4šāø CattÄri Ariya-saccaį¹ åč諦
oral tradition
Misc.
AN 2.20 memory fidelity and interpreting important words correctly
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āDveme, bhikkhave, dhammÄ saddhammassa sammosÄya antaradhÄnÄya saį¹vattanti. |
āThese two things, monks, lead to the decline and disappearance of the true teaching. |
Katame dve? |
What two? |
Dunnikkhittañca padabyañjanaṠattho ca dunnīto. |
The words and phrases are misplaced, and the meaning is misinterpreted. |
Dunnikkhittassa, bhikkhave, padabyaƱjanassa atthopi dunnayo hoti. |
When the words and phrases are misplaced, the meaning is misinterpreted. |
Ime kho, bhikkhave, dve dhammÄ saddhammassa sammosÄya antaradhÄnÄya saį¹vattantÄ«āti. |
These two things lead to the decline and disappearance of the true teaching. |
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āDveme, bhikkhave, dhammÄ saddhammassa į¹hitiyÄ asammosÄya anantaradhÄnÄya saį¹vattanti. |
These two things lead to the continuation, persistence, and enduring of the true teaching. |
Katame dve? |
What two? |
Sunikkhittañca padabyañjanaṠattho ca sunīto. |
The words and phrases are well organized, and the meaning is correctly interpreted. |
Sunikkhittassa, bhikkhave, padabyaƱjanassa atthopi sunayo hoti. |
When the words and phrases are well organized, the meaning is correctly interpreted. |
Ime kho, bhikkhave, dve dhammÄ saddhammassa į¹hitiyÄ asammosÄya anantaradhÄnÄya saį¹vattantÄ«āti. |
These two things lead to the continuation, persistence, and enduring of the true teaching.ā |
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AN 4.6 One of Little Learning
34āBhikkhus, there are these four kinds of persons found existing in the world. What four? One of little learning who is not intent on what he has learned; one of little learning who is intent on what he has learned; one of much learning who is not intent on what he has learned; and one of much learning who is intent on what he has learned.
35(1) āAnd how is a person one of little learning who is not intent on what he has learned? [7] Here, someone has learned little—that is, of the discourses, mixed prose and verse, expositions, verses, inspired utterances, quotations, birth stories, amazing accounts, and questions-and-answers631""—but he does not understand the meaning of what he has learned; he does not understand the Dhamma; and he does not practice in accordance with the Dhamma. In such a way, a person is one of little learning who is not intent on what he has learned.
AN 5.202 benefits of listening to dhamma
⦠202. āpaƱc'-ime, bhikkhave, |
ā[there are] five-of-these, *********, |
Änisaį¹sÄ dhammas-savane. |
benefits (of) listening-to-Dhamma. |
as-sutaį¹ suį¹Äti, |
(the) un-heard (gets) heard, |
sutaį¹ pariyodÄpeti, |
(what has been) heard, (one) clarifies; |
kaį¹
khaį¹ vitarati, |
doubts (are) overcome, |
diį¹į¹hiį¹ ujuį¹ karoti, |
(one's) view, straightened (they are) made, |
cittamassa pasīdati. |
oneās-mind becomes-placid. |
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AN 5.209 chanting is not singing
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gītassara-suttaṠ(AN 5.209) |
AN 5.209 Intonation |
⦠209. āpaƱc'-ime, bhikkhave, ÄdÄ«navÄ |
ā[there are] five-(of)-these, *********, dangers |
Äyatakena gÄ«tas-sarena |
(in) drawn-out song-like-intonation |
dhammaį¹ bhaį¹antassa. |
(for) dhamma reciting. |
katame paƱca? |
What five? |
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attanÄpi tasmiį¹ sare sÄrajjati, |
(1) One-self, (with) one's intonation (becomes) infatuated. |
parepi tasmiį¹ sare sÄrajjanti, |
(2) Others, (with) one's intonation (becomes) infatuated. |
gahapatikÄpi uj-jhÄyanti — |
(3) Householders complain: |
āyatheva mayaį¹ gÄyÄma, |
āJust as we sing, |
evamevaį¹ kho samaį¹Ä sakya-puttiyÄ gÄyantÄ«āti, |
so, too, these ascetics (of the) Sakyansā-son sing.ā |
sara-kuttimpi ni-kÄma-yamÄnassa |
(4) intonation-refining (for) one-desiring (that), |
samÄdhissa bhaį¹
go hoti, |
(their) concentration breaking-up happens. |
pacchimÄ janatÄ diį¹į¹hÄnugatiį¹ Äpajjati. |
(5) [Those in] the next generation follow oneās example. |
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Vin. Contains same passage as AN 5.209
Vin 5, 5. khuddaka-vatthuk-khandhakaį¹, para. 20 ā
249. tena kho pana samayena chabbaggiyÄ bhikkhÅ« Äyatakena gÄ«tassarena dhammaį¹ gÄyanti. manussÄ ujjhÄyanti khiyyanti vipÄcenti — āyatheva mayaį¹ gÄyÄma, evamevime samaį¹Ä sakyaputtiyÄ Äyatakena gÄ«tassarena dhammaį¹ gÄyantÄ«āti! assosuį¹ kho bhikkhÅ« tesaį¹ manussÄnaį¹ ujjhÄyantÄnaį¹ khiyyantÄnaį¹ vipÄcentÄnaį¹. ye te bhikkhÅ« appicchÄ . pe . te ujjhÄyanti khiyyanti vipÄcenti — ākathaƱhi nÄma chabbaggiyÄ bhikkhÅ« Äyatakena gÄ«tassarena dhammaį¹ gÄyissantÄ«āti! atha kho te bhikkhÅ« bhagavato etamatthaį¹ Ärocesuį¹. āsaccaį¹ kira, bhikkhave . pe . āsaccaį¹ bhagavÄāti . pe . dhammiį¹ kathaį¹ katvÄ bhikkhÅ« Ämantesi — āpaƱcime, bhikkhave, ÄdÄ«navÄ Äyatakena gÄ«tassarena dhammaį¹ gÄyantassa. attanÄpi tasmiį¹ sare sÄrajjati, parepi tasmiį¹ sare sÄrajjanti, gahapatikÄpi ujjhÄyanti, sarakuttimpi nikÄmayamÄnassa samÄdhissa bhaį¹
go hoti, pacchimÄ janatÄ diį¹į¹hÄnugatiį¹ Äpajjati — ime kho, bhikkhave, paƱca ÄdÄ«navÄ Äyatakena gÄ«tassarena dhammaį¹ gÄyantassa. na, bhikkhave, Äyatakena gÄ«tassarena dhammo gÄyitabbo. yo gÄyeyya, Äpatti dukkaį¹assÄāti.
KN Snp 5 Pingiya establishing recitation lineage
https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/i-shall-keep-reciting-the-way-to-the-beyond/21911
(B. sujato Essay)
These words begin the final chapter of the Sutta Nipata, and the final chapter of my translation project. Yesterday I finished! Iāve now translated all of the early Suttas from Pali.
I knew that this chapter would be an emotional moment for me, as I have loved this passage for a long time. But I never really understood it till now.
The setting is that a group of sixteen very devoted brahmins have come on a long journey to see the Buddha. They were sent by their teacher BÄvari, who could not go himself due to his old age. At the end, Pingiya, himself an elderly sage, is discussing with his teacher BÄvari about their experiences.
Pingiya is so moved, he declares that he will ākeep on recitingā these teachings. Yet none of the translations I have consulted quite capture the force of his statement.
As a brahmin elder, Pingiyaās life has been devoted to his teaching, and to the ongoing recitation of his sacred scriptures. When speaking of this, the Pali texts use the word anugÄyati. Here, the prefix anu- carries the force of ācontinuing, ongoingā. The idea is that the brahmins of the present maintain the recitation made by the legendary sages of old. Itās the inverse of the term anussuta from the Dhammacakkappavattana, which means the āhearing from anotherā of what has been maintained in recitation.
Thus Pingiya is not merely speaking in praise of these verses, he is saying that he will establish a recitation lineage to preserve them. The passage, perhaps uniquely, shows how a trained brahmin scholar considered the Buddha as a unique voice to be preserved as were the sages of old.
More than that, he dismisses his previous learning as the mere ātestament of hearsayā (itihÄ«tihaį¹). The Buddha is not just added to the pantheon of sages, he supplants them.
I think itās easy to take our heritage for granted, to think of scripture as a means of preserving ideas. But this chapter reveals with rare vulnerability the emotional depths that motivate this. Pingiya was not just āpreserving scriptureā, he was keeping alive the āway to the beyondā.
BÄvari asks him how he could bear to be separated from the teacher he loves. Pingiya says that he stays close to the Buddha always in his mind. And through this, they point the path to the need and the means for Buddhist devotion in ages to come.
We cannot stay with the Buddha, and we cannot ask him our pressing questions. Yet because of Pingiya, and countless others like him, the āWay to the Beyondā has been passed down, and we can still hear its song.
And that is why all of this matters. I am so honored to have been able to serve the Dhamma, and so grateful to the Buddhist community who have supported me always. It has been a long, beautiful, road.
Thank you everyone, and may you too find the way to the beyond.
KN Thag 17.3 general advice on memorized dhamma
(,not just to people with super memory) excerpt from Anandaās verses in Thag 17.3:
You should stay close to a learned person—
Donāt lose what youāve learned.
It is the root of the spiritual life,
So you should memorize the Dhamma.
Knowing the sequence and meaning of the teaching,
Skilled in the interpretation of terms,
He makes sure it is well memorized,
And then examines the meaning.
Accepting the teachings, he becomes enthusiastic;
Making an effort, he scrutinizes the Dhamma;
Striving at the right time,
He is serene inside himself.
If you want to understand the Dhamma,
You should associate with the sort of person
Who is learned, and has memorized the Dhamma,
A wise disciple of the Buddha.
A monk who is learned, and has memorized the Dhamma,
A keeper of the great sageās treasury,
Is a visionary for the entire world,
Venerable, and learned.
Delighting in Dhamma, enjoying Dhamma,
Reflecting on Dhamma,
Recollecting Dhamma,
He doesnāt decline in the true Dhamma.
SN 35.113 Buddha composes 12ps instructions for reciting
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113. Upassutisutta |
113. Listening In |
Ekaį¹ samayaį¹ bhagavÄ nÄtike viharati giƱjakÄvasathe. |
At one time the Buddha was staying at NÄdika in the brick house. |
Atha kho bhagavÄ rahogato paį¹isallÄ«no imaį¹ dhammapariyÄyaį¹ abhÄsi: |
Then while the Buddha was in private retreat he spoke this exposition of the teaching: |
ācakkhuƱca paį¹icca rÅ«pe ca uppajjati cakkhuviƱƱÄį¹aį¹. Tiį¹į¹aį¹ saį¹
gati phasso. |
āEye consciousness arises dependent on the eye and sights. The meeting of the three is contact. |
PhassapaccayÄ vedanÄ; |
Contact is a condition for feeling. |
vedanÄpaccayÄ taį¹hÄ; |
Feeling is a condition for craving. |
taį¹hÄpaccayÄ upÄdÄnaį¹; |
Craving is a condition for grasping. |
upÄdÄnapaccayÄ bhavo; |
Grasping is a condition for continued existence. |
bhavapaccayÄ jÄti; |
Continued existence is a condition for rebirth. |
jÄtipaccayÄ jarÄmaraį¹aį¹ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupÄyÄsÄ sambhavanti. |
Rebirth is a condition that gives rise to old age and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress. |
Evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa samudayo hoti. |
That is how this entire mass of suffering originates. |
JivhaƱca paį¹icca rase ca uppajjati ⦠pe ⦠|
Ear ⦠nose ⦠tongue ⦠body ⦠|
manaƱca paį¹icca dhamme ca uppajjati manoviƱƱÄį¹aį¹. Tiį¹į¹aį¹ saį¹
gati phasso. |
Mind consciousness arises dependent on the mind and thoughts. The meeting of the three is contact. |
PhassapaccayÄ vedanÄ; |
Contact is a condition for feeling. |
vedanÄpaccayÄ taį¹hÄ; |
Feeling is a condition for craving. |
taį¹hÄpaccayÄ upÄdÄnaį¹; |
Craving is a condition for grasping. |
upÄdÄnapaccayÄ bhavo; |
Grasping is a condition for continued existence. |
bhavapaccayÄ jÄti; |
Continued existence is a condition for rebirth. |
jÄtipaccayÄ jarÄmaraį¹aį¹ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupÄyÄsÄ sambhavanti. |
Rebirth is a condition that gives rise to old age and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress. |
Evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa samudayo hoti. |
That is how this entire mass of suffering originates. |
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CakkhuƱca paį¹icca rÅ«pe ca uppajjati cakkhuviƱƱÄį¹aį¹. Tiį¹į¹aį¹ saį¹
gati phasso. |
Eye consciousness arises dependent on the eye and sights. The meeting of the three is contact. |
PhassapaccayÄ vedanÄ; |
Contact is a condition for feeling. |
vedanÄpaccayÄ taį¹hÄ. |
Feeling is a condition for craving. |
TassÄyeva taį¹hÄya asesavirÄganirodhÄ upÄdÄnanirodho; |
When that craving fades away and ceases with nothing left over, grasping ceases. |
upÄdÄnanirodhÄ bhavanirodho; |
When grasping ceases, continued existence ceases. |
bhavanirodhÄ jÄtinirodho; |
When continued existence ceases, rebirth ceases. |
jÄtinirodhÄ jarÄmaraį¹aį¹ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupÄyÄsÄ nirujjhanti. |
When rebirth ceases, old age and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress cease. |
Evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa nirodho hoti ⦠pe ⦠|
That is how this entire mass of suffering ceases. |
jivhaƱca paį¹icca rase ca uppajjati ⦠pe ⦠|
Ear ⦠nose ⦠tongue ⦠body ⦠|
manaƱca paį¹icca dhamme ca uppajjati manoviƱƱÄį¹aį¹. Tiį¹į¹aį¹ saį¹
gati phasso. |
Mind consciousness arises dependent on the mind and thoughts. The meeting of the three is contact. |
PhassapaccayÄ vedanÄ; |
Contact is a condition for feeling. |
vedanÄpaccayÄ taį¹hÄ. |
Feeling is a condition for craving. |
TassÄyeva taį¹hÄya asesavirÄganirodhÄ upÄdÄnanirodho; |
When that craving fades away and ceases with nothing left over, grasping ceases. |
upÄdÄnanirodhÄ ā¦ pe ⦠|
When grasping ceases ⦠|
evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa nirodho hotÄ«āti. |
That is how this entire mass of suffering ceases.ā |
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Tena kho pana samayena aƱƱataro bhikkhu bhagavato upassuti į¹hito hoti. |
Now at that time a certain monk was standing listening in on the Buddha. |
AddasÄ kho bhagavÄ taį¹ bhikkhuį¹ upassuti į¹hitaį¹. |
The Buddha saw him |
DisvÄna taį¹ bhikkhuį¹ etadavoca: |
and said: |
āassosi no tvaį¹, bhikkhu, imaį¹ dhammapariyÄyanāti? |
āMonk, did you hear that exposition of the teaching?ā |
āEvaį¹, bhanteā. |
āYes, sir.ā |
āUggaį¹hÄhi tvaį¹, bhikkhu, imaį¹ dhammapariyÄyaį¹. |
āLearn that exposition of the teaching, |
PariyÄpuį¹Ähi tvaį¹, bhikkhu, imaį¹ dhammapariyÄyaį¹. |
memorize it, |
DhÄrehi tvaį¹, bhikkhu, imaį¹ dhammapariyÄyaį¹. |
and remember it. |
AtthasaƱhitoyaį¹, bhikkhu, dhammapariyÄyo Ädibrahmacariyakoāti. |
That exposition of the teaching is beneficial and relates to the fundamentals of the spiritual life.ā |
AN 5.209 commentary + notes by B.Sujato
https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/do-we-need-a-new-chanting-style/6532
sujato:
So to clear up the Pali situation here. In AN 5.209, as cited above, the Buddha prohibits reciting Dhamma in Äyataka gÄ«tissara. GÄ«ti means āsongā and sara means āsoundā. Äyataka means ādrawn out, lengthyā.
We have a good idea what gÄ«tissara means because it is also found in DN 21, where the Buddha refers to the song that Pancasikha sings to the accompaniment of his arched harp, tantissara (āsounds of stringsā). So gÄ«tissara simply means āsingingā, and is associated with the worldly arts and entertainments, such as practiced by Pancasikha, the Justin Bieber of the heavens.
āStretched outā or āextendedā probably refers to melodic styles that stretch the natural rhythm to allow for embellishment, such as is found in some modern Sri Lankan chanting styles.
The above passage is also found in the Vinaya in the Khuddhakavatthukkhandhaka, i.e. āChapter on Minor Mattersā. There, the Buddha adds a second clause. The monks were practicing sarabhaƱƱa and were worried about falling into an offence, but the Buddha said, āNo worries, sheāll be rightā, or words to that effect.
BhaƱƱa means to recite, and it is a standard word used when the Buddha delivers a teaching. SarabhaƱƱa is used at Ud 5.6 and Kd 5 of Soį¹a when reciting the verses of the Atthakavagga for the Buddha, and also at Kd 22 in the account of the Second Council in the context of a teacher training a student to recite the texts.
We donāt seem to have any context outside of this in the early texts to understand the difference between these chanting styles. But it seems reasonable to conclude that sarabhaƱƱa was the standard way texts were recited, and referred to a simple, plain form of recitation, where the words were clear and the diction was not too far from regular speech.
There are a few extra details supplied in the commentaries, especially the Vinaya commentary.
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Na bhikkhave ÄyatakenÄti ettha Äyatako nÄma taį¹ taį¹ vattaį¹ bhinditvÄ akkharÄni vinÄsetvÄ pavatto. |
āDrawn outā means: Here ādrawn outā specifies that one proceeds having ruined that particular duty. |
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Dhamme pana suttantavattaį¹ nÄma atthi, jÄtakavattaį¹ nÄma atthi, gÄthÄvattaį¹ nÄma atthi, |
For in this Dhamma there is the duty of the Suttas, the duty of the Jatakas, and the duty of the verses (gÄthÄ). |
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taį¹ vinÄsetvÄ atidÄ«ghaį¹ kÄtuį¹ na vaį¹į¹ati. |
Having ruined that to make it over long is not proper. |
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Caturassena vattena parimaį¹įøalÄni padabyaƱjanÄni dassetabbÄni. |
With square duty (? fourfold, perhaps ābalancedā) rounded words and phrases should be seen. (Tika explains āsquare dutyā as āfully raising the voiceā) |
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SarabhaƱƱanti sarena bhaį¹anaį¹. SarabhaƱƱe kira taraį¹
gavattadhotakavattagalitavattÄdÄ«ni dvattiį¹sa vattÄni atthi. |
āVocal recitationā means: reciting with the voice. It seems that in vocal recitation there are 32 duties, such as the wave duty (?), the washing duty, the flowing duty, etc. |
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Tesu yaį¹ icchati, taį¹ kÄtuį¹ labhati. |
One gets to do whichever of these one wishes. |
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Sabbesaį¹ padabyaƱjanaį¹ avinÄsetvÄ vikÄraį¹ akatvÄ samaį¹asÄruppena caturassena nayena pavattanaį¹yeva lakkhaį¹aį¹. |
All of these do not ruin the words and phrases, undistorted, suitable for ascetics, with the characteristic of proceeding in a fourfold (= ābalancedā?) manner. |
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This is a very rough translation, but the gist is clear enough. The problem with gÄ«tissara is that it ruins the sense of the words, distorting them to fit the melody, and hence undermining the whole point of the exercise, which is to remember and make clear the Buddhaās words.
Thus one should employ any one of the 32 styles of sarabhaƱƱa according to your pleasure. These preserve the sense of the words without distortion.
The names of the 32 styles are obscure, and I canāt find an explanation. Note that they all seem to refer to water or flowing in some way. Perhaps they are punning on the two meanings of sara as āstreamā and āsoundā? I do remember, though, that the Sri Lankan monks refer to their normal chanting style—not the drawn out embellished style—as sounding like the rise and fall of the ocean. Perhaps this passage is where that idea comes from.
reason for "musical" element in chanting
Canāt we read Sutta in Pali without chanting?
(and avoid the possibility of having chants be too musical and provacative of the sense pleasure of music)
In Chanting, āmusicalā elements youāre objecting to are really important in helping out with memory. The more suttas you memorize, the more youāre going to see the need for that. And youāll see why the suttas are constructed with so many repetitions.
For the suttas I donāt chant daily or weekly, they start fading from memory, and as I chant the sutta trying to remember jthe missing peaces, the different tones and pitches act as checksums and memory tags and keys to alert me something doesnāt āsoundā quite right, or something is missing.
So as a device for the oral tradition in keeping accurate fidelity of the suttas, the āmusicalā-ish elements are necessary. But at a personal level, one has to be careful ti chant it in a way where it doesnāt become a hindrance of sensual desire for pleasant melodies and sound.
I have a simple way to avoid that problem. I chant fast, at fluent speed, with lots of breaks (of silence) between phrases, sentences, and key ideas. Iām aware of the meaning of the sutta as I chant it, so there is no time to appreciate any sonic or tonal qualities that are aesthetically pleasing.
some Burmese monks have another solution, which may be intentional. They chant in really unpleasant tonal pattern which has no musical aesthetically pleasing qualities. So thatās another way, as long as the tonal patterns have some kind of method and logical consistency to help with memory.
Wikipedia excerpt
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_tradition
Ancient texts of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism were preserved and transmitted by an oral tradition.[40][41] For example, the Årutis of Hinduism called the Vedas, the oldest of which trace back to the second millennium BCE. Michael Witzel explains this oral tradition as follows:[5]
The Vedic texts were orally composed and transmitted, without the use of script, in an unbroken line of transmission from teacher to student that was formalized early on. This ensured an impeccable textual transmission superior to the classical texts of other cultures; it is, in fact, something like a tape-recording... Not just the actual words, but even the long-lost musical (tonal) accent (as in old Greek or in Japanese) has been preserved up to the present.
—āMichael Witzel[5]
Ancient Indians developed techniques for listening, memorization and recitation of their knowledge, in schools called Gurukul, while maintaining exceptional accuracy of their knowledge across the generations.[42] Many forms of recitation or paths were designed to aid accuracy in recitation and the transmission of the Vedas and other knowledge texts from one generation to the next. All hymns in each Veda were recited in this way; for example, all 1,028 hymns with 10,600 verses of the Rigveda was preserved in this way; as were all other Vedas including the Principal Upanishads, as well as the Vedangas. Each text was recited in a number of ways, to ensure that the different methods of recitation acted as a cross check on the other. Pierre-Sylvain Filliozat summarizes this as follows:[43]
Samhita-patha: continuous recitation of Sanskrit words bound by the phonetic rules of euphonic combination;
Pada-patha: a recitation marked by a conscious pause after every word, and after any special grammatical codes embedded inside the text; this method suppresses euphonic combination and restores each word in its original intended form;
Krama-patha: a step-by-step recitation where euphonically-combined words are paired successively and sequentially and then recited; for example, a hymn "word1 word2 word3 word4...", would be recited as "word1word2 word2word3 word3word4 ...."; this method to verify accuracy is credited to Vedic sages Gargya and Sakarya in the Hindu tradition and mentioned by the ancient Sanskrit grammarian Panini (dated to pre-Buddhism period);
Krama-patha modified: the same step-by-step recitation as above, but without euphonic-combinations (or free form of each word); this method to verify accuracy is credited to Vedic sages Babhravya and Galava in the Hindu tradition, and is also mentioned by the ancient Sanskrit grammarian Panini;
Jata-pÄį¹ha, dhvaja-pÄį¹ha and ghana-pÄį¹ha are methods of recitation of a text and its oral transmission that developed after 5th century BCE, that is after the start of Buddhism and Jainism; these methods use more complicated rules of combination and were less used.
These extraordinary retention techniques guaranteed an accurate Åruti, fixed across the generations, not just in terms of unaltered word order but also in terms of sound.[42][44] That these methods have been effective, is testified to by the preservation of the most ancient Indian religious text, the į¹gveda (ca. 1500 BCE).[43]
cmy
2018-01-21
https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/in-praise-of-memorizing-the-dhamma/7960/3
Ananda was famous for his memory, but we shouldnāt misunderstand and think that advice to memorize and constantly reflect on the dhamma we memorized only applied to Ananda, or people with extraordinary memory, or reciter monks tasked with memorizing portions of the tipitaka. The same instructions come across regularly in the suttas, applicable to everyone, not just Ananda.
In AN 6.29 for example, the buddha asks a monk, āwhat are the 6 recollectionsā? The monk gives the wrong answer, and the Buddha calls that monk āa foolā.
After reading that sutta a few times, I realized even though Iām not a monk, the Buddha was talking to everyone who wants nirvana. Iām no fool, so I memorized (sati) it, and recite it daily, reflect on it (using V&V vitakka and vicara of first jhana) as I recite it, and reflect on it any time itās relevant throughout the day.
I canāt emphasize enough how important this practice is. The only difference between Ananda and you is the amount you memorize, but the practice of relating to what you do have memorized is the same, it involves memory (sati), being rememberful and a rememberer (sato), this practice is samadhi, and you should be doing it all the time if you care about nirvana.
One of the first things I started doing after this insight really sunk in, is I stopped reciting useless things that I memorized, let those fade from memory, identified what were the critical necessities that I didnāt yet have memorized that were important to nirvana, and acted accordingly. IMO, most pali chanting books Iāve seen contain over 50% unnecessary things I wouldnāt bother memorizing. And most of the most important things you should have memorized arenāt in most chanting books.
If every Buddhist did this, memorizing the important core, word for word, the Dhamma wouldnāt get corrupted. Or at least, if there was unintentional corruption from misinterpretation or misunderstanding of the Buddhaās words, then later generations at least have an opportunity to recover the lost meaning and figure out the misinterpretation.
game of broken telephone
šš external notes
broken telephone: why Buddhists should study EBT, memorize and recite passages daily
from wikipedia:
Chinese whispers (Commonwealth English) or the telephone game (American English) [1] is an internationally popular children's game [2] in which players form a line, and the first player comes up with a message and whispers it to the ear of the second person in the line. The second player repeats the message to the third player, and so on. When the last player is reached, they announce the message they heard to the entire group. The first person then compares the original message with the final version. Although the objective is to pass around the message without it becoming garbled along the way, part of the enjoyment is that, regardless, this usually ends up happening. Errors typically accumulate in the retellings, so the statement announced by the last player differs significantly from that of the first player, usually with amusing or humorous effect. Reasons for changes include anxiousness or impatience, erroneous corrections, the difficult-to-understand mechanism of whispering, and that some players may deliberately alter what is being said to guarantee a changed message by the end of the line.
The game is often played by children as a party game or on the playground. It is often invoked as a metaphor for cumulative error, especially the inaccuracies as rumours or gossip spread,[1] or, more generally, for the unreliability of human recollection or even oral traditions.