[Buddha-l] Placenames in the Canon

[Stefan Detrez]

Dear list-members,

I have some questions about placenames in the Pali Canon. Do they have a
soteriological, symbolic, social function in the Suttas? Is there a
connection between a place and the doctrinal content, for example, at place
x, the Buddha only spoke about a, b and c, but not d to person i, j, but
not k? Is it possible to establish a geographical trajectory of the Buddha
based on the extent to which the doctrine was elaborated? Are they meant to
create a historicity of that particular sutta?  In short, what is their
role?

Thank you,


Stefan Detrez

-
Antwerp, Belgium
Humanist ethician