Which one should I do now? I feel like if I study suttas and Visudhimagga a lot it just makes my mind thinks a lot even though I’m learning new things and clarifying things. I could just focus on knowing one sutta, memorizing it, and mastering it, and also meditating, but I want to know as much as possible so I keep jumping from suttas to suttas or to the Visudhimagga. It’s like I’m just passively consuming content.
Should I focus on learning as much as possible as a lay person and only prioritize meditation when I ordain?
Why choose? It’s not that long to finish the suttas. I did about 4 nikaya in 3 months. Text to speech, train to high speed. Look at the texts as well.
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Thank you for replying, Venerable Sir. Should I try to memorize any sutta or just maybe memorize a summarized version of the sutta?
I think just read through all of them first, memorization better when you become a monk, you have time to learn Pali properly, then you memorise, then you get to know the meaning as you memorise. Lots of synergy there.
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You can do both
Monks often memorize mettā, maṅgala, ratana, khandha, and mora suttas.
After that, Mahā-Rāhulovāda Sutta is a “classic” practice-based sutta that the commentaries recommend.
Then Mahā-Satipaṭṭhāna.
That will keep you busy.
You can chant mettā, khandha and mora suttas daily. They will come naturally to memory in 2 or 3 months.
It is extremely common for monks to chant all of these daily.
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Thank for the answer, Venerable Sir. Regarding chanting, is there a good tutorial on how to chant correctly? Is melody allowed? Can we just chant in a flat voice like reading a book? When I listen to chanting, I feel like I get attached to the sound or the melody so maybe chanting in a monotone voice might be best for me.
Pick your favorite style and memorize. I like sri lanka style . Many videos available.
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