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Numbered Discourses · AN 10.83

  • Numbered Discourses 10.83Aṅguttara Nikāya 10.83
  • 9. Senior Mendicants9. Theravagga

With PuṇṇiyaPuṇṇiyasutta

Then Venerable Puṇṇiya went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him:Atha kho āyasmā puṇṇiyo yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā puṇṇiyo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

“Sir, what is the cause, what is the reason why sometimes the Realized One feels inspired to teach, and other times not?”“ko nu kho, bhante, hetu ko paccayo yena appekadā tathāgataṁ dhammadesanā paṭibhāti appekadā nappaṭibhātī”ti?

“Puṇṇiya, when a mendicant has faith but doesn’t approach, the Realized One doesn’t feel inspired to teach.“Saddho ca, puṇṇiya, bhikkhu hoti, no ca upasaṅkamitā; neva tāva tathāgataṁ dhammadesanā paṭibhāti. But when a mendicant has faith and approaches, the Realized One feels inspired to teach.Yato ca kho, puṇṇiya, bhikkhu saddho ca hoti upasaṅkamitā ca, evaṁ tathāgataṁ dhammadesanā paṭibhāti.

When a mendicant has faith and approaches, but doesn’t pay homage …Saddho ca, puṇṇiya, bhikkhu hoti upasaṅkamitā ca, no ca payirupāsitā …pe… they pay homage, but don’t ask questions …payirupāsitā ca, no ca paripucchitā … they ask questions, but don’t actively listen to the teaching …paripucchitā ca, no ca ohitasoto dhammaṁ suṇāti … they actively listen to the teaching, but don’t remember the teaching they’ve heard …ohitasoto ca dhammaṁ suṇāti, no ca sutvā dhammaṁ dhāreti … they remember the teaching they’ve heard, but don’t examine the meaning of the teachings they’ve remembered …sutvā ca dhammaṁ dhāreti, no ca dhātānaṁ dhammānaṁ atthaṁ upaparikkhati … 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 …dhātānañca dhammānaṁ atthaṁ upaparikkhati no ca atthamaññāya dhammamaññāya dhammānudhammappaṭipanno hoti … 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 …atthamaññāya dhammamaññāya dhammānudhammappaṭipanno ca hoti, no ca kalyāṇavāco hoti kalyāṇavākkaraṇo poriyā vācāya samannāgato vissaṭṭhāya anelagaḷāya atthassa viññāpaniyā … 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.kalyāṇavāco ca hoti kalyāṇavākkaraṇo poriyā vācāya samannāgato vissaṭṭhāya anelagaḷāya atthassa viññāpaniyā, no ca sandassako hoti samādapako samuttejako sampahaṁsako sabrahmacārīnaṁ, neva tāva tathāgataṁ dhammadesanā paṭibhāti.

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,Yato ca kho, puṇṇiya, bhikkhu saddho ca hoti, upasaṅkamitā ca, payirupāsitā ca, paripucchitā ca, ohitasoto ca dhammaṁ suṇāti, sutvā ca dhammaṁ dhāreti, dhātānañca dhammānaṁ atthaṁ upaparikkhati, atthamaññāya dhammamaññāya dhammānudhammappaṭipanno ca hoti, kalyāṇavāco ca hoti kalyāṇavākkaraṇo poriyā vācāya samannāgato vissaṭṭhāya anelagaḷāya atthassa viññāpaniyā, sandassako ca hoti samādapako samuttejako sampahaṁsako sabrahmacārīnaṁ— the Realized One feels inspired to teach.evaṁ tathāgataṁ dhammadesanā paṭibhāti. When someone possesses these ten qualities, the Realized One feels totally inspired to teach.”Imehi kho, puṇṇiya, dasahi dhammehi samannāgatā ekantapaṭibhānā tathāgataṁ dhammadesanā hotī”ti.

Similar passages elsewhere

Found by meaning, not by citation: the passages in other texts whose wording sits closest to a passage here.

  1. AN 8.82 With Puṇṇiya 0.88near 0.1Numbered Discourses 8.82 9. Mindfulness With Puṇṇiya 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…
  2. AN 8.78 Good Enough 0.54near 4.1They educate, encourage, fire up, and inspire their spiritual companions. A mendicant with these two qualities is good enough for others but not for themselves.”…
  3. AN 8.62 Good Enough 0.54near 4.1They educate, encourage, fire up, and inspire their spiritual companions. A mendicant with these two qualities is good enough for others but not for themselves.”…
  4. DN 34 Up to Ten 0.51near 4.1That mendicant feels inspired by the meaning and the teaching in that Dhamma, no matter how a meditation subject as a basis of immersion is properly grasped, focused on, borne in mind, and penetrated with wisdom. Feeling…