Lzh Mu Bi Vb Pc 6Memorizing the Teaching
Pāli / Sanskrit:Padasodhamma
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The Padasodhamma Rule (Memorizing the Teaching)
Background
The Padasodhamma rule belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon in the Theravāda tradition, specifically the Pācittiya section, offenses requiring repentance. The Vinaya Piṭaka records the rules of practice established by the Buddha for the community of monks and nuns in order to maintain discipline, communal harmony, and support for the progress of practice.
According to the Theravāda traditional context, this discourse concerns the matter of memorizing, transmitting, and preserving the Teaching. Padasodhamma means “the purity or correctness of the words,” referring to the responsibility of monastics to memorize accurately and transmit the Dharma to later generations. This is an important disciplinary matter, because the safety and integrity of the Dharma teaching depend upon accurate memorization.
Main Content
The specific content of Padasodhamma in the Vinaya Piṭaka revolves around regulations concerning how bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs must memorize, study, and teach the Dharma. The discourse emphasizes that remembering the Buddha’s words incorrectly or interpreting them wrongly is a serious fault, because it can lead to the decline of the Dharma teaching.
The core points include: first, monastics have the responsibility to learn by heart and remember accurately the discourses, rules, and instructions of the Buddha; second, when teaching or transmitting them to others, they must explain accurately without changing the wording or meaning; third, if a monastic realizes that he or she has memorized incorrectly or hears someone else teaching incorrectly, he or she has the responsibility to correct it.
The rule also mentions favorable conditions for memorization, such as concentrating the mind, studying regularly, discussing with knowledgeable persons, and cultivating concentration so that the mind is clear. Protecting the accuracy of the Dharma is regarded as a sacred part of communal practice, because it protects future generations of students of the Buddha from confusion.
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