Pathfinder Foundation completes Preliminary Phase of Pali Preservation and Development Initiative  

The distribution of copies of the long out-of-print Pali grammar known as the Namamala to the principal Buddhist chapters, parshawayas, and senior prelates of the principal holy sites was recently completed. This invaluable book was reprinted with the purpose of making it freely available to religious institutions, pirivenas, and Pali scholars. It was carried out as the first phase of the Pathfinder Foundation Pali Preservation and Development Initiative. The Namamala is one of the most important Pali Grammar books written in Sinhala for Pali learners. It was composed by the Most Ven. Waskaduwe Subhuti Mahanayake in 1876 and last reprinted in the 1960s.The project was an initiative of the Pathfinder Foundation with the assistance of the Indian High Commission. Recently, Pali was officially recognized as a Classical Language by the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in India.

Presentations of the book were made to the Karaka Sangha Sabhas of the Malwatte and Asgiriya Chapters, Amarapura Nikaya, Ramanna Nikaya, Kotte Chapter, Dambulla Parshawaya, Uva Parshwaya, Rohana Parshawaya, and the Vanavasi Chapters. Books were also presented to the Chief Prelates of the holy sites of Anuradhapura and to leading pirivenas and places of higher Pali learning in Sri Lanka. This was carried out by the Founder of the Pathfinder Foundation, Milinda Moragoda along with a Foundation team consisting of RAD Sirisena, Gamini Godakanda, Sampath Rambukkanage, and Samson Gamage.

Through this process of distribution, the Pathfinder Foundation was able to understand at first hand and make a practical assessment of the state of Pali education, especially in the context of seminaries and monasteries in the country. For the next phase in this Pathfinder initiative, currently out-of-print classical Pali works and other gaps in Pali training in pirivena seminaries were identified and prioritized with the guidance of the Maha Sangha.

Namamala, Pali Grammar books written in Sinhala for Pali learners will be available free to those interested in studying Pali, including pirivenas, temples and universities in Sri Lanka. Please contact +94 11 452 9952-3 or pm@pathfinderfoundation.org to obtain a copy.