| Unit name | Pali and Buddhist Sanskrit |
|---|---|
| Unit code | THRS30173 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Langer |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
THRS 20188/20189 Introduction to Sanskrit 1 & 2 or equivalent |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of Religion and Theology |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Building on Introduction to Sanskrit 1 & 2, this unit focuses on developing the skills to read early Buddhist texts in Pali and Buddhist Sanskrit. According to tradition, the Buddha chose not to teach in Sanskrit, which was in the 5th century BCE the elite language of the Brahmins, but in the closely related dialects spoken by ordinary people. Perhaps the oldest corpus of Buddhist texts to survive thus comes to be preserved in Pali, an ancient Indian dialect very close to Sanskrit. In time texts were also produced in a form of Buddhist ‘hybrid’ Sanskrit. After a brief introduction to the differences between Sanskrit and Pali, the unit will focus immediately on reading longer passages from the Pali canon alongside their parallels in Buddhist Sanskrit. These texts are among the most important sources for the teachings of the Buddha and life in India in the early centuries BCE. The unit aims to introduce students to:
On successful completion of this unit student will have an intermediate knowledge and understanding of the vocabulary, syntax and grammar of Buddhist Sanskrit and Pali and be able to translate straightforward passages from Pali and Sanskrit into English.
2 x 2 hour seminar (shared with THRS20190 – Pali and Buddhist Sanskrit)
This language unit will be assessed summatively by one class test lasting 2 hours (100%), testing knowledge and understanding of the vocabulary, syntax and grammar of Buddhist Sanskrit and Pali and the ablilty to translate straightforward passages from Pali and Sanskrit into English.
Geiger, W. A Pali Grammar (Oxford: Pali Text Society, 1994)
Rhys Davids, T. W. and W. Stede, A Pali-English Dictionary (London: Pali Text Society, 1925).
Warder, A.K., Introduction to Pāli, 3rd edition (Oxford: Pali Text Society, 1991)
Edgerton, Franklin, Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Grammar and Dictionary (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1953)
