Have you always wanted to be able to read the Buddha’s words in
the(ir) original Pali? Do you need a supportive environment to learn?
Are you intimated by learning a new language? Well here is your
opportunity to achieve your goal.

Over 20 Saturdays Bhante Sujato, Pali Scholar and Abbott of Santi
Forest Monastery has generously offered to be our guide and
introduce the basics of Pali to enable us to read Buddhist suttas.

The design of the course is based on learning Pali by reading Buddhist
suttas. From the first class the aim is for you to begin to read and
gradually comprehend suttas in Pali. By matching our motivation (to
read Suttas) with the challenge of learning a new language the aim is
to create an enjoyable and practical experience. Our goal is for each
participant to gain a sense of accomplishment through reading and
understanding Pali Suttas.

Course Details

Due to the very limited numbers we can accommodate (8 to 10) we would
prefer people who can commit to most and ideally all 20 Saturdays. The
classes will run from Saturday February 25th to Saturday 7th July. (While
classes will run on all Saturdays, Bhante Sujato will not attend all
of them due to prior commitments/availability.) Bhante’s role is to answer
questions and guide students – motivated self-learning is required.
Depending on interest, more / continuing courses will be offered in the future.

About the teacher

As well as being a meditator and teacher, Bhante Sujato is a scholar
of early Buddhism. You can view his body of work (books and essays) here or his blog.

Textbook

You will need to purchase the textbook for the course: Pali – Buddha’s
Language: A complete teach yourself course for beginners in 10 simple
lessons by Kurt Schmidt.

For those whose who feel that their knowledge of grammar needs
refreshing, we recommend “Pali Grammar for Students” by Steven
Collins. This is optional and at your own discretion. Both texts are
available from Amazon website.

Where is it?

Australian Buddhist library in Camperdown.

When is it?

Saturday 9 – 10 am.
Dates: Saturday 25th February – Saturday 7th July 2012.

Cost

By Donation.