• ཆོས་སྨྲ་བ།
  • chos smra ba
  • dharmabhāṇaka
  • dharma­kathika
  • Term
Publications: 19

Speaker or reciter of scriptures. In early Buddhism a section of the saṅgha would consist of bhāṇakas, who, particularly before the teachings were written down and were only transmitted orally, were a key factor in the preservation of the teachings. Various groups of dharmabhāṇakas specialized in memorizing and reciting a certain set of sūtras or vinaya.