posted May 27, 2010 12:06 AM by Orawan Pumsombat
[
updated May 27, 2010 6:30 AM
]
Visākha Pūjā
Is one of the most important days in Buddhism
Because of three important incidents in the life of The Buddha;
The Day of
Visak, formally entitled as the Historical and Timeless Significance,
is a Tipiṭaka Multimedia, produced by the
Dhamma Society for the inauguration of the International Tipiṭaka
Hall Vasaka Celebration in 2003.
Pāḷi
Recitation and translations in Thai and English by Master Siri
Petchai and Prof Visudh Busyakul. Included are also passages from
Pāḷi
Tipiṭaka and translations in Sinhalese, German, French, and
English. Dhamma Society wishes to thank all individual participants
in this production.
This documentary was
produced and edited by volunteers of the World Tipiṭaka Project
posted May 26, 2010 11:13 PM by Orawan Pumsombat
[
updated May 27, 2010 6:01 AM
]
Pāḷi
TipiṭakaOffering
by
Ajahn Amaro
On
November 24th 2009, Ajahn Pasanno, Abbot of Abhayagīrī, was
invited to attend a celebration ceremony at the Temple of the Emerald
Buddha, in Bangkok. The sponsoring organization, The World Tipiṭaka
Project in Roman Script, had also invited members of the Sangha from
Burma – including monks who could recite either two or all three of
the divisions of the Pāḷi Canon – as well as senior monks from
the Theravādan regions of Yunnan, in mainland China.
The
principal aim of this private organisation is to provide the world
with a reliable edition of the Pāḷi Canon in Roman script. To that
end they have spent ten years poring over extant editions. These
include the text agreed upon by the Sixth Great International
Council, held in Burma over the year 2500 of the Buddhist era
(1956-57), the edition produced by the Pāḷi Text Society, as well
as that of S.N. Goenka’s students, and several others. Through
meticulous checking and cross-checking they managed to find and
correct literally hundreds of thousands of typographical and other
errors. Their efforts have born fruit in what can certainly be
reckoned as the most trustworthy representation of the Word of the
Buddha, in the Roman alphabet.
The
ceremony in Bangkok was an occasion of commitment; the group has
undertaken to offer these sets of 40 volumes to various universities
and monasteries worldwide, many of them going to the very same
institutions that were given similar sets in 1897, but in Siam (Thai)
script, by King Chulalonkhorn Chulachomklao of Siam. Last year’s
ceremony was presided over by HRH Princess Chulabhorn – the
youngest daughter of the current King and Queen of Thailand – and
was also an occasion to dedicate the blessings of the offering to the
His Holiness, Somdet Phra Ñāṇasaṃvara, the
Supreme Patriarch of Thailand, on his 96th birthday.
On March the
13th
2010,
Abhayagīrī
Monastery was honoured to receive a delegation of twenty people from
The World Tipiṭaka Project, headed by the Project’s founder and
primary organizer, Maj. Bunnag, and M.L. Anong Ninubon, who also
celebrated her 93rd
birthday
that very day. The group had come to make a presentation of sets of
the Tipiṭaka to The University of Washington, Seattle, as well as
to Abhayagīrī. In addition they came to visit The University of
California, Berkeley, particularly to view the edition of the
Chulachomklao of Siam Pāḷi Tipiṭaka that had been given to that
university in 1897.
As this was an
auspicious and unique event many of the long-standing friends and
supporters of Abhayagīrī
gathered for the occasion, even though it was in the usually quiet
time of the winter retreat. Many of our regular visitors also stowed
their customary wardrobe of jeans and t-shirts for the day with
everyone making impressive efforts to deck themselves in suitably
festive attire. As befitted the occasion, the hall was also festooned
with an abundance of flowers; delicate bouquets and effulgent sprays
garlanded the newly-offered volumes.
The
visitors began the event by showing a presentation about their
project and, when all of the procedures of the presentation were
complete, and reflections on the occasion had been offered, the event
was closed by reciting the Buddha's first teaching –
Dhammacakkappavattanasutta : The Discourse on Setting in Motion the
Wheel of Dhamma – and a communal Sharing of Blessings.
It
is in the spirit of sharing blessings that this energetic and
generous group have put forth the Herculean effort required to create
this World Edition of the Pāḷi Canon.
They see that these teachings are part of the world’s heritage of
knowledge and have undertaken this endeavour in order to enable all
those who wish to partake of that knowledge to be able to access it
freely.
May
the books that they have offered to this one small monastery serve to
illuminate the hearts and minds of all who reside here, and thus help
to illuminate the lives of all those with whom we are connected.
posted May 20, 2010 4:57 AM by Orawan Pumsombat
[
updated May 26, 2010 3:16 AM
]
The World Tipitaka Project is pleased to announce the new forthcoming publication of the standard 40-volume WebService Collection of the Tipitaka Studies Reference 2011 which will be unveiled in USA next year
(see examples of the 2010 edition below)
Tipiṭaka Acceptance Speech
by John Soh,
Buddha Dhamma Mandela, Singapore
Your Excellency Dr. Tana Duangrat, Ambassador of Thailand to Malaysia
Ambassador Suchitra, Special Envoy of the World Tipiṭaka Project from Thailand
Honorable Ladies M.L. Anong and Vichandra Patrons of the World Tipiṭaka,
Ladies and Gentlemen :
The Pāḷi Tipiṭaka is for we Buddhists the font of our religion. It is where we get our ethics, our world view and our philosophy from. Each Buddhist Culture reads the Tipiṭaka in their own language or at least in their own script. But with Buddhism now spreading to the West there is a need for an accurate and reliable edition of the Tipiṭaka in Roman script.
Of course the Tipiṭaka has been published in Roman script before but all these editions have various errors or drawbacks. For example, I was looking at the first volume of Fausboll's edition of the Jataka published in 1877 by the Pali Text Society and noticed that it has four pages of corrections and additions and that when this volume was reprinted in 2000 these corrections and additions had still not been included in the text.
This is not to disparage the dedication and hard work of earlier scholars but merely to point out that there is still room for improvements. And this edition in Roman script definitely is an improvement. Indeed it is a work of the highest order and a truly magnificent monument to Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana in whose memory this gift is made to our and other societies and institutions, and to Mrs. Maniratana Bunnag, the founder of the World Tipiṭaka Project. In preparing this new edition advanced computer-controlling procedures have been used in several dimensions to ensure complete accuracy such as, double-cross checking, from the revision stage through to the artwork, layout and printing.
Most importantly, in the World Tipiṭaka Edition, the Pāḷi text with special diacritical marks has been printed by using an open-standard typeface which is user-friendly and easy to copy into any electronic format for references. I noticed also that the layout, design, binding and paper used in each volume are all of the highest quality. This new edition of the Tipiṭaka is not just a major achievement from the point of view of Buddhist scholarship,it is also aesthetically pleasing, which is only appropriate for an edition of the sacred scriptures.
In our society it will be treasured and used. On behalf of the Buddha Dhamma Mandala Society of Singapore we would like to thank Col. Suradhaj Bunnag, and all the Patrons for all the help you have given us and other recipients.
The World Tipiṭaka Presentation to Institutions
in Malaysia and Singapore
An Introductory Remark by
Her Excellency Miss Suchitra Hiranprueck
Tipiṭaka Patron and Leader of World Tipiṭaka Delegation to Kuala Lumpur
and
Former Ambassador of Thailand to Malaysia
May 7, 2010
Royal Thai Embassy, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Your Excellency, Dr. Thana Duangrat,
Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand to Malaysia,
Venerable Sangha,
Mr. John Soh, the Buddha Dhamma Madela Society of Singapore,
Dr. Tan So Hoon, the Nalanda Buddhist Society of Malaysia,
Dear Friends in Dhamma,
It’s a great honour for me to represent the M.L. Maniratna Bunnag Dhamma Society Fund under the Patronage of His Holiness the Supreme Patriach of Thailand and to speak on behalf of the Thai delegation to the World Tipiṭaka Presentation Ceremony at the Royal Thai Embassy today.
That this important event should take place on Thai soil is significant as the Tipiṭaka that will be handed over to two Buddhist institutions of Malaysia and Singapore, is a royal gift of Dhamma and an expression of friendship from Thailand to her close neighbors to the South. For this, we are deeply grateful to our host, His Excellency Ambassador Thana, who, together with his officials, have made this auspicious occasion possible.
For me personally, it is a joy to be back to Malaysia and to the Royal Thai Embassy where I once served as Ambassador from 1997 to 2001.
I did not realize back then that an auspicious development was taking place in Thailand that would one day involve me. And that was the initiation of the World Tipiṭaka Project by the Dhamma Society Fund in 1999 to support the publication of the Buddhist Era 2500 Great International Council Pāḷi Tipiṭaka Edition in Roman Script. It would be a long and arduous process before the development of the digitally printed Pāḷi Tipiṭaka version could be completed, and only in 2005, having come under the Royal Patronage of Her Royal Highness the Late Princess Galyani Vadhana, that the inaugural editions of the 40-volume Pāḷi Tipiṭaka in Roman Script, the world’s first, was launched and presented as a Royal Gift of Wisdom & Peace to Sri Lanka and Sweden.
To date, ten years after the initiation, the Dhamma Society Fund has presented 42 sets of the Pāḷi Tipiṭaka in Roman Script to 42 institutions in 21 countries, which in 1893 had received the Pāḷi Tipiṭaka in Siam-Script Edition as a royal gift of His Majesty King Chulalongkorn Chulachomklao of Siam, the Late Princess’s grandfather. The World Tipiṭaka Project has thus been following in the footsteps of our Righteous King to bring this Wisdom Heritage of Humanity and its Wisdombase technology to the world.
Today, Malaysia and Singapore will be the first South-East Asian countries and fellow members of ASEAN to benefit from this meritorious endeavor. The Nalanda Buddhist Society of Malaysia and the Buddha Dhamma Mandela Society of Singapore have long been active in promoting Buddhist education in their respective countries and, with established modern library facilities, are worthy recipients of such a Gift. I am convinced that by offering the Pāḷi Tipiṭaka in Roman Script to these two institutions, the mission of the World Tipiṭaka Project to assure the preservation and propagation of the Buddha’s Teachings, His Gift of Wisdom to Humanity as recorded in the Pāḷi Tipiṭaka, will be further enhanced.
I may add here that in 2008 a Special World Tipiṭaka WebService was launched on the Internet (worldtipitaka.net). With this latest digital technology made available, the Pāḷi Tipiṭaka can be made more accessible thereby opening up opportunities and possibilities for a greater number of people to learn and benefit from Buddhist teachings, which continue to be relevant after 2500 years, especially for the younger generations with natural IT facility.
We therefore invite Tipiṭaka Patrons from Malaysia and Singapore, two countries with a progressive and educated multi-cultural society to join Patrons in Thailand to form a Tipiṭaka Technology Gateway for the world. Let us work together to ensure a strong and dependable foundation for the continuation of Buddhasāsana long into the future.
It is with great pleasure and privilege that I can be a part of this wonderful and meaningful occasion.
posted Apr 27, 2010 2:47 AM by Orawan Pumsombat
[
updated May 14, 2010 7:30 PM by Sarawut Khiawmeesuan
]
University of Washington Tipiṭaka Procession for Wisdom & Peace
Members of various organisations from Thailand and USA are seen
participating in the Tipiṭaka Procession to specially transport the
40-volume royal gift of the World Tipiṭaka in Roman Script to the
ceremony hall on the forth floor of the Suzzlo Library Complex. The
World Tipiṭaka was published by the Dhamma Society in 2005 and has has
been presented for the first time in the US to the University of
Washington Libraries in Seattle. The special presentation is a prelude
to the forthcoming World Tipiṭaka Presentation to leading institutions
in USA following the royal gift of Tipiṭaka in Siam-Script Edition from
King Chulalongkorn Chulachomklao of Siam in 1893.
The Tipiṭaka,
orally transmitted in Pali language of Indo-Arayan origin, is the
sacred text of the Buddha's words which have been preserved well intact
through Great Councils for over 2500 years. This is the first time that
the Great International Council Manuscript "the World Edition B.E.
2500/1957" has been published in Roman script (International Phonetic
Albhabet Pāḷi, IPA Pāḷi) in the standard 40 volumes together with
support from the World Tipiṭaka WebService Database.
This
special digitial edition "the Open-Source WebService 2010" was
published by Dhamma Society's World Tipiṭaka Project with support from
the Energy Regulatory Commission of Thailand and was presented as a
royal gift of Wisdom & Peace in collaboration of the University of
Washington Alumni Association of Thailand on March 8, 2010 at the
Suzzlo Library, Seattle, Washington State, USA.
posted Nov 27, 2009 7:04 PM by Sarawut Khiawmeesuan
[
updated May 20, 2010 12:07 AM by Orawan Pumsombat
]
To be presented to His Holiness the Supreme Patriarch of Thailand
Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn graciously presiding over the World Tipitaka Celebration
on the auspicious occasion of His Holiness 96th Birthday Anniversary 2009
at the Royal Temple of the Emerald Buddha
in the Grand Palace, Bangkok
posted Nov 18, 2009 7:11 AM by Orawan Pumsombat
[
updated May 20, 2010 12:06 AM
]
Chulachomklao of Siam Pāḷi Tipiṭaka : A Digital Preservation Edition in 40 Volumes (including the Anthology Volume No.40)
Published by Dhamma Society 2009
To be presented to His Holiness the Supreme Patriarch of Thailand
Patron of the World Tipitaka Project 1999-Present
by Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn
on the auspicious occasion of His Holiness 96th Birthday Anniversary 2009
at the Royal Temple of the Emerald Buddha
the Grand Palace, Bangkok
