The course provides an introduction to Pāli Buddhist texts for students with prior knowledge of Sanskrit (e.g. Sanskrit Prelims). We will read classical Theravāda Buddhist discourses from the Pāli Canon such as the Fire Sermon (Ādittapariyāya-sutta) and Dependent Origination (Paṭiccasamuppāda) providing an easy philological introduction to the Pāli language via Sanskrit. The class is designed to introduce to the essentials of Pali grammar and vocabulary with a focus on key terms and their importance for the exegesis of Buddhist texts. The course will contribute to an appreciation of the interpretative nature of translation as a central discipline for the study of religions. The course book will be Dines Andersen’s A Pāli Reader supplementet with Rune E.A. Johansson’s Pali Buddhist Texts: An Introductory Reader and Grammar.
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