Rodney Shackelford, DO, Ph.D.<\/span>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Content Block” _builder_version=”4.9.1″ background_enable_image=”off” custom_margin=”0px||0px||true|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||true|false” saved_tabs=”all” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_4,3_4″ _builder_version=”3.26.7″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”3.26.6″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”3.26.6″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.11.1″ custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_4,3_4″ _builder_version=”3.26.7″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”3.26.6″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/societyforritualarts.com\/coreopsis\/autumn-2021-issue\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/1treasureco-232×300.jpg” title_text=”1treasureco” _builder_version=”4.11.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”3.26.6″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.11.1″ custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n For six years Siddhartha meditated, practicing such extreme asceticism that he nearly died of starvation. Near death, Siddhartha accepted a meal of rice milk from a young girl, and regained his strength. Afterwards he sat down beneath the Bodhi tree to meditate, determined not to rise until he achieved full enlightenment. After seven weeks of meditation, he became an Awakened One or a Buddha – one who had attained unsurpassable wisdom and peace. For forty-five years the Buddha traveled extensively, teaching people of all castes how to live a compassionate and peaceful life and, if possible, attain enlightenment. These teachings, taken together, are referred to as the Dhamm<\/i>\u0101<\/i>.\u00a0He always taught in the vernacular, using language and dialects that everyone could straightforwardly understand. At his death he said, \u201cI can die happily. I have not kept a single teaching hidden in a closed hand. Everything that is useful for you, I have already given. Be your own guiding light.<\/i>\u201d<\/p>\n The teachings of the Buddha were codified three months after his death, at the First Council, and became an oral tradition known as Therav\u0101da Canon or \u201cthe Doctrine of the Elders.\u201d The Therav\u0101da Canon was written down, some 450 years after the Buddha\u2019s death, in the P\u0101li language, a language that either the Buddha spoke or that is very similar to what he spoke. The Canon is quite large, and Therav\u0101da Buddhists have counted 17,505 sermons from the Buddha, although all of these have not come down to us.\u00a0<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_4,3_4″ _builder_version=”3.26.7″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”3.26.6″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/societyforritualarts.com\/coreopsis\/autumn-2021-issue\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/2bannerco-162×300.jpg” title_text=”2bannerco” _builder_version=”4.11.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”3.26.6″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.11.1″ custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Recent scholarship, especially in the United States, maintains that due to the difficulties in dating the life of the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama may have never existed. Moreover, if such an individual ever existed, we know virtually nothing about him. This scholarship leaves Buddhists, and anyone who is interested in Buddhism, with this question, \u201cDoes the Therav\u0101da Canon actually reflect what the Buddha said?\u201d In a recent book, Buddhism and P\u0101li<\/i>, one of the few western scholars of the P\u0101li language, Professor Richard Gombrich, uses meticulous analysis of the Therav\u0101da Canon and P\u0101li language to conclude that it is highly likely that the Canon does contain the Buddha-vacana,<\/i> or actual words of the Buddha.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n P\u0101li is derived from Sanskrit, and is an ancient Middle Indo-Aryan language of Northern India. Professor Gombrich states that P\u0101li approximately resembles Sanskrit as modern Italian resembles Latin, with both P\u0101li and Italian showing an often-simplified grammar compared to the parent languages. The first written references referring to the Buddha and the Therav\u0101da Canon are rock inscriptions in a language similar to P\u0101li. These inscriptions date from roughly 250 BCE, during the reign of Emperor Asoka, a ruthless leader once known for his cruelty, who converted to Buddhism and subsequently dedicated his life and monarchy to Buddhist principles. The P\u0101li language was first written down in Sri Lanka around 30 BCE, and has since been preserved with very few changes. The P\u0101li language is only rarely studied in the west, and about 98% of those who know the language are in Sri Lanka or Southeast Asia and do not speak English or interact with the English-speaking world. Naturally, this has severely limited western scholarship on the language. In this book, Professor Gombrich uses multiple lines of evidence from the P\u0101li language Therav\u0101da Canon, and the history and culture of ancient India, to show that we likely have a good idea of what the Buddha said some 2,500 years ago. He also does not attack those who take different positions than he does.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_4,3_4″ _builder_version=”3.26.7″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”3.26.6″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/societyforritualarts.com\/coreopsis\/autumn-2021-issue\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/3fishco-205×300.jpg” title_text=”3fishco” _builder_version=”4.11.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”3.26.6″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.11.1″ custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n First, Professor Gombrich compares the linguistic structure of P\u0101li to what is known of the Buddha\u2019s life and travels. He identifies P\u0101li as an ancient lingua franca<\/i> \u2013 an invented, artificial language \u2013 that encompassed a wide range of ancient dialects. During the forty-five years following his enlightenment, the Buddha traveled extensively throughout Northern India, teaching the Dhamm<\/i>\u0101<\/i>. At the time, every small settlement the Buddha visited would have spoken its own dialect, and over wide areas there would have been enormous linguistic variation. Interestingly, the Buddha forbade teaching in Sanskrit, and taught in the commonly-spoken language. He did this so that all who wanted to listen could understand him, and because he taught that nothing is eternal, including language. In this later point he dramatically disagreed with the Vedic traditions of the time, which taught that Sanskrit was a sacred and eternal language. Thus, P\u0101li is an amalgamation of many different P\u0101li dialects and, unlike many other ancient languages, therefore uses a vast number of alternative word forms. For example, the P\u0101li word Dhamm<\/i>\u0101<\/i> also occurs in different contexts as Dhammasm<\/i>\u0101<\/i> and Dhammamh\u0101<\/i>, but carries the same meaning. Such grammatical variations occur throughout the language. Based on this, P\u0101li formed from the melding of many different dialects, and was created so that people over wide areas could understand it. This unique linguistic blending strongly implies that P\u0101li was created by one individual who traveled extensively in ancient Northern India. This individual was almost certainly the Buddha, and P\u0101li was an essential creation of the Buddha, required to teach the Dhamm<\/i>\u0101<\/i> over wide areas. Thus, Professor Gombrich concludes, with P\u0101li we very likely have the actual spoken words of the Buddha.\u00a0<\/p>\n Secondly, Professor Gombrich points out that in ancient India, and certainly during the life of the Buddha, the Vedic sacred texts were maintained as oral traditions, which preserved them unchanged for several thousand years, over distances of hundreds or even thousands of miles. The followers of the Buddha maintained this tradition and hence, the Therav\u0101da Canon shows the same patterns of extensive repetition and lists, typical of an oral tradition maintained over long periods. Thus, the First Council in P\u0101li can also be translated as \u201ccommunal recitation.\u201d The word P\u0101li is also related to the Sanskrit root word \u201cpath,<\/i>\u201d meaning \u201ctext for recitation.\u201d Interestingly, one of the Buddha\u2019s most well known disciplines, \u0100nanda, was known for his exceptional ability to remember and accurately recite the Cannon. Lastly, recent magnetic resonance imaging studies have shown 10% more gray matter across both cerebral hemispheres in those trained to memorize these ancient texts. Interestingly, in ancient and present-day India, the training to memorize and accurately recite extensive texts takes up to thirty-six years. When the uniformity of the Therav\u0101da Canon\u2019s use of repetition is considered in its cultural and historical contexts, it becomes very likely that it has been well preserved, much like the significantly older Vedic oral tradition.\u00a0<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_4,3_4″ _builder_version=”3.26.7″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”3.26.6″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/societyforritualarts.com\/coreopsis\/autumn-2021-issue\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/4umbrellaco-248×300.jpg” title_text=”4umbrellaco” _builder_version=”4.11.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”3.26.6″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.11.1″ custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Last, Professor Gombrich points out some interesting and underappreciated aspects of the Therav\u0101da Canon. Based on the form of the Dhammapada<\/i>, one of the best-known portions of the Canon, it appears that the Buddha may have composed poetry, although this is not recorded. Additionally, he points out that much of the Buddha\u2019s life was documented in the Canon, including where the Buddha traveled and at what time in his life, lending a concrete historicity to the Canon. Overall, Buddhism and Pali <\/i>is clear and well written. It takes on the difficult and important question of whether or not the Therav\u0101da Canon be trusted and, importantly, whether it contains the actual words of the Buddha. Professor Gombrich shows clearly that we very likely do have the language, words, and teachings of the Buddha, and they are largely intact from 2,500 years ago.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Buddhism and Pali <\/i>addresses recent scholarship in the west that disputes the existence of the Buddha and the historical meaning of his teachings. This scholarship is seldom based on an analysis of the P\u0101li language, and depends on translations of the Therav\u0101da Canon and other Buddhist texts. Obviously, translations lack the structural and linguistic information contained in P\u0101li. Additionally, these analyses often do not take into account the culture and history of ancient India, and the evidence for the Buddha\u2019s life. These include analysis of first-century CE Gandharan scrolls, the oldest written Buddhist texts, excavations in Lumbini where the Buddha achieved enlightenment which show a uniquely Buddhist shrine dating from 550 BCE, and the written records from the time of King Asoka. Thus, Buddhism and Pali <\/i>gives a careful and very readable analysis of a largely unexamined aspect of Buddhism \u2013 the P\u0101li language. The final conclusion of the book, that the Therav\u0101da Canon contains the words of the Buddha, is convincingly set forth. For most Buddhists, especially in Asia, this is self-evident. However, for westerners interested in Buddhism, the book is very useful. For those interested in the history and origins of Buddhism and the authenticity of the Therav\u0101da Canon, I highly recommend the book.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.9.1″ background_enable_image=”off” custom_padding=”0px|||||” saved_tabs=”all” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.27.3″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.26.7″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_divider color=”#37712d” divider_weight=”3px” _builder_version=”4.3.2″ width=”60%” module_alignment=”center” height=”5px” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_4,3_4″ _builder_version=”3.27.2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”3.27.2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”3.27.2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text module_class=”noindent” _builder_version=”4.10.6″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Book Review: Buddhism and Pali by Richard Gombrich Rodney Shackelford, DO, Ph.D.Siddhartha Gautama was born a prince of the Kshatriya caste of warriors and nobles sometime around 563 BCE, in Lumbini, which is now in Nepal. Shortly after his birth, the hermit ascetic Asita prophesized that Siddhartha would either be a Buddha or a great […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":908,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-806","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/societyforritualarts.com\/coreopsis\/autumn-2021-issue\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/BuddhismAndPali.jpg?resize=313%2C499&ssl=1\")
Siddhartha Gautama was born a prince of the Kshatriya caste of warriors and nobles sometime around 563 BCE, in Lumbini, which is now in Nepal. Shortly after his birth, the hermit ascetic Asita prophesized that Siddhartha would either be a Buddha or a great king. Siddhartha\u2019s father wanted Siddhartha to become a king, and so kept him in a palace with all princely luxuries and pleasures, shielded from the outside world. Siddhartha grew up to be an exceptionally talented, intelligent, and compassionate man. At the age of twenty-nine, while on a rare outing from his palace, he saw a sick man, an old man, and a corpse, and was thus suddenly confronted with the impermanence and suffering of life. He then saw a monk serenely meditating, searching for the highest good and spiritual truth. As a result of these experiences, the princely life he once enjoyed now seemed grotesque and useless. He renounced his wealth, position, and family, and became an ascetic, searching to find the cause of suffering and how to end it.<\/p>\n