Dissertation liberation

[danohu]

Just got permission to abandon my earlier dissertation plan of tedious things about Sanskrit grammar. Out with word boundaries, padas and angas in Panini's grammar (right but repulsive), and in with tantric buddhism (wrong but romantic). So I get to do some Pali, and look incomprehendingly at pretty things in Tibetan and Chinese, and work in some theory, and generally have a bit more fun.

I'm sooo excited. I'm going to read lots of crazy things, and learn to fly, and smite my enemies, and attain full and final liberation in a simple twelve-step program.

Off to make some index cards...

Comments

[helixaspersa.livejournal.com]

Surely not giving up on Sanskrit grammar? What is possessing you? But will the tantric buddhism be as fun as that text today? I was sniggering in a childish fashion at intervals all day at the thought of Prince Harry amongst many huge-breasted lovelies . . .

[oedipamaas49.livejournal.com]

Well, I suspect you're more into grammar than I am. If you haven't looked at any vyakarana, you really should. I mean, read a bit of Panini (with all the commentaries, translations, and explanations you can find - you'll need them). Then be wise: admire it as an incredible, stupifying intellectual achievement. But move away before you're sucked down the whirlpool (rabbit-hole) of algebra and incomprehensibly interlocking rules. It's fascinating, but I think you need decades to get to grips with it. Or to be freakishly clever like Eivind, and possibly you!

As for the tantric buddhism: there's plenty of sex, but not as poetic, and probably without Jayadeva's pinapayodhara fetish. Lots of other bonkers stuff: I've just been reading a translation of the maha-vairocana-abhisambodhi-tantra, whose pet obsession is the secret meanings of letters. The best comment i've had so far is that bits of it (Most excellent A!) were written by Bill and Ted.