Re: Paali

On Thu, Nov 20, 2014 at 06:58:27PM +0530, Dc Wijeratna dcwijeratna@... [palistudy] wrote:
> This is further to my e-m.
> I have uncovered another stumbling book.
> OD defines Buddhism as “A widespread Asian religion or philosophy.”
>  Alternative 1: Pali is a liturgical language
> Alternative 2: Pali is the language of the Tipitaka. Therefore, Tipitaka is
> the philosophy of Buddhism.
> To me Alternative1 is realistic. I am not sure whether anybody has
> attempted it or it is feasible.
> Alternative 2. Not feasible. There is no unique meaningful definition for
> Philosophy of Buddhism. [Philosophers don't usually agree on anything]
> If we cannot settle this matter giving a definition to Pali may be
> impossible.
>
> Any thoughts?

Interesting discussion!  I think trying to pin-point the definition is not very
useful. My take is that it is a broad term, and that the semantic fields will
not overlap exactly between 21st century, Victorian, and the various strata of
traditional Eastern understandings anyway.

I am perfectly comfortable with the notion that the word refers to a language
(phonology, grammar, syntax, dictionary, dialects, chronological development);
as well as to a corpus of texts preserved in that language, as well as to the
contemporary aesthetic use in liturgy, devotion, religions and/or spiritual
practice; as well as non-religious scholarly works on and even in the language
(such as the traditional grammars).

As to philosophers, while they tend to disagree and discuss their ideas a lot,
my working definition is that Philosophy is the engagement with the ideas of
philosophers, disagreements and all. For example, the debates about Abhidhamma,
preserved in Pali and other languages of that period of Buddhist history, are
to my understanding distinctly philosophical, as are questions about who, or
what, is liberated, or for that matter reborn, if at all.  Again, this is not a
pinpoint definition. I don't think human language generally works by means of
such highly exclusive definitions, unlike formal logic and mathematics.

Kind regards,
Florian