The Buddhist Hour Broadcast for 28 April 2002
Radio Broadcast Script 222

Glossary

by rote: in a mechanical or repetitious manner; especially of learning acquired through memorization without proper understanding or reflection.

Pitaka: basket, technical term for the three main divisions of the Pali Canon, "the three baskets of oral tradition". Pitaka is a later collective appellation of the Scriptures; the first division of the Canon (based on oral tradition entirely) being into Sutta and Vinaya (i.e. the stock paragraphs learnt by heart, and the rules of the Order). Independently of this division we find the designation "Dhamma" applied to the doctrinal portions; and of this developed the third Pitaka, the Abhidhamma.

pitakadhara (Pali): one who knows (either one or two or all three of the Pitaka by heart.

rote learning: the learning by rote of a series of items, as a technique in study

deft: clever or neat in action; skillful, dexterous; tidy, trim, neat; quiet, gentle

foibles: foible - weak feeble; foiblesse - weakness of character; a failing; a liking or weakness for

invective: using or characterised by denunciatory language; vituperative, abusive

sardonic: (of laughter, a smile, etc.) bitter, scornful, mocking; characterised by or exhibiting bitterness, scorn, or mockery

Today's program is called: The need for rote learning.

Today many persons live in colourless worlds. How may they be offered a fuller life and contentment? Rote learning is one method. Study 10,000 volumes and walk 10,000 miles is the advice of the Chinese ancients as study techniques.

What are the advantages of rote learning?

There is something pleasantly hidden when rote learning a text, for example, it may open the way to better speech if you remember a collection of good phrases.

From such a collection a classification may be made with the province of each quote worked out, the method and means of potential delivery and the type of suitable audience deduced.

For example, Fowler lists the following cases:

For humour, the motive or aim is discovery, the province is human nature, the method or means is observation and the audience is the sympathetic.

For wit, the motive or aim is throwing light, the province is words and ideas, the method or means is surprise and the audience is the intelligent.

For satire, the motive or aim is amendment, the province is morals and manners, the method or means is accentuation and the audience is the self-satisfied.

For sarcasm, the motive or aim is inflicting pain, the province is faults and foibles, the method or means is inversion and the audience is victim and by-stander.

For invective, the motive or aim is discredit, the province is misconduct, the method or means is direct statement and the audience is the public.

For irony, the motive or aim is exclusiveness, the province is statement of facts, the method or means is mystification and the audience is an inner circle.

For cynicism, the motive or aim is self-justification, the province is morals, the method or means is exposure of nakedness and the audience is the respectable.

For the sardonic, the motive or aim is self-relief, the province is adversity, the method or means is pessimism and the audience is self.

What are the benefits of rote learning?

One day you may compose an original composition from your borrowings. But at the very least, you can add more light than heat to your arguments. Perhaps you could stop being difficult.

Among those who study painting, some strive for an elaborate effect and others prefer the simple. Neither complexity in itself nor simplicity is enough. Some aim to be deft, others to be laboriously careful. Neither dexterity nor conscientiousness is enough. Some get great value on method, while others pride themselves on dispensing with method. To be without method is deplorable, but to depend entirely on method is worse.

You must learn first to observe the rules faithfully; afterwards, modify them according to your intelligence and capacity. The end of all method is to seem to have no method.

First, however, to paint you must work hard. Bury the brush again and again in the ink and grind the inkstone to dust. Take ten days to paint a stream and five to paint a rock. Then, later, you may try to paint the landscape at Chailing. Li Ssu-hsun took months to paint it; Wu Tao-tzu did it in one evening. Thus at a later stage, one may proceed slowly, or one may rely on dexterity.

If you aim to dispense with method, learn method. If you aim at facility, work hard. If you aim for simplicity, master complexity.

Where is the evidence that rote learning is effective?

When something is rote learned, it can be repeated with conviction. In the early 1920s a sales person worked out a set of words for selling insurance.

Everyone of his team of ordinary persons were taught to rote learn his selling script. These ordinary persons made extraordinary sales by repeating the script. The originator of this use of rote learning became a multi-millionaire.

In today's monetary terms that would be the equivalent of being a billionaire. He wrote a book called "The Success System that Never Fails". He founded the Combined Insurance Company of America.

Mr. Stone would go into the field with his sales staff to inspire them to voice his rote learned sales script. He would drop in unannounced early in the morning, wearing a racoon coat, smoking a very large Cuban cigar and greet his sales staff with three words: "enthusiasm, enthusiasm, enthusiasm." and see a few customers, deliver the rote learned script and leave his sales staff with the commission from these sales.

Remember this was cold calling, not working from appointments.

The impression made lasted for the life of the sales person. His sales persons were prohibited from using any other words in their selling scripts.

By repetition, proper understanding of the selling stages become clear.

Martin Luther King once made a great speech "I had a dream......" He had worked on his rote delivery everyday for 4 months in front of a mirror. Some say this was the most inspiring speech of the Century. Rote learning made it possible.

Perhaps rote learning could be the start of having additional fun for you.

The artifact of repeating a set of words looking for insight of their meaning is a sound method.

Critical literary theory is based on the premise of using a wide variety of lenses to view the same artifact. The observer's choice of lens determines what he or she will see in a given set of words.

The more insight that arises, the more lightness and pliability of minds arise.

The light of Dhamma is the best light and, when carried by the noble Sangha, can last beyond the physical passing away of one individual person. An example of this was the most noble Chief Monk of Sri Lanka who passed away aged 102. This being arose from Tusita heaven in his past life and took birth with a mission to help the 20th Century Sangha in many ways. This included contributing to the sixth Buddhist Council within the Burmese Sangha tradition.

The content of what is rote learned becomes important.

Some basic conditions which have to arise in order for beings to be able to practice the Buddha Dhamma are:

1. Have to be born into a Buddha-Sasana.

2. Have to be born into a suitable body or form.

3. Have to be born healthy in order to live beyond a few years.

4. Have to have sufficient food, water, warmth and conditions to sustain this present life.

5. Have to meet the Buddha's Teaching of the Middle Way in a language that can be understood.

6. Have to be Teachable as regards the Middle Way.

7. Have to desire to Learn the Middle Way.

8. Have no major obstructions to being trained in the Middle Way over an extended period of time.

9. Have to desire to practice and realise the Teachings of the Middle Way.

10. Have to have sufficient leisure time to be taught and to practice the Middle Way.

We provide a Buddha Dhamma library resource.

One of the purposes of our Centre is to encourage the lay devotees to cultivate these ten conditions on a regular basis by reading more Buddhist Suttas and texts so that they gain a clearer understanding of the Dhamma and rote learn at least some key parts of these texts. We provide some of the texts on our Internet sites www.bdcu.org.au.

Present library operations taken at our Centre and elsewhere are driven by the reflection that it is possible to make more and more Dhamma texts available to more and more persons in the 21st century.

Internally we have machine searchable educational library resources on our network. We use these to write radio broadcasts. There is a need for speed of access to our good information.

This week, we installed our second local area network server (LAN2).

This new LAN is at least 20 times faster than our original local area network called LAN1.

The original has been operating for four years. We wish to thank John Watson and Kamfatt Lin for sharing their expertise to make the systems operate.

The new LAN has many more magnitudes of reliability compared with the previous LAN.

We expect it to have a useful life of five years. During the construction three of our Members wrote down many instructions and have rote learned them for ease of adding additional machines to the server. They rote learn their passwords.

But, alas, rote learning has not been encouraged in some school systems in recent years. In some of the Australian population, the unfortunate habit of not believing in rote learning is becoming evident.

We wish to reverse this habit tendency.

How do we operate to reverse this habit?

The Most Venerable Nyanaponika Mahathera, when discussing the power of mindfulness, concluded that:

"The danger for spiritual development posed by the dominating influence of habit is perhaps more serious today than ever before; for the expansion of habit is particularly noticeable in our present age when specialisation and standardisation reach into so many varied spheres of life and thought".

When considering the Satipatthana Sutta's words on the formation of fetters we should also think of the important part played by habit.

Much of what has strong roots in our nature has grown from minute seeds planted in the long forgotten past as explained by the Simile of the Creeper ( Majjhima 45).

The mental haze that surrounds a habitual activity has a false notion: "it is right because it was done before".

So what is needed is some powerful disruption which gives time and vision to break the unquestioned, unthinking spontaneity of the event.

Although habit brings considerable simplification into our life stream, the evenness of habitual performance does not prove that the habitual performance is valid or will lead the person using it out of trouble.

Rote learning of the Buddhist texts is urged.

We must teach about clear and direct vision until our Students are stirred to a sense of urgency (samvega) to break through their poor habit patterns.

How do we arise awareness of the need for a classical library?

Busha and Harter (1980) suggests that circumstances that account for the growth of libraries include:

1. General recognition within societies of the value and necessity for collecting, preserving, and distributing knowledge.

2. Attainment of periods of peace and political stability within a society.

3. Availability of periods of leisure and the facility of people to enjoy them.

4. Accumulation of vast, private fortunes which can lead to philanthropic gifts to educational and cultural institutions.

5. Widespread recognition of the value of self-improvement and the placing of emphasis on a well-informed citizenry.

6. Revival of learning which emphasis on the accumulation and utilisation of collections of graphical materials.

7. An atmosphere of permanence and stability for social institutions.

8. Rise of creative literary activities that promote more writing and reading.

9. Production of abundant supplies of paper, printing equipment, and other implements of communication.

10. Interaction among different societies and cultures by means of commerce and travel.

11. Desire of rulers and political leaders to compete with others in developing large depositories of recorded information.

12. Development of educational institutions such as universities and public schools which depend upon repositories of knowledge.

13. Rise of a nucleus of educated and civic-minded citizens.

14. Accumulation of vast collections of public records and literary materials in a single language.

As the hard shell of a tortoise protects the soft body within, the Dhamma too, has to be protected by the structure of a Centre's upkeep, administration, financing and development.

At the same time, the shell or structure is not an end itself, but exists for the benefit of Dhamma Practitioners through supporting the preservation and proliferation of The Noble Eightfold Path as taught by the Buddha. In this way a Centre will not become a dead Institution, and will not become an empty shell devoid of the Body of Living Dhamma.

By use of these processes, merit making opportunities can increase both in quality and quantity.

What does the change in our culture towards rote learning give?

When properly cultivated, a Practitioner's surroundings become a vehicle to move him or her along the Middle Path. The merit thus accumulated can be directed towards successfully achieving the following stages of practice.

1. Desire to Practice.
2. Resolve to Practice.
3. Remembrance of Practice.
4. Concentration of Practice.

We are still indexing our library holdings. The titles of some of our indexed library books are available for viewing at www.bdcu.org.au.

May you develop the good habit of rote learning.

May you visit our Centre at 33 Brooking Street, Upwey 3158 Victoria, and inspect our reading resources. Please inquire about joining our lending library. The annual fee is 44 dollars, including GST.

May you develop pliability of mind.

May rote learning bring additional fun to your life.

May you have sufficient leisure time to be taught and practice Buddha Dhamma.

May you cultivate the ten conditions to be able to practice the Buddha Dhamma.

May you read many Buddha Dhamma Suttas and texts.

May you rote learn the key parts of Buddha Dhamma Suttas and texts.

May you be well and happy.

This script was written and edited by John D. Hughes, Anita, Julian Bamford, Evelin Halls and Pennie White.


References

Brown, Lesley (1993) The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles. Vol 1 and Vol 2. Clarendon Press, Oxford.

Davids, T. W. Rhys and Stede, William (eds.) (1979) The Pali Text Society's Pali-English Dictionary, Pali Text Society, London.

Sze, Mai-Mai (1963) Edited and translated by, The Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting , Princeton University Press, New York, USA. p17, 18, 19.

Fowler, H. W. Fowler's Modern English Usage (1965) Oxford University Press, Oxford, Great Britain, p253.


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Document Statistics

Totals
Words: 2176
Sentences: 143
Paragraphs: 73
Characters: 3444

Averages:
Words per sentence: 15.2
Sentences per paragraph: 2.0

Percentages:
Passive Sentences: 18

Readability Statistics:

Flesch Grade Level: 10.9
Coleman-Liau Grade Level: 11.0
Bormuth Grade Level: 9.8
Flesch Reading Ease Score: 56.9
Flesch Kincaid Score: 8.9


Readability Statistics

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Flesch Grade Level: Flesch Grade Level indicates the Flesch Reading Ease score as a grade level. See the Flesch Scoring Table.

Coleman-Liau Grade Level: Indicates the grade level of the document based on the average number of letters per word and number of sentences per 100 words.

Bormuth Grade Level: Indicates the grade level of the document based on the average number of letters per word and per sentence. These scores indicate grade levels ranging from 6.3 to 11.6.

Flesch Reading Ease Score: Indicates how easy the document is to read based on the number of syllables per word and number of words per sentence. These scores indicate a number between 0 and 100. The higher the score, the easier the document is to read. See the Flesch Scoring Table.

Flesch Reading Ease Score: Indicates how easy the document is to read based on the number of syllables per word and number of words per sentence. These scores indicate a number between 0 and 100. The higher the score, the easier the document is to read. See the Flesch Scoring Table.

Flesch-Kincaid Score: Indicates the grade level of the document based on the number of syllables per word and number of words per sentence. This score predicts the difficulty of reading technical documents, and is based on Navy training manuals that score in difficulty from 5.5 to 16.3. It meets military readability specifications MIL-M-38784 and DOD-STD-1685.


Flesch Scoring Table

(Reference: Lotus Word Pro Help Files)


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May You Be Well And Happy

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