CHIANG MAI -- Against a background of terror, conflicts and violence worldwide, during times when consumerism and materialism have been elevated as never before on pedestals surrounded by a divine aura, a small group of modest but dedicated Thai scholars, monks and nuns have worked quietly and efficiently the past three years, seeking solace in the wisdom of Buddha -- precisely by resurrecting his genuine words, ideas and teachings.
The basic goal has been to produce, for the first time, a complete romanized Pali Tipitaka: the full Buddhist canon in roman characters.
To achieve this, the Dhamma Society Fund was established in Bangkok under the patronage of the supreme patriarch of Thailand. A group of Thai Buddhist scholars and Pali specialists went through very elaborate sessions, studying and comparing all previous sources -- in particular, the international Buddhist Council (or "rehearsal" in Buddhist terminology) held in Burma in 1956 -- reciting and correcting variants, restoring missing passages and evaluating various accompanying commentaries.