Learning to read and study Buddhist teachings in their original languages has been an inspiring and transformational part of my Buddhist practice for the last sixteen years. By offering these courses online and in person at Adhiṣṭhāna, I hope to make the study of Buddhist canonical languages easier and more accessible to Buddhist practitioners, especially who do not have an academic background or a lot of previous experience in language learning.

In 2024 and 2025 I led the first two annual Sanskrit and Pali Summer Schools at Adhiṣṭhāna Retreat Centre in the UK, and I will be running the third in 2026.

In addition to the in-person summer schools at Adhiṣṭhāna, I am starting regular online courses in Sanskrit and Pali. I will be offering an introductory course suitable for complete beginners, as well as an intermediate course. The intermediate course is suitable for those who have a basic knowledge of Sanskrit and/or Pali grammar, and is particularly designed to allow those who have previously participated in a summer school at Adhiṣṭhāna to continue their studies.

Introduction to Sanskrit and Pali: Saturdays at 2.00 – 3.00 pm BST (1.00 – 2.00 pm UTC/GMT)
2nd May – 20th June (8 weeks)

Intermediate Sanskrit and Pali Reading: Sundays at 2.00 – 3.00 pm BST (1.00 – 2.00 pm UTC/GMT)
3rd May – 21st June, continuing from 16th August

These classes are being offered on a dāna basis.
Suggested donation 10 £/$/€ per class. Donate here.

Sanskrit and Pali are generally taught in a very grammar-led way, which is usually only effective for those who already have a strong linguistic background. My approach to teaching these languages is to focus on reading texts right from the beginning, learning the grammar as we go. This is not only a much more natural and brain-friendly approach to learning, it will also allow students to start actually engaging with Buddhist teachings in the original languages right from the very first lesson.

If you would like to be kept up to date with this project, please sign up for my newsletter below. If you have any questions, or would like to register for a course, please email me at contact@sraddhapa.com.