Dasakanipāta 83

Numbered Discourses 10.83

9. Senior Mendicants

With Puṇṇiya

1 Then Venerable Puṇṇiya went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him:

“Sir, what is the cause, what is the reason why sometimes the Realized One feels inspired to teach, and other times not?”

2 “Puṇṇiya, when a mendicant has faith but doesn’t approach, the Realized One doesn’t feel inspired to teach. But when a mendicant has faith and approaches, the Realized One feels inspired to teach.

3 When a mendicant has faith and approaches, but doesn’t pay homage … they pay homage, but don’t ask questions … they ask questions, but don’t actively listen to the teaching … they actively listen to the teaching, but don’t remember the teaching they’ve heard … they remember the teaching they’ve heard, but don’t examine the meaning of the teachings they’ve remembered … they examine the meaning of the teachings they’ve remembered, but, not having understood the meaning and the teaching, they don’t practice in line with the principle of the teaching … they practice in line with the teaching, but they’re not a good speaker and do not enunciate well. Their voice is not polished, clear, articulate, and doesn’t express the meaning … They’re a good speaker who enunciates well, but they don’t educate, encourage, fire up, and inspire their spiritual companions. The Realized One doesn’t feel inspired to teach.

4 But when a mendicant has faith, approaches, pays homage, asks questions, actively listens to the teachings, remembers the teachings, examines the meaning, practices in line with the principle of the teaching, has a good voice, and encourages their spiritual companions, the Realized One feels inspired to teach. When someone possesses these ten qualities, the Realized One feels totally inspired to teach.”