Re: moderator's note

Dear Jim

It has been rather unfortunate that the exchange between Eisel and Rett
has been heated with personal remarks. However, I must acknowledge them
for many facts extractable from their messages. Even though Laos is a
neighbour of my country, and I am at present living in Sri Lanka, I must
admit that those facts are wholly new to me.

And I am much interested in the point raised by Eisel that the PTS
approach has created an intellectual climate in which both
(1)The study of Theravada Pali traditions has been divorced from its
milieu (i.e., social context)

(2)The interpretations of the PTS and other western Pali scholars have themselves been divorced from their milieu

In fact, I have a lot to comment, and reveal some facts that I think are still hidden from the west. However, I feel that these issues are still hot from the recent flames. So I would like to keep them aside for a while, and submit instead a request for information.

I would like to know the identity of the unnamed Burmese monk in the following quotation from the Editorial Note of Saddhammappakaasinii (Commentary on Mahaaniddesa), published by PTS. It was an Indian professor's writing:

    " The source to which my vv.ll. footnotes refer are:

    B = Burmese transcript made by a Burmese monk residing in London to
learn English, but left penniless by            his patron, and employed
by the P.T.S

    BM =  vv.ll. quoted  by the transcriber of B from a MS., also lent by
P.T.S., which he is pleased to call Muula."


I would like to know who was the Burmese monk who made the Burmese
transcript B, even though the editor he had helped failed to record his
name.  It is a missing detail in the history of Burmese contributions to
the international Pali studies.

I have already asked Mr. William Pruitt of PTS about it and he has made 
enquiries but failed. He has replied to me that he cannot find the
information I need because PTS does not keep exhaustive archives.

I would be much obliged if anyone one there can help me find it.

with metta

Ven. Pandita


>Message: 1        
>   Date: Sat, 15 Jan 2005 15:49:10 -0500
>   From: "Jim Anderson" <jimanderson_on@...>
>Subject: moderator's note
>
>Dear members,
>
>I'm afraid that the recent exchanges between Eisel and Rett (Re: the Decline
>of Pali...) have been of an inflammatory and divisive nature. This can cause
>members to leave the group--one has left already. I would ask that members
>desist from such harsh speech and to cultivate the friendlier kind instead.
>Although we may disagree on various points, we should at least try to behave
>respectfully and with good manners towards each other.
>
>With metta, Jim
>
>



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