Reading the Buddhas Discourses in Pali: A Practical Guide to the Language of the Ancient Buddhist Canon

Renowned scholar-monk and bestselling translator Bhikkhu Bodhis definitive, practical guide on how to read ancient Buddhist texts in the original language. Bhikkhu Bodhis sophisticated and practical instructions on how to read the Pali of the Buddhas discourses will acquaint students of Early Buddhism with the language and idiom of these sacred texts. Here the renowned English translator of the Pali Canon opens a window into key suttas from the Samyutta Nikaya, giving a literal translation of each sentence followed by a more natural English rendering, then explaining the grammatical forms involved. In this way, students can determine the meaning of each word and phrase and gain an intimate familiarity with the distinctive style of the Pali suttas-with the words, and world, of the earliest Buddhist texts. Ven. Bodhis meticulously selected anthology of suttas provides a systematic overview of the Buddhas teachings, mirroring the four noble truths, the most concise formulation of the Buddhas guide to liberation. Reading the Buddhas Discourses in Pali shares with readers not only exceptional language instruction but also a nuanced study of the substance, style, and method of the early Buddhist discourses.