Aug 11, 2009
Yangon, Burma— 2.3 billion Myanmar Kyat (0.36 US Dollars), 9628 plates, 7 years, a team of artisant in Yangon has finished a porjet to inscribe on brass plates an entire text of the Theravada Buddhist canon in Pali language, a Myanmar language version to be lanched the following month, said the local reports.
“I believe it will help maintain the Theravada Buddhist doctrines for future generations” said to the Myanmar Times The Venerable Bhaddanta Nyana, leader of the project from Shwe Kyin Monastery in Bahan township. According to him, while it was useful to preserve the Tipitaka on digital media such as DVDs, brass plates would be longer-lasting.
The porject, started from 2003, invoved 5600 donors for the 2.3 billion Myanmar Kyat expense. The Buddhist canon, known in Pali as the Tipitaka (three baskets), consists of three books that form the doctrinal foundation of Theravada Buddhism: the Vinaya Pitaka (rules of conduct for monks), Sutta Pitaka (central discourses of Theravada Buddhism) and Abhidhamma Pitaka (abstract philosophical treatises).
“It took seven years to complete because it’s hard work to inscribe text onto brass plates, and it was also hard to collect funds and brass,” the Venerable Bhaddanta Nyana said. 16 inches high and 8 inches wide a plate, it took more than 200 plates to craft each of the Tipitaka’s 40 volumes, which would last a month, and 9628 plates in total.
A projet to inscribe Tipitaka in Myanmar-language is expected to be launched in September, according to Bhaddanta Nyana, to “ benefit those who are not familiar with Pali, so they can learn the higher discourses of the Buddha’s teachings” . An English version is planed for the feather future.
Bhaddanta Nyana said he hoped the cost of the Myanmar-language project would not be much higher than the Pali version. “I appreciate the well-wishers who are contributing to our work, the costs of brass and labour are increasing yearly but I want to finish the project because I believe we are blessed by the Dhamma and we will succeed.” He said.
By Chen Yu
– Source : Buddhistchannel.tv
