ATBU

Hastho Bramantyo, Principal, Syailendra Buddhist College, Semarang, Indonesia

The Pâéi Language within the Context of Buddhist Studies in Indonesia

In a  general view, Pâéi is not actually a strange language for the Buddhists in Indonesia, as there are some words in Indonesian language derived from or similar to those of the Pâéi language (even though they are written differently); for instance, bumi in bahasa Indonesia is similar to Bhûmi in Pâéi, etc. Therefore, the Indonesian Buddhists, historically, are inclined towards Pâéi. In fact, most of the Indonesian Buddhists are able to read and recite Pâéi verses; they can even remember and recite some verses by heart.

The Buddhists in Indonesia usually recite the Pâéi verses in chanting time done in the monastery or at their homes. Some of the Pâéi verses mostly known by the Indonesian Buddhists are, for example, Namakkhara Gâthâ or Vandana (a verse on paying homage to the Buddha, the Enlightened One), Tisaraúa (verses on taking refuge in the Triple Gems), Pañcasîla (a verse on the five precepts for the laity), Buddhânussati, Dhammânussati, Saàghânussati (verses on the virtues of the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Saàgha), Karanîyametta Sutta (verses on the loving-kindness), etc. Those verses are selected from the collection of the Pâéi verses and are usually recited at the time of chanting. This collection is commonly known as the Paritta. The Paritta which is widely used by the Indonesian Buddhists is published by the Dhammadipa Arama Buddhist Institution  for free distribution.

Even though Pâéi is no longer an alien for the Buddhists in Indonesia as they know that Pâéi is the language of Early Buddhism, their understanding and knowledge of Pâéi is, however, still limited. When people are reciting Pâéi verses, there is no guarantee that they would at the same time understand the meaning unless they take a look at the translation. That is the most common situation among the Buddhists in Indonesia: it is very hard for them to get the precise meaning of the Pâéi terms even though they can read the verses fluently.

Furthermore, what most of the Buddhists know about Pâéi is only within the Paritta or, in another word, it is rare for the Buddhists to understand the Pâéi verses which are beyond the Paritta. Accordingly, the Indonesian Buddhists are hardly able to learn the teaching of the Buddha in its original language. The only and the best way to do so far is relying upon the translated texts either in bahasa Indonesia or in English. Most of the Indonesian translations are actually from English, or one may say that Indonesians are the third consumer of Buddhism, in terms of language.

Up to this point, we may assume that, though Pâéi is not a newcomer for the Indonesian Buddhists, they do not have enough ability or skill in this language. And perhaps it is one of the weaknesses of the Buddhists in Indonesia. Such is the general view on the Pâéi language in Indonesia. The next will be the information on the study of the Pâéi language at the academic level as a mean to maintain and enhance the learning of the Pâéi language within the context of Buddhist academic study.

The Academic Study of the Pâéi Language in the Buddhist Colleges

At the academic level, the Pâéi language is included in the curriculum as one of the major subjects that every student of the Buddhist Colleges must take. At present, there are 8 Buddhist colleges in Indonesia and they are all programmed for 8 semesters, similar to other undergraduate programs of universities. These Buddhist colleges are working on imparting the Buddha's teaching with the aim to train the students to be experts in Buddhism and capable of teaching Buddhism to others as teachers or Dhamma preachers.

The subjects taught at these Buddhist colleges are Vinaya, Sutta, Abhidhamma, samâdhi and the Pâéi language. These major subjects, including Pâéi, are taught to the students from the very first semester up to the seventh semester. At the initial semester, the lecturers introduce Pâéi to the students and teach them the method of studying Pâéi in a systematic way. The theory of learning Pâéi is taught in such a way that students may be interested in learning the language and able to follow it. Some practices will follow the theory in the form of exercises of translations from Pâéi into bahasa Indonesia and vice versa.

In Indonesia, teaching Pâéi is considered as a big challenge since there are very few books or references on the subject. Not only the books are limited but those who are expert in Pâéi are also rare. Scholars with extensive knowledge and deep understanding in Pâéi can be counted even with the fingers. In addition, keeping up the spirit or sense of interest of the students in learning Pâéi is another challenge for the lecturers. Besides, the students are often complaining about the difficulty of practicing such a dead language as Pâéi. The complexity of Pâéi studies here is thus very clear.

Nevertheless, the effort of teaching and learning Pâéi has never been stopped for any reason. Both the lecturers and the students are struggling amidst the difficulties that surround them. This effort is also part of an attempt to maintain the Pâéi language so that the present students and the next generations could enjoy the benefit of being able to read and learn Buddhism in its original language, in order to get the true meanings which are conveyed by the language.

Besides, another part of endeavor in learning Pâéi is also done by highlighting the Pâéi terms which are used partly in some other subjects, such as in Vinaya, Abhidhamma, Sutta and samâdhi. In these subjects, students are also required to take a note on Pâéi and stress any Pâéi terms that are found therein. This method will help the students become more familiar with the Pâéi terms and gradually give them deeper understanding through the knowledge of the language.

By so doing we hope that the study of Pâéi language at the level of academic study will continue to progress and that Buddhist colleges, especially in Indonesia, could contribute a lot by playing a critical role in introducing, teaching and maintaining the Pâéi language.

Conclusion

Above is a brief description and elaboration on the study of the Pâéi language at the Buddhist colleges in Indonesia. There are the strength and also the weakness which we have to pay attention to. The strength should be developed so that it can promote the progress. As for the weakness, both the lecturers and the students need to highlight and pay more attention to them to overcome them in the future.

Within the context of Buddhist studies in Indonesia, the tradition or the custom of reciting Pâéi verses by all the Buddhists (in general) and also the study of the Pâéi language as part of the academic study would probably become a great contribution to the maintenance of Pâéi. However, there are many things that we need to do so that the progress of the study could run on steadily with better result. At last, as this paper is written to be presented at this conference of Theravâda Buddhist Universities and Colleges from all over the world, after exchanging our own strength and weakness with one another, I assume that we need also to exchange our views, opinions and solutions for our shortcomings.

End

[1] Presented at The International Conference of All Theravâda Buddhist Universities held at The International Theravâda Buddhist Missionary University, Yangon, & at Woodlands Hotel, Popa Mountain Resort, Bagan, Myanmar, 9-12^th March 2007