Introduction to Pali
Posted by Dipananda on Tuesday, 23 September 2025
Bibliography:
Barua Anomadarshi. Introduction to Pali. Varanasi (India): Bharatiya Vidya Prakashan, 1977.
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Bibliography:
Barua Anomadarshi. Introduction to Pali. Varanasi (India): Bharatiya Vidya Prakashan, 1977.
Bibliography:
Kakkapalliye Anuruddha Thera. A Guide to the Study of Pali: The Language of Theravada Buddhism. Hong Kong: Centre of Buddhist Studies, The University of Hong Kong. 2013.
Bibliography:
Bhikkhu Analayo: Superiority Conceit in Buddhist Traditions: A Historical Perspective. Somerville: Wisdom Publications, 2021.
Bibliography:
Trungpa, Chogyam. Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2002.
Bibliography:
Young, David. Walking the Tightrope: Talks on Meditative Development with Pemasiri Thera. Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society, 2005.
Bibliography:
Gampaha Pemasiri Mahathera. Meditative Defilements - Upakkilesa Dhamma. Colombo: Print & Print Graphics (Pvt) Ltd.
Bibliography:
Bhikkhu Analayo. Developments in Buddhist Meditation Traditions: The Interplay Between Theory and Practice. Massachusetts: Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, 2022.
Bibliography:
Bhikkhu P.A. Payutto. Buddhadhamma. The Laws of Nature and Their Benefits to Life. Buddhadhamma Foundation. 2021
Rabjam, Longchen. The Precious Treasury of Philosophical Systems: A Treatise Elucidating the Meaning of the Entire Range of Spiritual Approaches. Trans. Richard Barron. California: Padma Publishing, 2007.
Bibliography:
Garfield, Jay L. and Jan Westerhoff. eds., Madhyamaka and Yogacara: Allies or Rivals? New York: Oxford University Press, 2015.
This book brings to life the age-old religious tradition of Theravada (literally, “view of the elders”) Buddhism as it is found in ancient texts and understood and practiced today in South and Southeast Asia. Following a brief introduction to the life of the historical Buddha and the beginning of his mission, the book examines the Triple Gem (the Buddha, his teachings, and the community of monastic followers) and the basic teachings of the Buddha in the earliest available Pali sources.
Hashemi. Louise, Raymond Murphy. English Grammar in Use Supplementary Exercises 5th Edition (With Answer). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019.
Murphy, Raymond. English Grammar in Use: A Self-study Reference and Practice Book for Intermediate Learners of English (with Answers). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019.
Bibliography:
The Expositor (Atthasālinī): Buddhaghosa's Commentary on the Dhammasangaṇī, the First Book of the Abhidhamma Piṭaka. trans.Pe Maung Tin. London: The Pali Text Society, 1976.
Bibliography:
Ledi Sayadaw. A Manual of the Excellent Man: Uttamapurisa Dīpanī. Washington: BPS Pariyatti Editions, 2016.
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Bibliography:
Ledi Sayadaw. Manuals of Buddhism. Igatpuri: Vipassana Research Institute, Reprint 2011.
Bibliography:
Balangoda Anada Maitreya, Mahanayaka Thera. Pali Made Easy. Dehiwola: Buddhist Cultural Centre, 20t2.
Bibliography:
Perniola, V. Pali Grammar. Oxford: The Pali Text Society, 1997
Bibliography:
Early Buddhist Discourses. ed. & trans. John J. Holder. Indianapolis/Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 2006.
Bibliography:
Bhaddacak, J. R. Pali for New Learners, Book II: How to say it. Online 2023.
Bibliography:
Bhaddacak, J. R. Pali for New Learners, Book I: How to say it. Online 2023.
Bibliography:
Gregory, Peter N. Traditions of Meditation in Chinese Buddhism. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press,1945.
This volume seeks to understand early Buddhist Teachings as a critical response to the binary opposition between two perennial worldviews, spiritual eternalism and materialist annihilationism. The first is the theory of the metaphysical self, a self that is distinct from the physical body. The second is the theory of the physical self, a self that is identical with the physical body. It is by keeping itself equally aloof from these two theoretical views of the self that early Buddhism becomes a "middle position".
Bibliography:
Suzuki, Teitaro, Trans. Asvaghosha's Discourse on the Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana. Chicago: The Open Court Publishing Company, 1900.
Bibliography:
Payne, Richard K. Journal of the Institute of Buddhist Studies. Third Series, Number 15. Berkeley: Pacific World, 2013.
Remark: The reader can see only the article of Prof. Dr. Charles Willemen, Rector of IBC, in this journal.
I-Tsing. A Record of the Buddhist Religion: As Practised in India and the Malay Archipelago (A.D. 671-695). Trans. J. Takakusu. Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1896.
Bibliography:
Rangama Chandawimala Thero. Vijjavimutti: Commemorative Volume. Singapore: Buddhist and Pali College of Singapore, 2013.
Mon, Mehm Tin. The Noble Path to Eternal Bliss: The Essence of Visuddhi Magga, Vol-II. Yangon: Mya Mon Yadanar Min Literature, 2015.
Bibliography:
Endo, Toshiichi. Illuminating the Dharma: Buddhist Studies in Honour of Venerable Professor KL Dhammajoti. HKU: Centre of Buddhist Studies. 2021
This book is designed to introduce readers to contemporary issues and debates in the field of Buddhist ethics. It does this by stimulating a dialogue between Buddhism and Western ethics on the topic of well-being. The Four Noble Truths present us with a conundrum: is nirvana a state of virtue attained by following the Eightfold Path, or a state of happiness defined as freedom from suffering? If both, how are they related?
This book is designed to accompany a course exploring the Buddhist response to a range of contemporary social issues. To facilitate its use as a course text each chapter is preceded by an overview of the contents and concludes with a summary of the key points. At the end of each chapter there are suggested questions for class discussion or use as essay titles at the tutor’s discretion as well as a ‘Further Reading’ section. At the end of the book, the reader will find a complete bibliography and an index of proper names, terms, and concepts.
This book brings together several of Professor Toshiichi Endo’s previously published articles on the Buddha-concept in the Pāli Commentaries. Overall, it deals with two spiritual powers of the Buddha: the knowledge power (ñāṇabala) and the physical power (kāya-bala).
Papañcasūdanī Commentary to the Majjhimanikāya. Trans. N.A. Jayawickrama and Ed. Toshiichi Endo. Hong Kong: Centre of Buddhist Studies. 2022.
A translation of the traditional commentary and sub-commentary to one of the most challenging discourses in the Pāli Canon: MN 1.
Bibliography:
The Discourse on the Root of Existence: The Mūlapariyāya Sutta and its Commentaries. Trans. Bhikkhu Bodhi. Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society. 2016
A translation of the traditional commentary and sub-commentary to one of the most challenging discourses in the Pāli Canon: MN 1.
Bibliography:
The Discourse on the Root of Existence: The Mūlapariyāya Sutta and its Commentaries. Trans. Bhikkhu Bodhi. Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society. 2016
Ven. Sāriputta’s Paṭisambhidāmagga and some parts of Pāḷi literature as a whole contain a list and analyses of five types of morality that throw into relief aspects of the moral life that range from an ethical practice that needs to be improved upon and is limited via those forms that catalyze progress on the Buddhist path toward liberation to a form that constitutes full moral blossoming.
Presenting the life and teachings of Gautama Buddha, drawn directly from 24 Pali, Sanskrit, and Chinese sources—and retold by beloved Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh
Retold in Thich Nhat Hanh’s inimitably beautiful style, this book traces the Buddha’s life over the course of 80 years—partly through the eyes of Svasti, the buffalo boy, and partly through the eyes of the Buddha himself. Old Path White Clouds is a classic of religious literature.
An earnest student with serious interest needs a very basic, thorough understanding and careful study about the structural patterns of words and their morphological process. This can be achieved only through studying its original grammatical text along with detailed explanations on the rules known as Suttas and the accompanying word examples shown alongside in the Suttas. In other words, there is no replacement for an original ancient text with a ready-made, short-cut guide though it may fill some language-learning need but not in such a way as an original text can certainly do.
This text of Kaccāyana's Pāli grammar is intended to be used as a companion to its English translation book. In fact, the study of English translation alone will be incomplete without its original grammar text in Pāli as both of them can only enhance each other in the form of a handy reference and a practical learning aid for all students.
Bibliography:
Kaccayana Pali Grammar. Ed. Vol. 1. A. Thitzana. Washington: Pariyatti Publishing, 2016. Print.
The Dhammapada is the second book of the Khuddaka Nikāya of the Sutta(nta) Pi aka, consisting of 423 verses in 26 chapters arranged under various headings. These verses were culled from various discourses given by the Buddha in the course of 45 years of his teaching, as he travelled in the valley of the Ganges (Ganga) and the sub-mountain tract of the Himalayas. Through them the Buddha exhorts one to achieve that greatest of all conquests, the conquest of self; to escape from the evils of craving, aversion and ignorance; and to strive hard to attain freedom from the round of rebirths.
In Buddha’s Brain, Drs. Rick Hanson and Richard Mendius offer you a beautifully clear and practical connection to the essential wisdom teachings of the Buddha. Using the contemporary language of scientific research, they invite the reader to open to the mysteries of the mind, bringing a modern understanding to the ancient and profound teachings of inner meditation practice.
India
Hermann Kulke studied Indology (Sanskrit) and history at Freiburg University and did his PhD thesis on the Cidambaram Mahatmya, a text which encompasses the tradition of the South Indian temple city Chidambaram. His second major book was on the Gajapati kingship of Orissa. He has actively participated in the Orissa Research Project of the German Research Council and was co-editor of The Cult of Jagannath and the Regional Tradition of Orissa.......
Originating in India, Mahayana Buddhism spread across Asia, becoming the prevalent form of Buddhism in Tibet and East Asia. Over the last twenty-five years Western interest in Mahayana has increased considerably, reflected both in the quantity of scholarly material produced and in the attraction of Westerners towards Tibetan Buddhism and Zen.
The Bodhisattva Ideal: Essays on the Emergence of Mahāyāna.
Ed. Bhikkhu Nyanatusita Himi. Kandy: Buddhist Publication
Society Inc., 2013.
Anālayo. The Genesis of the Bodhisattva Ideal. Hamburg: Hamburg University Press. 2010
Bhikkhu Pesala. An Exposition of the Mahaparinibbana Sutta. Association for Insight Meditation. 2018
An Introduction to Buddhist Psychology is a lucid, intelligible and authentic introduction to the foundations of Buddhist psychology. It provides comprehensive coverage of the basic concepts and issues in the psychology of Buddhism and thus it deals with the nature of psychological inquiry, concepts of mind, consciousness and behaviour, motivation, emotions, perception, and the therapeutic structure of Buddhist psychology. For the fourth edition, a new chapter on 'emotional intelligence' and its relationship with Buddhism has been added.
Ratnayaka, Shanta. "The Buddhist Ideal of Theravda." The Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies 8 (1985): 85-110.
Rinpoche, Patrul. The Words of the My Perfect Teacher. Trns. Padmakara Tanslation Group. Boston: Shambhala Publication. 1998.
Mahathera Ledi Sayadaw. The Manuals of Dhamma. India, Igatpuri: Vipassana Research Institute. Reprint 2011.
Keawkungwal, Sriruen. Therapeutic Approaches in Theravada Buddhism and Existentialism: A Comparison. Canada, Edmonton: University of Alberta. 1971.
Beal, The Rev. S. Buddhism in China. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. 1884.
Davids, T. W. Rhys. Early Buddhism. London: Archibald Constable & Co Ltd. 1908.
Warder, A. K. Introduction to Pali. Oxford: The Pali Text Society. 2001
Endo, Toshiichi. Buddha In Theravada Buddhism: A Study of the Concept of Buddha in the Pali Commentaries. Dehiwela, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Cultural Centre, 2002.
Hazra, Kanai Lal. History of Theravada Buddhism in South-East Asia: With special reference to India and Ceylon. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers,1982.
Bhikkhu, Analayo. Paccekabuddhas in the Isigili-sutta and its Ekottarika-agama Parallel.
Canada: Canadian Journal of Buddhist Studies, Number 6, 2010
Kloppenborg, Ria. The Paccekabuddha: A Buddhist Ascetic, A study of the concept of the Paccekabuddha in Pali cononical and commentarial literature. Kandy: Buddhsit Publication Society Inc. 1983
Mathes, Klaus-Dieter. A Fine Blend of Mahamudra and Madhyamaka: Maitrīpa's Collection of Texts on Non-conceptual Realization (Amanasikāra). Vienna: Österreichischen Akademie Der Wissenschaften, 2015.
Dhammapala. The Udana Commentary (Paramatthadipani nama Udanatthakatha), translated by Peter Masefield, Vol-1. Oxford: The Pali Text Society, 1994.
Hong Chye. A Bilingual Graduated Course on the Fundamental Teachings of Lord Buddha for Junior Elementary Classes. Singapore: Jen Chien Fu Chiow
U Dhammaratana. Guide Through the Visuddhimagga. Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society. Print 2nd Ed. 2011
A Lamp for the Path and Commentary of Atisa. Trans: Richard Sherburne, S.J. London: George Allen & Unwin (publishers) Ltd. 1983
Buddhacarita in Praise of Buddha's Acts (Taishō Volume 4, Number 192). Trans. from the Chinese by Willemen, Charles. California: Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research 2009
“Walking Into the Light of Dharma is a commemorative biography, revering His Holiness Saṅgharāja Dr. Dharmasen Mahāthero, the 12th Supreme Patriarch of Bangladesh and his reflection on the insightful teachings of his master, the most Venerable Gyaniswer Mahāthero. Honoring the passing of His Holiness Saṅgharāja Dr. Dharmasen Mahāthero, heartfelt messages and letters of condolence from global Buddhist teachers and scholars include: His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama; the most Ven.
Zangpo, Togmay. The Thirty-seven Practices of Bodhisattvas. Edited-Ruth Sonam. Singapore: Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery. 2009
The 37 Practices of Bodhisattvas Commentary by Geshe Tenzin Zopa
The renowned Sri Lankan scholar Y. Karunadasa examines Abhidhamma perspectives on the nature of phenomenal existence. He begins by discussing dhamma theory, which describes the bare phenomena that form the world of experience. He then explains the Abhidhamma view that only dhammas are real and that anything other than these basic phenomena are conceptual constructs. This, he argues, is Abhidhamma’s answer to common-sense realism—the mistaken view that the world as it appears to us is ultimately real.
Among the other topics discussed are
Santina, Peter Della. The Tree of Enlightenment: An Introduction to the Major Traditions of Buddhism. Taipei: The Corporate Body of the Buddha Educational Foundation. 2005
These studies originated when the author was engaged in translating into German the Dhammasaṅgaṇī (“Compendium of Phenomena”) and its commentary, the Atthasālinī. These two books are the starting point and the main subject of the following pages that, in part, may serve as a kind of fragmentary subcommentary to them.
The Satipatthana Sutta, the Discourse on the Foundations of Mindfulness, is generally regarded as the canonical Buddhist text with the fullest instructions on the system of meditation unique to the Buddha’s own dispensation. The practice of Satìpatthana meditation centres on the methodical cultivation of one simple mental faculty readily available to all of us at any moment. This is the faculty of mindfulness, the capacity for attending to the content of our experience as it becomes manifest in the immediate present.
Therigatha has a total of 524 verses, uttered by 73 elder bhikkhunis, many of them have similar names and in two cases it's a group of elder bhikkhunis. Many of these elders bhikkhunis have biographies in the Apadana (Theriapadana Pali) as well.
This ebook presents on the remarkable spiritual achievements of these early disciples illustrate the relevance and power of the Buddha's teaching. Through their encounter with India's most influential sage, these determined men and women transformed their minds while discovering how to attain internal peace and equanimity. In this inspiring book, twenty-four of the Buddha's most distinguished disciples, including eight women, are brought to life in ten chapters of rich narration.
The Great Tang Dyansty Record of the Western Regions (Taishō Volume 51, Number 2087) Trans. Li Rongxi. California: BDK America, Inc. Re-print 2016.
Watters, Thomas. On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India 629-645 A.D. ed. T.W. Rhys Davids & S. W. Bushell. London: Rayal Asiatic Society. Print 1904.