A philological approach to Buddhism involves a critical analysis of the language in early scriptures to understand not just *what* they mean, but *how* and *why*, thereby correcting long-standing mistranslations of core concepts like *nibbāna* and the four noble truths. This method reveals early Buddhism's origins within a broader *śramana* movement that shared terminology with Jainism and reacted against Brahmanism, and it traces the evolution of the Buddha's teachings from an oral tradition—marked by mnemonic structures like repetition and lists—to a written one that introduced new scribal errors. Philology demonstrates that the Pāli canon was translated from earlier eastern dialects, retaining traces of "Māgadhisms" before being standardised and later partially Sanskritised, a process that created its own set of incorrect back-formations like *bodhisattva*. This linguistic investigation also provides a more accurate historical context, showing that Emperor Aśoka's *dhamma* was a universal moral code rather than Buddhist doctrine, and clarifies the gradual, complex formation of the canon and the vital role of commentaries in preserving alternative traditions and interpretations.
