In: Claudio Cicuzza (ed.), Proceedings of the Third International Pali Study Week, Paris 2018, Materials for the Study of the Tripiṭaka, vol. 18, Fragile Palm Leaves and Lumbini International Research Institute, Bangkok and Lumbini, pp. 373-402, 2023
Materials for the Study of the Tripiṭaka is an independent academic series. By choice we do not p... more Materials for the Study of the Tripiṭaka is an independent academic series. By choice we do not participate in any of the 'approved' ranking systems. We feel that they restrict the free flow of ideas through the commodification of knowledge.
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Papers by Javier Schnake
translation of a Pali narrative recounting the final days of Gavampati―
traditionally counted among the 80 Great Disciples of the Buddha―until
his final extinction (parinibbāna). Although Gavampati, popularly known
as the “Fat Monk”, occupies only a minor place in canonical literature,
later traditions in mainland Southeast Asia granted him a more prominent
role in literary, ritual, and devotional contexts. Based on manuscripts
preserved in Thai and French collections, this study reconstructs the text
and examines its relationship to vernacular versions, highlighting the
transmission and reinterpretation of Pali materials in regional Buddhist
hagiography.
Dans le Tipiṭaka, la lettre est l’unité minimale assurant la transmission correcte du Dhamma ; sa maîtrise conditionne la préservation du Sāsana et peut même être associée à l’accomplissement sotériologique. Les textes de protection (paritta) lui attribuent en outre une efficacité performative fondée sur la récitation. Les traités grammaticaux définissent l’akkhara comme « impérissable », ouvrant la voie à des interprétations symboliques et méditatives, notamment en Asie du Sud-Est. Enfin, la copie des textes devient source de mérite et objet de dévotion.
La lettre pāli apparaît ainsi comme instrument linguistique, support rituel et objet cultuel.
This article examines the various statuses of the “letter” (akkhara) in the Pāli Buddhist tradition. Drawing on canonical, commentarial, and later sources, it shows how Pāli texts sustain multiple conceptions of language.
In the Tipiṭaka, the letter functions as the minimal unit ensuring the correct transmission of the Dhamma; its mastery guarantees the preservation of the Sāsana and may even be linked to soteriological attainment. Protective texts (paritta) further attribute performative efficacy to recited formulas. Grammatical treatises define the akkhara as “imperishable,” enabling symbolic and meditative interpretations, particularly in Southeast Asia. Moreover, copying sacred texts becomes a meritorious and devotional act.
The Pāli letter thus emerges as linguistic tool, ritual medium, and object of veneration.
This article offers a groundbreaking study of huachai, sacred formulas specific to Thai Buddhism. It examines their linguistic structure, apotropaic function, and ritual uses in yantra diagrams and sacred objects. The analysis highlights the diverse origins of these formulas, their grounding in Pāli, and their development within local traditions since the Sukhothai period. The paper also sheds light on the links between syllabaries, ritual semantics, and performativity in Thai esoteric practices.
category found in Pali commentarial literature dating from the 5th to the
10th century. Various forms of evidence, including archeology, epigraphy,
and iconography, demonstrate the enduring popularity of these characters
within mainland Southeast Asian Buddhist traditions. This popularity
spans from the end of the 1st millennium to the present. The focus of this
work lies in the Pali texts, which have been largely overlooked in
comparison to the well-preserved accounts in vernacular languages. The
study partially aims to address this gap by presenting a critical edition and
new translation of a Pali text centered around the parinibbāna (final
demise) of one of the most esteemed disciples, Mahākassapa.
Books by Javier Schnake