User talk:Wife.of.mothman/Pali Text Society

My Editing Plan for the “Pali Text Society” Wikipedia Page

The Pali Canon is one of the most vitally important and accurate collection of scriptures for Theravada Buddhists; they are said to be the direct words of the Buddha himself, serving as a definitive word-for-word recalling of his teachings. Yet, for such an important artifact, there is little on Wikipedia about how the scriptures spread to the rest of the world. The Pali Canon Wikipedia page is quite dense, filled with information backed by reliable sources, but if the Pali Canon Wikipedia page was a novel, then the Pali Text Society Wikipedia page are some notes written on a napkin.

From what I’ve previously learned on conducting histographic research, stories are always going to be told from someone’s point of view, meaning that other points of view will NOT be told. When information is left out of documents, it is usually because evidence has been erased by centuries of colonization, racism, xenophobia, genocide; the list goes on and on. Yet, the Pali Text Society is an interesting case- Thomas William Rhys Davids was a white clergyman from Essex, England; he fits the image of the person who writes history, and yet there’s little information on him. As far as the research goes, forming the Pali Text Society was his greatest, and only, achievement. But what led Davids, a scholar from the UK, to Sri Lanka, and what led him to develop an obsession with Buddhism, the Pali Language, and Sri Lankan culture? What was his motivation in bringing said texts to the printing press, and how did Therevada Buddhists react to him doing this? What was the response of the general public- seeing that the Pali Text Society is still around today, one can only assume that the public responded generally well to this, but how did it change the practices of Buddhism in Sri Lanka? Furthermore, what recognition did Thomas William Rhys Davids receive for his work aside from a mediocre Wikipedia page?

These are all questions that have guided my research, however, where one cannot provide answers, due to lost and/or missing evidence, the protocol for a scholar is to fill in the blanks as best as possible, drawing on the research they have already conducted. However, while archival research is important to help form the repertoire, Wikipedia doesn’t like it so much when there are questions left up to speculation. Therefore, my job is to play detective. Attached below are the resources I have already found and wish to include. My goal is to add more to the page; what’s there already is a good starting point for a Wikipedia page, but the information doesn’t explain the greater significance of the Pali Text Society. My goal is to use my sources to explain WHY the Pali Text Society was so cultural significant, and why it’s still relevant today.

For example, one of my sources is “India and the Pali Text Society”, an article written for a scholarly journal by Davids’ wife, Carolina Augusta Foyley, published in 1919. This is a particularly helpful source as it tells readers about Thomas William Rhys Davids through the point of view of someone who was particularly close to him, and his wife’s perspective on his work. While Davids’ work primarily was focused in Sri Lanka, this article is focused on his personal relationship with his work, in Ceylon and elsewhere. First and foremost, I can use this article to put his wife’s name on the Wikipedia page, as she was also a notable scholar of the Pali language. Just as importantly, I can use this document to unpack Davids’ motivations behind sharing the Pali Canon with the world.

An Update Wife.of.Mothman 12/01/2022
After reading more of Carolina Augusta Foyley's writings on her husband's work, I've added a few more areas of discussion I would like to add to the "Pali Text Society" Wikipedia page. Foyley references a "I.B. Horner MA" in her account titled India and the Pali Text Society . This would be in reference to Miss Isaline Blew Horner, who was responsible for publishing the 1949 translation of the Vinaya Pitaka, when the Society was in debt. First and foremost, why is there no information on the financial struggle the Society faced upon attempting to publish texts during the war? Second and foremost, Isaline Blew Horner later became the President of the Pali text Society in the late 1950's- why is there no mention of her on the Society's wikipedia page? I believe that women hold as much credibility and responsibility in the undertaking of the Society as the men do, which is why I want to include a section on Horner's and Foyley's contribution to the Society, as well as any other predominant women relating to the Society.

I've know from the start that I want to include sections on specific people and their contributions to the Pali text Society, but now, I have a more detailed outline of how I want the page to look. My contributions will be as follows:


 * The Society’s purpose, goals, and major successes


 * Thomas William Rhys Davids connection to the Society
 * Notable Members and their contributions
 * Financial Struggles of the Pali Text Society
 * The Role of Women in connection to The Pali Text Society
 * The Presidency of Isaline Blew Horner

If I can manage to add sufficient information on the following sections, within the upcoming two days, I will be satisfied with my project.

Wife.of.mothman (talk) 05:25, 1 December 2022 (UTC)