The Significance of Puccha-vissajjana in the Buddhist Literature
Pisit Kobbun
lovetatam@gmail.com
Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
Abstract

The use of puccha-vissajjana, question and answer, in the Pali suttas reflects its significance as a literary technique for communicating the teachings of the Buddha. Puccha-vissajjana is a technique for teaching the dhamma employed by the Buddha and his disciples. It is a mnemonic technique for conveying and maintaining the teachings in the oral tradition and was kept as a written record until it becomes a tradition technique in composing post-Tipitaka Buddhist literature. When regarding the suttas as a textbook, the use of puccha-vissajjana in the suutas is important for the study of dhamma-vinaya. Contructing the suttas according to the puccha-vissajjana technique is favorable for dhamma practice and concentration-development. The puccha-vissajjana process is well in accord with the process of concentration-development for developing wisdom. As a result of this, those who study the suttas (the story being developed through puccha-vissajjana) will thereby certainly be practicing concentration while studying the text.

section: Articles
section: Articles

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