Applying techniques I learned from here:
Top memorization techique is worth the investment: mentally create movie with distinct memorable visual, audio, smell, etc.
Things I noticed and memory aids I devised to memorize the 16 main suttas of Snp 5 pārāyana vagga.
KN Snp 5.4 Puṇṇaka-māṇava-pucchā: The Questions of Puṇṇaka
“Anejaṁ mūla-dassāviṁ, | “To the imperturbable, the seer of the root,” |
🐘🔑name punnaka looks and sound like Puna (district in Hawaii)
So I visualize the setting puna, hawaii, and punnaka is looking at the Buddha, who is standing frozen like a statue (frozen to remember the word imperturbable).
The Buddha is frozen, staring (dassa) at the root (mūla) of a tree .
I visualize a movie of this part just as sutta describes, in same order:
Kiṁ nissitā isayo manujā, | On what grounds have hermits and men, |
Khattiyā brāhmaṇā devatānaṁ; | warrior-nobles and brahmins |
Yaññam-akappayiṁsu puthūdha loke, | performed so many different sacrifices here in the world to the gods? |
🐘🔑visualize humans being tied up and aging super quickly on torture racks with stacks of food and paper money and other sarcrificial items all around them for this part:
Āsīsamānā puṇṇaka itthattaṁ; | Hoping for some state of existence, |
Jaraṁ sitā Yaññam-akappayiṁsu”. | all performed sacrifices bound to old age.” |
KN Snp 5.5 Mettagū-māṇava-pucchā: The Questions of Mettagū
“Pucchāmi taṁ bhagavā brūhi me taṁ, | “I ask you, Blessed One; please tell me this,” |
(iccāyasmā mettagū) | (said Venerable Mettagū,) |
Maññāmi taṁ vedaguṁ bhāvitattaṁ; | “for I think you are a knowledge master, evolved. |
Kuto nu dukkhā samudāgatā ime, | Where do all these sufferings come from, |
Ye keci lokasmim-aneka-rūpā”. | in all their countless forms in the world?” |
🐘🔑 Visualize a brahmin skilled in 'metta', chewing gum, but wincing in pain because his teeth are rotten. He approaches the Buddha, also chewing gum (Buddha is veda-guṁ), to ask about the dukkha from the tooth ache.
KN Snp 5.10 🐸Todeyya-māṇava-pucchā: The Questions of Todeyya
“Yasmiṁ kāmā na vasanti, | “In whom sensual pleasures do not dwell,” |
(iccāyasmā todeyyo) | (said Venerable Todeyya,) |
Taṇhā yassa na vijjati; | “and for whom there is no craving, |
Kathaṅ-kathā ca yo tiṇṇo, | and who has crossed over doubts— |
Vimokkho tassa kīdiso”. | of what kind is their liberation?” |
🐘🔑The name Todeyya sounds like the word 'Toad' 🐸.
And the theme of the sutta, is the frequent them of conquering lust.
So I visualize brahmin Todeyya has a toad head for his head, and is surrounded by beautiful women.
KN Snp 5.12 Jatukaṇṇi-māṇava-pucchā: The Questions of Jatukaṇṇī
“Sutvān-ahaṁ vīram-a-kāma-kāmiṁ, | “Hearing of the hero with no sensual desire for sensual pleasures,” |
(iccāyasmā jatukaṇṇi) | (said Venerable Jatukaṇṇī,) |
Oghātigaṁ puṭṭhum-a-kāmam-āgamaṁ; | “who has passed over the flood, I’ve come with a question for that desire-less one. |
🐘🔑For hero (vīra) I picture the George Reeves version of superman, because his skin tight clothing will make another part of the sutta very easy to remember
Bhagavā hi kāme abhi-bhuyya iriyati, | For, having mastered sensual desires, the Blessed One proceeds, |
Ādiccova pathaviṁ tejī tejasā; | as the blazing sun shines on the earth. |
🐘🔑Of the 32 marks of a great man, one that has to do with lust is the retractable penis.
In that photo of superman above, I visualize there's no bulge where superman's family jewels are, representhing that mark of a great man.
Several suttas in the 16 suttas of Snp 5 have to do with removing lust, and sometimes is the process of memorizing you can mix up passages from other suttas. So having very detailed, distinct visuals that differentiate from each other really makes this sutta memorable.
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