Re: Pali grammar/education in Thailand

Dear E. M.
  The whole article reads as if the venerable has
insights into the Dhamma  beyond those of the
Theravada tradition. He disparages Buddhaghosa and the
Mahavihara, he thinks his "critical analysis" can
detect right and wrong. Unfortunately far from being
rare- as the article implies- this obeisance to the
God of western scientific methodolgy and ideas is
widespread in Thailand and growing, one only has to
look at the popularity of books by Buddadasa.
Just another sign of the eventual disappearance of the
sasana.
His disbelief in Pali/magadha as being the Buddha's
language is bizarre (but bound to find adherents).
Robert


--- navako <navako@...> wrote:
>
> 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.
>
> --
> A saying of the Buddha from http://metta.lk/
> View Streaming Dhamma Video http://dharmavahini.tv/
> Those, who practise the seven Factors (Mindfulness,
> Investigation of the
> Dhamma, Energy, Rapture, Calmness, Concentration,
> Equanimity), and have
> freed themselves from attachments, attain Nibbana.
> Random Dhammapada Verse 89
>