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Closing Talk - 4 Day Pāḷi Workshop Jan 1994 - S.N Goenka ji
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato sammāsambuddhassa
For the last three to four days, there has been discussion on Pāḷi.
This is the common language of ancient India, India of 25-30 hundred centuries ago, it is a "Prakrit" language, natural language. The language which is spoken by common people in their own way is called Prakrit language.
If someone had done a madness to modify it, then Dhamma would have disappeared by now, then there would be no Prakrit or natural language, then that modified language would be an artificial one, not a natural language.
In the last 25 centuries, this language protected the words of Dhamma, kept it safe. Pal in Pāḷi = to keep safe, that's why it is called Pāḷi, it is a Prakrit language. There were other Prakrit languages as well, but this Prakrit language was called "Pāḷi" because it kept the words of pure Dhamma with great effort, nurtured it, did us a lot of good.
It remained in its pure form, thats why done welfare. If it would have been distorted, if the language itself would have been distorted, then the Dhamma would also have been distorted.
To keep Dhamma in its pure form, nature has given us this language, if you keep it pure then Dhamma will also remain pure, so it is a very beneficial language.
India lost it for the last 2000 years. We are grateful to the neighboring countries that they have preserved it, kept it in its pure form. The way they got it from here, kept it in the same way, so the word of Dhamma also remained the same as they got it.
In the neighboring countries, this thing is considered very flawed, if someone manipulates the words of Buddha, its omniscient Lord Buddha's words ! have we become more intelligent than him to make any correction in his words? Doing modifcation in them, it would be a big matter of fault, because of this understanding, the neighbouring countries kept it in pure form.
After about 2000 years, it came to India again, so it came in its pure form, it remained a dead language for 2000 years, many people have forgotten its name, "Pāḷi is also a language?" common people have also forgotten this.
About a hundred years ago, its use started in the universities among a few students and now, I see clearly that such a big flood is going to come, which will cover the whole of India, now Pāḷi will not be a dead language, I think by the time it is 100 years, it will become one of the major spoken languages of India and the only reason for this is that it is full of pure Dhamma in it.
As Vipassana spreads and will definatley spread, there is no reason to doubt it, it will spread widely, because Vipassana is bountiful, because Vipassana is non-sectarian, because Vipassana is scientific, because Vipassana is beyond superstition, then today's age will accept it very much, educated class will embrace it, it will become a universal technique not only of India but of the whole world, then its literature will be greatly respected.
"In the last 24 - 25 years, Vipassana spreaded in this country and people took benefit from its practical side, it is natural for people to have this aspiration, it is natural for curiosity to arise that the original words of Buddha, the original words of dhamaa , In which Vipassana has been understood with so much detail, look at it, how it is, and this type of curiosity will go on awakening.
Someone is a very good old vipassana student and whether have or do not have a lot of grammatical knowledge of this language, even if he has general knowledge of this language, he starts getting thrilled while reading it. It is the words of Buddha, it is the language of the people of India, so it is okay, but it is the words of buddha, it is the words of pure Dhamma."
"It is a matter of great surprise that this is the only language in the world, its literature is unique, except Dhamma, nothing else has been written in the literature of this language. In the entire literature, Dharmma is everywhere, Dharmma is everywhere, there is no drama, no novel, no fiction. It is full of Dhamma and Dhamma is also how beneficial!
Those who do Vipassana have started knowing a lot and will start knowing how beneficial the words of Dhamma are! So these words of Buddha will give a lot of encouragement, these words of Buddha will give a lot of inspiration, these words of Buddha will be our guide."
It would seem that Buddha has understood my problem, a vipassana practioner while reading the words of Buddha started feeling that Buddha has understood my problem. When the difficulty arose for me, the matter went somewhere to guide me, oh Buddha said this for me, my difficulty was resolved in this way.
By connecting with the words of Buddha, the vipassana practioner will connect with Buddha, will connect with that supreme lord, how to forgot the blessings of the supreme lord, then the excitement will really increase while reading and the Dhamma will keep becoming clearer, clearer, more clearer, more clearer.
Although in the literature of Pāḷi, a great welfare tool comes in front of us to see India's geographical condition, historical condition, social condition, cultural condition, commercial condition, different perspective of 25-30 centuries ago, but this Pāḷi literature is not constituted for that purpose. Pāḷi was not used to write history, it was not used to write geography, it was not used to understand social system, it was used only to explain Dhamma, to teach Dhamma ! Where was Dhamma given? given to whom? In what context was it given? Under what circumstances was it given? With whom it was associated? The running commentry of our country's ancient history has come in front of us.
What a great thank you not only to Venerable Anand but also to those 500 arahant monks who collected and edited all the Buddha's words in this language which was their own language. Gratitude goes to generation after generation, generation after generation, of all those people who kept it alive in its pure form by reciting it repeatedly by heart, that why it come before us in pure form.
Those who are curious that how was the geography of ancient India? How many districts were there? How many states were there? What were their capitals? Which capital belonged to which district? By what name were the rivers that used to flow in those days? By what name were the mountains used to be called? By what names were the municipal settlements called? There is a huge treasure for those who have a need to know this, have curiosity or aspiration. What a great guide to the geographical condition of that time, how clear a guide, if someone wants to solve the knots of history, then we have seen the description of history with our own eyes, as if the newspaper cuttings of those days have come in front of us.
But for those who want to understand Dhamma, Kubera's treasury has been opened, Dhamma has been explained so clearly. Some say that why does Buddha repeat one thing again and again? Why repeat again and again? If there is a good Vipassana practioner, he would like to go on repeating it again and again, Buddha should go on repeating it and I go on hearing it again and again, my mind will be filled with happiness, oh God, it is the words of Dhamma, the words of a great man's own experience. It is a sweet bread, from where you break it and eat it, it will taste sweet from where you break it, it will taste sweet from there itself, words are full of nectar. It was a matter of great welfare, on the other hand, this theoretical side of Dhamma started coming in front of us in the form of Pāḷi literature.
Greate welfare will be there, really Greate welfare will be done, so many knots will be solved, how darkness spread in the country in the name of religion ?, all that darkness will go away, how the country got entangled in superstitions? those superstitions will go away, How the the country got entangled in blind beliefs, all those entanglements will go away.
Like very thick clouds have come over the sun, those clouds started separating, started separating, the whole world will be illuminated, it will be illuminated, there will be great auspiciousness, there will be great auspiciousness, there will be great auspiciousness, there will be great auspiciousness.
After coming to India for 25 years, a Dhamma wish kept awakening in my mind and it kept bursting into words, now the time has come for it to be successful.
You must have heard again and again that you must have heard the words of Dhamma-wish again and again.
Words of Dhamma may spread which is root of welfare, a great welfare.
Root of welfare, a greate welfare, Words of Dhamma may spread ||
So Words of Dhamma may spread, not only for the welfare of Vipassi Sadhaks, not only for the welfare of the people of India, but for the welfare of the whole world, the words of Dhamma should spread, the words of Dhamma should spared to do the welfare
May there be welfare
May there be welfare
May all beings be happy
May all beings be peaceful, be liberated !
Bhavatu sabba mangalam.
Bhavatu sabba mangalam.
Bhavatu sabba mangalam.
Sadhu, Sadhu, Sadhu
Words of Dhamma may spread which is root of welfare, a great welfare.
Root of welfare, a greate welfare, Words of Dhamma may spread ||
Words of Dhamma may spread which is root of welfare, a great welfare.
Root of welfare, a greate welfare, Words of Dhamma may spread ||
Being like Buddha should arise in the world, for the welfare of one and all |