Languages and chanting
From the North Indian traditions we have inherited of a science of mind of unparalleled subtlety. Sanskrit, the language developed in part to convey the concepts understood by sages in deep meditation, conveys this subtlety in ways that make it challenging to translate into modern languages using single words. This means that as practitioners we cannot expect to have a clear understanding of the task at hand unless we are willing to approach each term as a “semantic field”; a domain of meaning.
In that spirit, I try to slowly develop some basic familiarity with some of the languages of the original texts, starting with Pāli and Sanskrit. Here I share some of the resources that I am finding helpful. These languages of course evolved in a society in which books were rare, where learning occurred through memorisation. Their syntax and grammar are embedded with a particular pattern and beauty; rhythm and melody that facilitates memorisation by chanting.