Quotes About Pali

Merit" is the usual translation of the Pali word punna, which more literally means "virtue" or that which purifies and cleanses the life stream, bringing good results.

The second skillful action is morality (sila in Pali). In his praise of Ghatikara above, the Buddha Kassapa reiterates the five basic precepts of nonharming: refraining from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and taking intoxicants.

Suffering is an approximate translation of the Pali word dukkha. Dukkha implies impermanence, imperfection and unsatisfactoriness. The Buddha did not start teaching by talking of his enlightenment, of bliss or openness or clarity; he started by talking about the truth of suffering.

Dukkha is not the self-inflicted stress of a technology executive; it's the real stuff, the kind of suffering that merits the Pali word's original meaning: brokenness, stuckness.

From antiquity, Latin died but is still studied in seminaries and elite universities. So did Sanskrit in Asia. iI was replaced by Pali, but even Pali died, too. Linguists say the only ancient language which was resuscitated from the grave was Hebrew of Israel.