Pali

From Citizendium
Revision as of 06:12, 1 August 2020 by imported>Peter Jackson
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This article is developing and not approved.
Main Article
Discussion
Related Articles  [?]
Bibliography  [?]
External Links  [?]
Citable Version  [?]
 
This editable Main Article is under development and subject to a disclaimer.

Pali is an ancient Indic language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is the language of the Pali Canon of Theravada Buddhism. Pali is closely related to the Sanskrit family of languages[1]. Pali's grammar is simplified as compared with Sanskit, and the vocabulary is similar, in many cases varying only by a set of common phonological transformations, such as:

Sanskrit Pali definition
arhat arahant "deserving": one who sees the true nature of existence and has conquered their own negative tendencies so that they no longer take karmic actions (those with negative consequences for themselves or anyone else); similar to 'saint' in Christianity
Dharma Dhamma "to uphold": refers to the teachings of the Buddha about how the universe works and how a person can minimize or avoid suffering for themselves and others
karma kamma "action": a thought, speech or deed which results in immediate or future (negative) consequences; or, the part of one's fate which is a consequence of past karmic actions by oneself and/or others
nirvāna nibbāna or nibbāṇa "quenching (as of fire)": a state of peacefulness; a complete lack of suffering
shanti santi "peace"
sūtra sutta "discourse": in Buddhist literature, a verse (or collection of verses on one topic)
sangha saṅgha or saṃgha a community of friends helping each other to practice the teachings of the Buddha
  1. Maurice Walshe (1996). The Long Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Dīgha Nikāya by Maurice Walshe, 1st Edition. Wisdom Publications. ISBN 0-8617-1103-3.  p. 17