skin in the game pali primer lesson 2: learning vocabulary the fast, fun, and easy way

Many pali words have a common indo (india) euro (europe) root. So those words are freebies.

Example (eng.) pundit cames from (indian) pandit.

Vigor, virility, vitality, all are closely related to (indian) viriya (vigor, energy).

I started a wiki listing some of the freebies in 2017, I'll restart the list in a new space one of these days.

https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/pali-vocabulary-list-of-super-easy-words-to-learn/7494

Proven Powerful memory technique to learn words new to you

Look for connections between the word you want to learn, to visual and multi media cues (static picture, a motion picture sequence, a sound, smell, etc that reminds of that word). Cues that link to the desired word you want to memorize. They don't have to have a logical connection, just something that works for you. 

Example: New vocabulary word I want to learn: (pali) Citta = (eng.) mind.

In one sutta, the buddha said if you were to identify your 'self' with the body or mind, you'd be better off identifying with the 'body' because the 'mind' changes so fast and quickly. (extra credit: someone tell me the sutta ref. for that, I don't remember it). 

cue #1: 

Get it? Mind = citta.

citta is pronounced similarly to 'cheetah', sounds like the animal "cheetah".

citta = cheetah. Cheetahs are one of the 'fastest' land animals. Nothing changes as 'fast' as the mind/citta. 

cue #2: 

'cheetah' sounds like 'cheater'. 

The deluded mind cheats us all the time. Instead of seeing reality as it is, we impose false narratives, fantasies, delusions and distort reality in a way that we suffer. 

citta cheats us if we don't apply the Dharma.

cue #3: The 'citta' is a cheating cheetah

I've combined cue#1 and cue#2 into a single image. It's a 'fast' citta/cheetah who also is a 'cheater' (he's cheating with a deck of cards stacked with aces). 

So now the new word 'citta' is easy to remember. You just remember(sati) the moving visual sequence of  the cheating cheetah. If you can attach sounds, smells, or sensation of getting clawed or eaten by a cheetah, you can use those cues as well.  

But what if there's no logical link?

For this example, the links I made up happen to very logical and play on homonyms, which makes it extra easy to remember.

Many new vocabulary words though, you can't immediately find a logical or reasonable organic connection, so you have to just be a guerrilla and find something that works, that will help you memorize it.