Chris,
You've got it.
No "speculation", though.
That's *exactly* why certain objects in the teachings were numbered.
That practice has a long history in India before Shakyamuni lived.
Humans are pretty neat, in our capabilities, when it comes to important things.
Especially having to do with Art, and technic. As in "numbers". I think
we're lucky. And lucky, too, to be able to drop them.
--Joe
> Chris Austin-Lane <chris@...> wrote:
>
> Don't forget the eightfold way.
>
> I have heard it speculated that numbered lists make it easier in an oral
> tradition to remember stuff, and that the proliferation of numbered items in
> ancient spiritual traditions, especial Buddhism, are a normal result of a
> few hundred years of oral transmission.
------------------------------------
Current Book Discussion: any Zen book that you recently have read or are
reading! Talk about it today!Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zen_Forum/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zen_Forum/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
[email protected]
[email protected]
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[email protected]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
