Early Buddhist Texts: Their Composition and Transmission

This article discusses the composition and transmission of early Buddhist texts with specific reference to sutras. After briefly summarizing the main reasons why it is likely that these oral compositions were designed to be memorized and transmitted verbatim, I will discuss the main types of changes that these texts underwent in the course of their transmission and the reasons such changes occurred, then attempt to give an account of the challenge that change, particularly intentional change, posed to the oral transmission of fixed, memorized texts.

Automated summary

This article discusses the composition and transmission of early Buddhist texts, focusing specifically on sutras. The author briefly summarizes the reasons why these oral compositions were likely designed to be memorized and transmitted verbatim, and then discusses the main types of changes that occurred during their transmission and the reasons for such changes. The article also addresses the challenge that intentional changes posed to the oral transmission of fixed, memorized texts.