What do I mean by saying that in A Critical Piili Dictionary there was no
discussion of the doctrinal importance of each word and the part it played in
Buddhism ? I mean that it is sufficient in a dictionary to state, for example, that
jhiina means "meditation", without any discussion of how one meditates, or the
importance of meditation to a Buddhist or to Buddhism. As a result of my
activities in this field, extending over nearly twenty years, I am in the habit of
saying that I know nothing about Buddhism, but I do know a little about some of
the words used in Buddhism and some of the languages of Buddhism. I regard
one of my purposes in life as being an adviser to those who know a lot about
Buddhism, but not a great deal about the languages of Buddhism. From time to
time I receive enquiries from those wishing to write about aspects of Buddhism.
They tell me what they think a particular passage means, and how they propose
to incorporate their interpretation into their discussion or description of
Buddhism, and they ask me whether I think that their proposal is possible,
philologically speaking.