How were texts transmitted orally?

[Hazel]

We all know that there was a period of time where texts were passed down orally. At the very least we can agree that some texts in the history of Buddhism were.

How did this actually happen? What were the techniques used when a student was receiving a text and committing it to memory? I mean the real nitty gritty details.

There must have been a procedure of some kind.

I know how one memorizes a text with the written word, but I don't know how one would memorize it if it weren't written down and readable.

[Budai]

It’s important to mention that in those days people were to have said to have had better memories. As Kali-Yuga progresses, the mind has been more difficult to deal with for many people, in earlier times, even though Lord Buddha came some 2500 after it’s onset, people still had sharper memories, so they could remember the Teachings in an easier manner.

Other me mentioning that, I would surely like to know the answer to your question as well, as it is an interesting one!

[FiveSkandhas]

Bhāṇakas were Buddhist monks who specialized in the memorization and recitation of a specific collection of texts within the Buddhist canon. Lineages of bhāṇakas were responsible for preserving and transmitting the teachings of the Buddha until the canon was committed to writing in the 1st Century BC.

All schools of Buddhism agree that shortly after the death of the Buddha, a council of his senior students was held to clarify and record his teachings. At this gathering (known as the First Buddhist Council), Upali was questioned regarding the contents of the Vinaya and Ananda was similarly questioned regarding the Dhamma. Once the council had agreed on the contents of the teachings, they acknowledged their acceptance of the sutras by reciting them together.

Subsequent major and minor councils are depicted as following the same basic procedure to compare, correct, and fix the contents of the canon, with specialists in each area of the collection called upon to recite the complete text for confirmation by the gathered Sangha.

In the Theravada commentaries, references are found to bhāṇakas that specialized in each of the four Nikayas, as well as Jataka-bhāṇakas, Dhammapada-bhāṇakas, and Khuddaka-bhāṇakas. Each group of bhāṇakas was responsible for reciting and teaching their texts, and seem to have exercised independent judgement as to how their texts were organized and the versions of stories and doctrines that they preserved- variant readings between versions of content preserved in both the Digha Nikaya and Majjhima Nikaya, for instance, may be attributable to the preservation of different versions by different schools of bhāṇakas. Different schools of bhāṇakas may have 'closed' their canon at different times, and seem to have differed in some cases in which texts of the Khuddaka Nikaya and Abhidharma Pitaka they accepted as canonical.

Stupa inscriptions from India dating to the 2nd Century BCE mention bhāṇakas who specialized in teaching the sutras or knew the four Nikayas/Agamas but do not represent them as specializing in a single Nikaya. By contrast, cave inscriptions from Sri Lanka ranging in date from the 3rd Century BCE to the 1st Century CE make specific references to monks who specialized in the Samyutta Nikaya, Majjhima Nikaya, or Anguttara Nikaya. Roles as bhāṇaka of a particular Nikaya were passed down from teacher to student.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bh%C4%81%E1%B9%87aka

[Queequeg]

Mnemonics, metre, set phrases, group recitation.

I memorize texts to chant. Not that long. I chant them in Japanese/Chinese. Repetition, basically.

I also know the words to a lot of songs.

I suspect it's all basically the same "muscle". In the past they probably had more necessity and practice.

[Hazel]

Mnemonics, metre, set phrases, group recitation.

I memorize texts to chant. Not that long. I chant them in Japanese/Chinese. Repetition, basically.

I also know the words to a lot of songs.

I suspect it's all basically the same "muscle". In the past they probably had more necessity and practice.

As repetition/exposure is the slowest/least efficient* way of memorizing something, I was curious if there was a procedure that provided back and forth between a teacher and students.

Maybe there was just regular enough group chantings that it stuck? I definitely know chunks of the prayers at my center just from doing them a couple times a week, but as said that's a very slow way to learn something. Maybe it wasn't then!

*(focusing on practicing recall is more efficient)

[Hazel]

Bhāṇakas were Buddhist monks who specialized in the memorization and recitation of a specific collection of texts within the Buddhist canon. Lineages of bhāṇakas were responsible for preserving and transmitting the teachings of the Buddha until the canon was committed to writing in the 1st Century BC.

All schools of Buddhism agree that shortly after the death of the Buddha, a council of his senior students was held to clarify and record his teachings. At this gathering (known as the First Buddhist Council), Upali was questioned regarding the contents of the Vinaya and Ananda was similarly questioned regarding the Dhamma. Once the council had agreed on the contents of the teachings, they acknowledged their acceptance of the sutras by reciting them together.

Subsequent major and minor councils are depicted as following the same basic procedure to compare, correct, and fix the contents of the canon, with specialists in each area of the collection called upon to recite the complete text for confirmation by the gathered Sangha.

In the Theravada commentaries, references are found to bhāṇakas that specialized in each of the four Nikayas, as well as Jataka-bhāṇakas, Dhammapada-bhāṇakas, and Khuddaka-bhāṇakas. Each group of bhāṇakas was responsible for reciting and teaching their texts, and seem to have exercised independent judgement as to how their texts were organized and the versions of stories and doctrines that they preserved- variant readings between versions of content preserved in both the Digha Nikaya and Majjhima Nikaya, for instance, may be attributable to the preservation of different versions by different schools of bhāṇakas. Different schools of bhāṇakas may have 'closed' their canon at different times, and seem to have differed in some cases in which texts of the Khuddaka Nikaya and Abhidharma Pitaka they accepted as canonical.

Stupa inscriptions from India dating to the 2nd Century BCE mention bhāṇakas who specialized in teaching the sutras or knew the four Nikayas/Agamas but do not represent them as specializing in a single Nikaya. By contrast, cave inscriptions from Sri Lanka ranging in date from the 3rd Century BCE to the 1st Century CE make specific references to monks who specialized in the Samyutta Nikaya, Majjhima Nikaya, or Anguttara Nikaya. Roles as bhāṇaka of a particular Nikaya were passed down from teacher to student.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bh%C4%81%E1%B9%87aka

Thank you. Is there research into what the actual "teaching" of bhāṇakas was like?

[FiveSkandhas]

One theory that has a lot of supporters is that the origin of dharani was as mnemonic devices to help remember texts, doctrines, or other types of longer blocks of information. So rather than being "meaningless sounds," each syllable represented a longer string of information and recalling the dharani would be a way to assemble longer texts from memory.

[tkp67]

One theory that has a lot of supporters is that the origin of dharani was as mnemonic devices to help remember texts, doctrines, or other types of longer blocks of information. So rather than being "meaningless sounds," each syllable represented a longer string of information and recalling the dharani would be a way to assemble longer texts from memory.

Interesting. I was reading about tone and background noise also effecting memory. I wonder if communal practice had a potetiating effect. The acoustic characteristics of a cave and instruments such as a conch.

[Malcolm]

Thank you. Is there research into what the actual "teaching" of bhāṇakas was like?

They just chanted texts. For example, Buddhagosha was reputed to have relied on bhāṇakas in composing his Visuddhimagga. They were walking books.

[Minobu]

And then it comes down to who wrote it all down , and when.

[Hazel]

Mnemonics, metre, set phrases, group recitation.

I memorize texts to chant. Not that long. I chant them in Japanese/Chinese. Repetition, basically.

I also know the words to a lot of songs.

I suspect it's all basically the same "muscle". In the past they probably had more necessity and practice.

Sorry, when I responded the first time there were literally bugs crawling on my monitor and I was losing my mind.

I think you're right about them having more of the muscle. Regular chanting was probably enough. My partner was telling me stories about someone who lived essentially in a swamp most of their life and never learned to read. They had an insanely good memory.

I made the mistake of comparing the monastics to myself and my culture!

[Minobu]

So were Mahayana sutras spoken from Lord Sakyamuni Buddha like the other sutras handed down.
Or were they a product of Lord Sakyamuni Buddha using His Dharmakaya Body to influence the writers well after His Passing .

I thought Mahayana came from The Dharmakaya Body , hence my query.

fab thread...good for the DW archives

[Dhammanando]

As repetition/exposure is the slowest/least efficient* way of memorizing something, I was curious if there was a procedure that provided back and forth between a teacher and students.

In Vinaya texts the methods described are the same as the four used by brahmins when memorising the Vedas:

1) The teacher and student recite in unison, i.e., beginning together and ending together.
2) The teacher begins a line, the student joins in, and they end together.
3) The teacher recites the beginning syllable of a line together with the student, who then completes it alone.
4) The teacher recites one line, and the student recites the next line alone.

[Hazel]

As repetition/exposure is the slowest/least efficient* way of memorizing something, I was curious if there was a procedure that provided back and forth between a teacher and students.

In Vinaya texts the methods described are the same as the four used by brahmins when memorising the Vedas:

1) The teacher and student recite in unison, i.e., beginning together and ending together.
2) The teacher begins a line, the student joins in, and they end together.
3) The teacher recites the beginning syllable of a line together with the student, who then completes it alone.
4) The teacher recites one line, and the student recites the next line alone.

This is wonderful! Can you cite something specific?

[Dhammanando]

This is wonderful! Can you cite something specific?

The four mehods are described in Vinaya texts expounding the meaning of the rule that prohibits monks from teaching unordained persons to memorize the Dhamma.

Here's a link to Bhante Brahmali's translation of the Pali version. The same site gives links to 43 parallels from the Vinaya recensions of other schools, but these are only available in Sanskrit, Chinese or Tibetan.

https://suttacentral.net/pli-tv-bu-vb-pc4/en/brahmali

Fourth pācittiya rule

‘If a monk instructs a person who is not fully ordained to memorize the Teaching, he commits an offense entailing confession.’

Explanation of terms

To memorize: a line, the next line, syllable by syllable, the next phrase.

A line: they start together and finish together.

The next line: one of them starts, but they finish together.

Syllable by syllable: when ‘rūpaṁ aniccaṁ’ is being said, he prompts him, saying, ‘rū.’

The next phrase: when ‘Rūpaṁ aniccaṁ,’ is being said, the other says, ‘Vedanā aniccā.’

And whatever line there is, whatever next line, whatever syllable by syllable, whatever next phrase—this is all called “to memorize”.

[Hazel]

This is wonderful! Can you cite something specific?

The four mehods are described in Vinaya texts expounding the meaning of the rule that prohibits monks from teaching unordained persons to memorize the Dhamma.

Here's a link to Bhante Brahmali's translation of the Pali version. The same site gives links to 43 parallels from the Vinaya recensions of other schools, but these are only available in Sanskrit, Chinese or Tibetan.

https://suttacentral.net/pli-tv-bu-vb-pc4/en/brahmali

Fourth pācittiya rule

‘If a monk instructs a person who is not fully ordained to memorize the Teaching, he commits an offense entailing confession.’

Explanation of terms

To memorize: a line, the next line, syllable by syllable, the next phrase.

A line: they start together and finish together.

The next line: one of them starts, but they finish together.

Syllable by syllable: when ‘rūpaṁ aniccaṁ’ is being said, he prompts him, saying, ‘rū.’

The next phrase: when ‘Rūpaṁ aniccaṁ,’ is being said, the other says, ‘Vedanā aniccā.’

And whatever line there is, whatever next line, whatever syllable by syllable, whatever next phrase—this is all called “to memorize”.

This is gold. Thank you so much!

[Minobu]

I think at times These were Bodhisattvas , actual students of the Buddha so Their faculties would be enhanced.

[Taikor.Taikun]

As repetition/exposure is the slowest/least efficient* way of memorizing something, I was curious if there was a procedure that provided back and forth between a teacher and students.

In Vinaya texts the methods described are the same as the four used by brahmins when memorising the Vedas:

1) The teacher and student recite in unison, i.e., beginning together and ending together.
2) The teacher begins a line, the student joins in, and they end together.
3) The teacher recites the beginning syllable of a line together with the student, who then completes it alone.
4) The teacher recites one line, and the student recites the next line alone.

This method is still somewhat in practise today. Monks that form a group, the specialist, would practise w a teacher n w each other regularly. That is why we often would enjoy hearing how smooth the monks recite w the change of voice, long breath, tempo, uttering of the words... From start to finish, very enjoyable to hear.

Monks in temples usually recite sutras n chant mantras in the morning, noon n evening. So do lay followers at home but usually only the morning n evening session n in short versions due to work n worldly duties. Temples n centres also encourage activities like sutra-writing w hands to train ur patience n enhance ur memory. We know why. At the end time, Buddhism teachings will b gone for a long time before Maitreya comes. So, we might b the last generation that remembers the teaching n practising it.

Tibetan Masters would require that u learn Tibetan language to preserve its original meaning. There r Tibetan Masters well verse in Chinese n other languages. But the one im following wants to teach me his language so that i get more ‘power’. Haha. So i plan to learn Tibetan n Sanskrit