the
sake of awakening.