What are the sutras? Is a sutra, as it has been described, an “unintelligible statement waiting for an explanation” ? Certainly, they are very technical statements, comparable to mathematical formulas.
How did this style of writing evolve?
Sutras were originally meant to be preserved in the living memory of a human being, rather than in books. They belong to the Neumonic oral tradition, so their poetic style helped in memorising.
Marta Lucchini 