パーリ学仏教文化学会=SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF PALI AND BUDDHIST CULTURE
出版地
大阪, 日本 [Osaka, Japan]
資料類型
期刊論文=Journal Article
使用語言
日文=Japanese
摘要
This paper discusses the development of the language ideology of Pali within the Mahavihara school, one of so called "Theravada" schools, of Ancient South Asian Buddhism. In 5th century Sri Lanka, Mahavihara commentators such as Buddhaghosa insisted firstly that Pali, which they call Magadhi, is natural language innate to all living beings and secondly that the Tipitaka, or Buddhist canon, should thus be transmitted only in this primal language. This article serves as corrective to Peter Skilling's suggestion that the language ideology of innate language "appears to be unique in Buddhist tradition to the Mahavihara, or more accurately to Buddhaghosa." The fact that the Sarvastivada school's treatises such as the Mahavibhasa express views on innate language which echo Pali commentaries suggests that this concept was not conceived of by Buddhaghosa, but had circulated in continental India before it arrived in Sri Lanka. Rather the Mahavihara adopted the idea of innate language from continental Buddhism and formed language ideology of Pali by adding to it the idea that the language of Buddhist canon should be Pali. Moreover, the paper also elucidates that establishment of language ideology of Pali encouraged the Mahavihara monks to translate commentaries on Tipitaka from Sinhalese to Pali in the 5th century.
