Why are the sutta's so didactic?

[mikenz66]

... and if it is a sutta of particular importance, I would recommend copying it out, adding in the elided bits, and then reading it aloud.

And that reading can take quite a long time. The order of 15 minutes for a shortish discourse like Dhamma-cakkappavattana Sutta. Over an hour for some others...


Mike

[tiltbillings]

... and if it is a sutta of particular importance, I would recommend copying it out, adding in the elided bits, and then reading it aloud.

And that reading can take quite a long time. The order of 15 minutes for a shortish discourse like Dhamma-cakkappavattana Sutta. Over an hour for some others...

And imaging sitting under a full moon chanting the sutta with a group of monks, or sitting at the feet of a teacher who is reciting the sutta, and stopping every so often to offer a comment or two about what it says or to ask a question about what you are understanding of what it says. At one time the relationship to the suttas was very different from reading alone in one's room, and it always involved others.

[Ñāṇa]

As I said I would recommend reading the suttas aloud, and if it is a sutta of particular importance, I would recommend copying it out, adding in the elided bits, and then reading it aloud.

Yeah it's a good idea. It also doesn't hurt to memorize a few favorite passages or suttas and then recite them from memory as a regular part of one's practice.

All the best,

Geoff

[mikenz66]

And imaging sitting under a full moon chanting the sutta with a group of monks, or sitting at the feet of a teacher who is reciting the sutta, and stopping every so often to offer a comment or two about what it says or to ask a question about what you are understanding of what it says. At one time the relationship to the suttas was very different from reading alone in one's room, and it always involved others.

That's what I like about the Sutta Study talks at BSWA:
http://www.dhammaloka.org.au/component/ ... study.html
and Bhante Vimalaramsi's talks:
http://www.dhammasukha.org/Study/recent.htm
where the suttas are read out and commented on.


Mike