Re: the title 'Sayadaw'

  Dear Jim,

There is no need for a book on this topic. There is nothing special
about it.
   Having learnt some suttas, the Patimokkha and quite a few verses by
heart myself, I can say that, unless one has a photographic memory, the
most important technique is simply repetition, frequently doing it. The
more one has memorised, the easier it becomes to memorise more.  There
is one Western monk  who knows most of the Canonical verses (i.e. the
Dhammapada, Suttanipata, etc) by heart, and also knows a lot of sutta
passages. He also told me that it becomes easier and easier to memorise
new things after a while. The mind gets used to it.
If one does not recite a text regularly one forgets parts of it. As is
said in the Dhammapada verse (no. 240)
Asajjha-yamala- manta-, ''non-rehearsal is the stain of mantras.''
Monks normally memorise through regular chanting or reciting of Pali
texts, either alone or with others. In some monasteries here in Sri
Lanka there is group chanting three times a day, and if not, then twice
or at least once. The chanting usually contains one sutta of the
Catubhanavara or Mahaparitta book, and this sutta is rotated every day,
so most Sinhalese monks will know all the suttas and verses contained in
that book. Texts outside of that standard repetoire, such as the
Patimokkha, a monk will have to learn by chanting by himself.
In Pirivenas, monk schools, grammatical texts such as the Balavatara
are, or were, memorised. Memorising texts and passages is an important
occupation for young monks. I was told that in some temples novices
would have to be able to memorise the whole Dhammapada before they were
allowed to become bhikkhu. The education for young monks in Pirivenas,
and also for lay children in  normal schools here, is memorising and
repeating things. The teacher asks a question and the pupil has to be
able to recite or say exactly what he has memorised. Investigation and
originality are not encouraged.
In Muslim madras schools the system is the same. Boys learn to recite
the entire Koran by heart in the same way: repetition.
    In ancient times, before the texts were written down, all Pali texts
would  have to be learnt orally from other monks. The techniques for
learning by oral recitation with a teacher monk are described in the
explanation of the 4th Pacittaya rule in the Suttavibhanga. Ajahn
Thanissaro describes the part relevant to us as follows:

The Vibhanga lists four ways in which a person might be trained to be a
reciter of a text:

     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.

Reciters of the Vedas still use these methods at present when practicing
their texts.

(http://www.cambodianbuddhist.org/english/website/lib/modern/thanissaro/bmc1/ch08-1.html
<http://www.cambodianbuddhist.org/english/website/lib/modern/thanissaro/bmc1/ch08-1.html>)

The Pali of the Sutta Vibhanga is:

Padaso na-ma padam., anupadam., anvakkharam., anubyañjanam..

Padam. na-ma ekato pat.t.hapetva- ekato osa-penti. Anupadam. na-ma
pa-t.ekkam. pat.t.hapetva- ekato osa-penti. Anvakkharam. na-ma ''ru-pam.
anicca''nti vuccama-no, ''ru''nti opa-teti. Anubyañjanam. na-ma
''ru-pam. anicca''nti vuccama-no, ''vedana- anicca-''ti saddam. niccha-reti.

Mrs. Horner's translation of this in the Book of Discipline,
Suttavibhanga Vol. 2, is:

"A line, the next line, every syllable, the next phrase.
A 'line' means: starting together they end together. The 'next line'
means: starting singly they end together. 'Every syllable' means: saying
'Form is impermanent' (ruupa.m anicca.m) he drops' ruu.' The 'next
phrase' means while saying 'form is impermanent,' he utters the sound
'feelings are impermanent.' "


I hope that this is of use.

Regards,
                          Bh Nyanatusita


> I sure would love to hear or see a book, written by a Tipitakadhara, about
> best techniques to memorize Pali books and/or their experience and
> challenges by doing so...would be quite interesting to know. Especially when
> it comes to entire books.



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