How to Learn Literary Chinese 文言文 To Read Buddhist Texts

After our previous video, I received a number of messages asking how one might go about learning Classical Chinese, in order to read Buddhist Texts.
And so in this video, I intend to provide some instruction and advice, on how this can be done.
I must state at the outset, that I am no master of the language by any means, and so if you find a better source of information on the topic, I advise you to defer to their expertise.
In the meantime however, I hope that this information will get you on the right track, and make you aware of the resources available to you.


Referenced in the Video:

Beginner Level:

Kieschnick “Primers”:
https://religiousstudies.stanford.edu...
Second Edition of Dr Michael A. Fuller’s “An Introduction to Literary Chinese”:
https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/978...

Intermediate Level:

Lock and Linebarger textbook, “Chinese Buddhist Texts: An Introductory Reader”:
https://www.routledge.com/Chinese-Bud...
Lock and Linebarger Textbook Portal:
https://lockgraham.com/

Grammars:

Edwin G. Pulleyblank’s “Outline of Classical Chinese Grammar”:
https://www.amazon.com/Outline-Classi...
Archie Barnes’ “Du’s Handbook of Classical Chinese Grammar”:
https://www.amazon.com/Du-Handbook-Cl...
Mei Ah Tan’s “A Dictionary of High Frequency Function Words in Literary Chinese”:
https://www.routledge.com/A-Dictionar...
J.J. Brandt’s old “Wenli Particles 虛字指南”:
https://www.smcbook.com.tw/smc/index....

Dictionaries:

Charles Muller’s DDB or “Digital Dictionary of Buddhism”:
http://www.buddhism-dict.net/ddb/
DDB Access APP:
https://smarthanzi.net/ddbaccess/
PLECO: Chinese Dictionary:
https://www.pleco.com/

Paper Dictionaries:

Paul Kroll’s “A Student’s Dictionary of Classical and Medieval Chinese”:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Students-Di...
William Soothill’s “A Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms”:
https://glossaries.dila.edu.tw/data/s...

Upper Intermediate Level:

Foguang Shan’s Edition of “The Great Perfection of Wisdom Treatise” or 大智度論:
https://www.fgsitc.org/the-great-perf...
Bhiksu Dharmamitra’s translations with his Kalavinka Press:
https://www.kalavinka.org/
Buddhist Text Translation Society’s edition of the “Lotus Sutra”:
https://www.buddhisttexts.org/collect...
“Vimalakīrtinirdeśa Sūtra”:
https://www.buddhisttexts.org/collect...

Advanced:

The Corporate Body of The Buddha Educational Foundation 佛陀教育基金會:
https://www.budaedu.org/
CBETA Online Reader website:
https://cbetaonline.dila.edu.tw/en/
CBETA Research Platform:
https://da.dila.edu.tw/?lang=en
Jikai's video about the CBETA Research Platform:
   • CBETA Research Platform  
Dedu Parallel Text Editing Platform:
https://dedu.dila.edu.tw/home/?lang=en
Reviewing & Practising:
Genkoyoshi Paper:
https://garrett-sensei.weebly.com/gen...
Sutra Copying Supplies:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Japanese-Mi...

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