Re: Pali grammar/education in Thailand

Robert Kirkpatrik,

  I'd be interested to know the particular arugments you disagree with in the
article (and why) --the specific reason that I thought it was worth posting
to the list was its description of the divergence from Kaccayana (and
traditional Pali grammar generally) that the official Pali books used in
Thailand represent.  I would be very interested to hear any arguments in
favour of the current Thai grammatical textbooks / approach --or
contradicting the point more generally.
  It is probably needless to say that I find his short paragraph about the
Pali language as such a bit odd --i.e., I really do not know what he means
to imply by saying that the Pali canon itself contains no argument for the
special importance of the Pali language (why would it have to?  Surely the
fact that it is written in Pali is sufficient reason for learning Pali in
order to read it?).  The comparison to translated suttas in Tibetan, Chinese
etc., is also rather odd --and I wonder what motivated it.  Thai attitudes
toward Chinese Buddhism seem especially open and accepting; Buddhadasa did
much to popularize a kind of Thai flirtation with Zen sources, and the
inter-mingling of Chinese and Thai ceremonies (i.e., the most visible parts
of the two religions) are evident just about everywhere in Thailand.  Aside
from Santi Ashoke, and a small list of other official enemies (officially
referred to as "Non-Buddhist cults attempting to resemble Buddhism", rather
than "Buddhist sects"), the orthodox hierarchy seems quite content to break
bread with Mahayanists and other "Heterodox" sects.
  Of course, fulminations against the monarchy's corruption of the sangha are
always a welcome sight in a major Thai publication --such as the Bangkok
Post.  There are many hard questions that are not being asked in Thailand
  --such as why bloodline and "pride of birth" seems to establish (or reserve)
rank and authority for Orthodox monks in Thai Buddhism, i.e., directly
contrary to the Vinaya.

E.M.

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