Why didn't the Buddha write his teachings down?

[Jhana4]

I've read that the Buddha's teachings were passed down for centuries via an oral tradition before being written down on palm leaves in Sri Lanka.

Why?

Writing might not have been widespread in his time, but being a prince it would seem that he would have received the best education that could have been had. It would seem likely he would have been able to write in at least one language. Given what he wrote in such suttas as "The Drum" he would have had a desire to record things himself.

Was it that the technology of the time just made keeping a log difficult?

[gavesako]

You will find the answer here:

http://pathpress.wordpress.com/bodhesak ... li-suttas/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

The oral tradition is more reliable. To learn even a single discourse by heart requires a lot more effort than just reading it. Not only that, but to commit a long discourse to memory is harder still f you cannot understand the meaning of what you're saying. Understanding the meaning gives the context, to remind you what comes next.

Written manuscripts are copied many times by scribes, and errors inevitably creep in. You will know if you have ever done any proof-reading how easy it is to overlook a glaring error.

When a class of students learn a text by heart from a teacher, they are made to recite it by heart in front of the whole class. Not only is the teacher listening, but everyone in the class is too, and they are all ready to point out the slightest slip of the tongue.

[cooran]

Hello Jhana4 all,

In the Buddha's day, writing was just for things like government and commerce. and there was widespread illiteracy. For really important things, where it was critical that no alteration occur ( as can happen so very easily, deliberately or accidentally when writing is used) - the Oral Tradition was used. The Buddha instituted in his lifetime the Chanting Together by large groups of specially designated Bhikkhus - the Bhanakas (Hearers). The Bhanakas had portions of the Teachings allocated to each group, and so there were The Digha Bhanakas, The Majjhima Bhanakas etc.

It was only hundreds of years later in Sri Lanka, in a time of famine and warfare, with many bhikkhus dying, and with Buddhism all but wiped out in India, that the MahaSangha decided the Buddhist Canon and its commentaries needed to be written down.
They were engraved on Ola Leaves. Many of us have been to Sri Lanka and have had the inestimable good fortune to have seen demonstrations of this being done at the ancient rock temple of Aluvihara Temple (where the Tipitaka was originally written down) in the Matale district 26 km from Kandy.

The Suttas are rather like the memory prompts - the dot points of the most important information to be transmitted - similar to those a public speaker carries on a little card in his hand. Anything that is repeated is to be seen as something important which was highlighted by the repetition.

As I understand it, the Pali Suttas are teaching vehicles whose meanings are densely packed layer on layer. They are not to be read as an ordinary page of print, but require 'unpacking' by someone learned in the Dhamma. This condensed form was necessary in order that the Teachings would not be lost in the years before they were finally put into writing. It allowed them to be memorised by the large groups of bhikkhus (bhanakas) assigned to each portion of the Tipitaka. They are not verbatim reports of chats and conversations. This memorisation is said to have commenced before the parinibbana of the Buddha.

"Thus you should train yourselves: 'We will listen when discourses that are words of the Tathagata -- deep, deep in their meaning, transcendent, connected with emptiness -- are being recited. We will lend ear, will set our hearts on knowing them, will regard these teachings as worth grasping & mastering.' That's how you should train yourselves." (Ari sutta).
Venerable Mahá Kassapa, the elected head of the First Council. Cúlavagga Xl,1,1 (ii,284) reiterated:
"Come, friends: let us recite the Teaching and the Discipline before what is not the Teaching shines forth and the Teaching is put aside, before what is not the Discipline shines forth and the Discipline is put aside, before those who speak what is not the Teaching become strong and those who speak what is the Teaching become weak, before those who speak what is not the Discipline become strong and those who speak what is the Discipline become weak."

with metta
Chris

[alan]

I love you Chris.

[cooran]

Thanks alan! Glad it was of use.

with metta
Chris

[Jhana4]

The Suttas are rather like the memory prompts - the dot points of the most important information to be transmitted - similar to those a public speaker carries on a little card in his hand. Anything that is repeated is to be seen as something important which was highlighted by the repetition.

They are not verbatim reports of chats and conversations. This memorisation is said to have commenced before the parinibbana of the Buddha.

I always hear the phrase "the Buddha's own words", do monks or academics actually come right out and say that the suttas are menomic device and what was actually said?

[chownah]

Yeah, "the Buddha's own words" is not a very honest thing to say....clearly we do not have any of his words as can be easily understood in that we don't even know for sure what language he spoke in delivering the Dhamma.....clearly we do not have the Buddha's own words.......
chownah

[alan]

Chowna: I can't tell if you are joking or not, because of the writing style.
J4: You can't be serious. Think about it.
Where would the pen and paper come from?

[Jhana4]

Chowna: I can't tell if you are joking or not, because of the writing style.
J4: You can't be serious. Think about it.
Where would the pen and paper come from?

Alan, writing did exist at that time.

[plwk]

Where would the pen and paper come from?

Bird feathers and leaves...

[alan]

Which is obviously impracticable. And they would have eroded.

[alan]

Like to hear your ideas, J4. How would you have written down the teachings if you existed at that time?

[chownah]

Chowna: I can't tell if you are joking or not, because of the writing style.
J4: You can't be serious. Think about it.
Where would the pen and paper come from?

I'm not joking.....I believe that there is no evidence to indicate what language the Buddha spoke in....it has been suggested by some that he probably spoke many different languages since he was a prince from a wealthy family and it might be expected that he was educated in the manner of rich princes of the time which would mean several languages....this is what others have said....I have no direct information on this.....as far as I know Pali was not a spoken language at the time of the Buddha and that it came about as a literary language not as a spoken language....again this is just what I have read and have no direct information about it....

If this is correct then all we have are translations of the Buddha's words....and I think that few would agree that having a translation is equivalent to having the original words....but maybe some people would think so....
chownah

[cooran]

Hello chownah,

Maybe worth your reading Kare's posts in this thread:

What language did the Buddha speak?
http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.ph ... 30&start=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

with metta
Chris