The Language of the Buddha
Pali Basics
When we study the suttas, we are studying the Buddha’s teachings. The collection of these teachings are called the ‘Pali Canon.’ But what is Pali, and how much of it should we know?
Pali 101
A Special Offering by Stephen Sas
Whether you aspire to be fluent in Pali, or just want to learn a few words here and there, any study of Pali will enrich your Buddhist practice and understanding of the Buddha’s teachings. No prior experience in Pali, Sanskrit or any other language (aside from English) is required. This is a rare opportunity to get a glimpse of the language used by the actual Buddha in his explication of his own enlightenment and teachings.
Students will be able to begin reading parts of the Pali canon themselves by the end of the course.
Pali–the language of the people
Review of Nominative and Accusative Cases
Structure and Layout of the Pali Canon – Two uses of the Instrumental Case – Ablative Case
Review – Dative and Genitive Case
Introduction to the Absolutive form of verbs
Locative and Vocative case
A look at the Four Great References
Introduction to the Absolutive, or Indeclinable Participle
The Absolutive and Infinitive Forms of Verbs
Final Class on Pali Primer
Gair and Karunatillake Lesson 1 -Initial Readings
Gair and Karunatillake Lesson 1 – Further Readings
Gair and Karunatillake Lesson 2 – Initial Readings
Gair and Karunatillake Lesson 2 – Further Readings

Gair & Karunatillake Lesson 3- Initial Readings
Gair & Karunatillake Lesson 3- Initial Readings (continued)
Gair & Karunatillake Lesson 3- Further Readings
More readings from the Anguttara Nikaka
The First Noble Truth
Gair & Karunatillake Lesson 4- Initial Readings
Pali numbers
The number 1 in singular and plural!
Two meanings of the verb bhāsati
Gair & Karunatillake Lesson 4- Initial Readings
Pronouns in the feminine
Some new forms of the Optative
Genitive of Fear
Gair & Karunatillake Lesson 4- Initial and Further Readings
The -māna form of a present participle
The noun ‘go’ for cow
Various types of assemblies
Gair & Karunatillake Lesson 4- Further Readings
Various types of assemblies
Readings from the Dhammapada
the terms ‘etadagga’, ‘atthaññu’, ‘dhammaññu’, etc
Gair & Karunatillake Lesson 4- Further, Lesson 5- Initial Readings
the ‘wheel turning monarch’
the full declension of personal pronouns/ enclitic forms
-vant and -mant nouns and adjectives
the vocative ‘bho’
the idomatic phrase, ‘etaṃ ṭhānaṃ vijjati’
Gair & Karunatillake Lesson 5- Initial Readings
What is a brahmin?
More readings from the Dhammapada
Using Duroiselle’s Pāli Grammar
‘akubbato’ and ‘sakubbato’
excerpts from the Maṅgala Sutta