Re: References to chanting, pronunciation, etc., in the Canon

Dear Balaji,

The protagonist of the story you cite is not Mahākaccāna himself, but a pupil of his named Soṇa Kuṭikaṇṇa. In the Vinaya Mahāvagga (Vin I 197) it is reported that Soṇa, at the urging of Mahākaccāna, traveled from Avantī to visit the Buddha at Jetavana in Sāvatthī. After his arrival the Buddha asked him to recite some Dhamma. In response, he recited all the texts of the Aṭṭhakavagga (sabbān’eva aṭṭhakavaggikāni sarena abhāsi). At the end of the recitation, the Buddha applauded him with the words: “Excellent, excellent, bhikkhu! You have learned well, attended well, memorized well the texts of the Aṭṭhakavagga.” There is an Udāna version of the story as well (at Ud 59), which states that Soṇa recited all sixteen texts of the Aṭṭhakavagga (soḷasa aṭṭhakavaggikāni sabbān’eva sarena abhaṇi), and the Buddha mentions the figure in his word of appreciation: “Excellent, excellent, bhikkhu! You have learned well, attended well, memorized well the sixteen texts of the Aṭṭhakavagga.”

With best wishes,

Bhikkhu Bodhi

 

Hi all,

I am trying to find out more about pronunciation strictness in chanting as professed by early Buddhists in the Pali Canon. I have come to learn through some distinguished scholars in this group, that the commentarial tradition did lay some emphasis on correct pronunciation. But the extant of this emphasis at the time of the Buddha, with references in the Pali Canon seems a little unclear.

I heard the following story in a Dhamma talk given by Ajahn Pasanno (abbot of Abhayagiri monastery, northern CA). I don't even know if the story is part of the Canon itself, or if it is part of the commentarial tradition:

Mahākaccāna visits the Buddha after a long time, and after the formalities, the Buddha asks Mahākaccāna to chant the Aṭṭhakavagga, section of the Suttanipāta. And when Mahākaccāna finishes chanting, the Buddha praised Mahākaccāna for his great voice and proper pronunciation etc.

I'm trying to find a reference to this story and would be very grateful if someone on this group knows that and can point it out to me. Also, if you have references to other similar stories or incidents in the Pali Canon itself, I would be very grateful for your help.

Thanks,

Balaji

-- 
Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi
Chuang Yen Monastery
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Sabbe sattā averā hontu, abyāpajjā hontu, anighā hontu, sukhī hontu!
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