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Page 1 of 3 Pāḷi & IPA
 
Pāḷi and the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) :
A Guide to the Pronunciation System of the Pāḷi Tipiṭaka in Roman Script
with
Comparative Examples of the Pāḷi Tipiṭaka in Siam Script
Published for the first time in
Chulachomklao of Siam Pāḷi Tipiṭaka, the Digital Preservation Edition 2009
Preface
by
Master Siri Phetchai
Chairman of the Dhamma Society Fund
In 1999, the M.L. Maniratana Bunnag Dhamma Society Fund under the Patronage of His Holiness Somdet Phra Ñāṇasaṃvara, the Supreme Patriarch of Thailand, began a study of the 1893 Pāḷi Tipiṭaka Edition in Siam Script to serve as a reference for the publication of the World Tipiṭaka Edition which will be published in Roman script for the first time. It was also hoped that the study would promote greater public interest in and understanding of this important sacred Pāḷi text. Therefore, the Dhamma Society sought official permission from Wat Rajaborphit Royal Monastery to place a 39-volume set of the Pāḷi Tipiṭaka on permanent loan at the International Tipiṭaka Hall, established at the Maha Chulalongkorn Building at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok in the year 2000. Then, in 2006, to mark the 112th anniversary of the printing of the Pāḷi Tipiṭaka in Siam script, a special celebration was held at which a new edition of the Tipiṭaka in Roman script --The Wolrd Tipiṭaka Edition-- was unveiled.
When in 2007, the Dhamma Society uncovered another complete set of the 39-volume Pāḷi Tipiṭaka in Siam script at Wat Bovornnivet Vihāra Royal Monastery, a request was made of His Holiness Somdet Phra Ñāṇasaṃvara, the Supreme Patriarch of Thailand, the Supreme Patron of the Dhamma Society, to organise a special temporary display of this newly uncovered set in the Ubosotha of the Royal Temple of the Emerald Buddha within the grounds of the Grand Palace, for another commemoration celebrating the publication of the Tipiṭaka in both editions of Siam and Roman scripts. The event was organised by the gracious wishes of his Majesty the King’s Elder Sister, Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana, the Honorary President of Tipiṭaka Presentation to Leading Institutions Worldwide. At the ceremony, Her Royal Highness instructed that the 40-volume World Tipiṭaka be published in Roman script and that a copy be preserved at the Supreme Court of the Kingdom of Thailand, in honor of His Majesty the King on the occasion of his 80th birthday celebrations.
This year, the 2009 printing of the Digital Preservation Edition of the Pāḷi Tipiṭaka in Siam Script marks the first time that digital photography and multimedia technologies have been employed in the printing of the historic Pāḷi Tipiṭaka in Siam Script. To honor the genius of King Chulalongkorn Chulachomklao of Siam, who undertook the very first printing of the Tipiṭaka in the world, this digital preservation edition was officially named in Thai “พระไตรปิฎกปาฬิ จุลจอมเกล้าบรมธัมมิกมหาราช ฉบับอนุรักษ์ดิจิตอล พ.ศ. 2552 (King Chulachomklao the Great Dhamma Protector Pāḷi Tipiṭaka Edition 2009). In the printing of this name, the Thai word for Pāḷi is spelled ปาฬิ (Pāḷi) rather than บาลี (bālī) or บาฬี (bāḷī), and the word for ธรรม (dharma) is written ธัมมะ (Dhamma). This is to reflect the spelling of these words in the Pāḷi Tipiṭaka from the reign of King Chulachomklao, Rama V, and confirmed in the 1957 Great Buddhist Council Resolution. These spellings also correspond more closely to the pronunciation of the original Pāḷi terms as they have been passed down to us in the Tipiṭaka since the time of the Buddha.
We would like to express our appreciation for this effort to preserve and disseminate the historic edition of King Chulachomklao Pāḷi Tipiṭaka in Siam Script. It is an effort very much in keeping with the spirit of the Pāḷi motto in the Royal Seal of King Chulalongkorn Chulachomklao of Siam, which has been chosen as the emblem of this Pāḷi Tipiṭaka in Siam script..
These words, written in Pāḷi in Siam script, are "สัพ์เพสํ สํฆภูตานํ สามัค์คี วุฑ์ฒิสาธิกา" (sabbesaṃ saṅghabhutānaṃ sāmaggī vuḍḍhisādhikā) and translate as : “The Unity of All Brings Prosperity.”
Finally, we hope that the success of this project contributes to knowledge of the Tipiṭaka, a thought expressed in the Pāḷi, the sacred Dhamma language of the Buddha, written in Roman script, as : Namo Buddhāya Siddhaṃ
Siddhamastu Siddhituṃ Homage to Supreme Buddha
May Success Arise for the Learning
Siri Phetchai, Chairman,
The M.L. Maniratana Bunnag Dhamma Society Fund
under the Patronage of His Holiness Somdet Phra Ñāṇasaṃvara,
The Supreme Patriarch of Thailand
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e-Tipiṭaka 
