AN 2.47

47

“Dvemā, bhikkhave, parisā. Katamā dve? Okkācitavinītā parisā nopaṭipucchāvinītā, paṭipucchāvinītā parisā nookkācitavinītā. Katamā ca, bhikkhave, okkācitavinītā parisā nopaṭipucchāvinītā? Idha, bhikkhave, yassaṁ parisāyaṁ bhikkhū ye te suttantā tathāgatabhāsitā gambhīrā gambhīratthā lokuttarā suññatāpaṭisaṁyuttā tesu bhaññamānesu na sussūsanti na sotaṁ odahanti na aññā cittaṁ upaṭṭhapenti na ca te dhamme uggahetabbaṁ pariyāpuṇitabbaṁ maññanti. Ye pana te suttantā kavitā kāveyyā cittakkharā cittabyañjanā bāhirakā sāvakabhāsitā tesu bhaññamānesu sussūsanti sotaṁ odahanti aññā cittaṁ upaṭṭhapenti, te dhamme uggahetabbaṁ pariyāpuṇitabbaṁ maññanti, te ca taṁ dhammaṁ pariyāpuṇitvā na ceva aññamaññaṁ paṭipucchanti na ca paṭivicaranti: ‘idaṁ kathaṁ, imassa ko attho’ti? Te avivaṭañceva na vivaranti, anuttānīkatañca na uttānīkaronti, anekavihitesu ca kaṅkhāṭhāniyesu dhammesu kaṅkhaṁ na paṭivinodenti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, okkācitavinītā parisā no paṭipucchāvinītā.

47

“There are, mendicants, these two assemblies. What two? An assembly educated in fancy talk, not in questioning, and an assembly educated in questioning, not in fancy talk. And what is an assembly educated in fancy talk, not in questioning? It is an assembly where, when discourses spoken by the Realized One—deep, profound, transcendent, dealing with emptiness—are being recited the mendicants do not want to listen. They don’t actively listen or try to understand, nor do they think those teachings are worth learning and memorizing. But when discourses composed by poets—poetry, with fancy words and phrases, composed by outsiders or spoken by disciples—are being recited the mendicants do want to listen. They actively listen and try to understand, and they think those teachings are worth learning and memorizing. But when they’ve memorized those teachings they don’t question or examine each other, saying: ‘Why does it say this? What does that mean?’ So they don’t reveal what is hidden or clarify what is unclear, or dispel doubt regarding the many doubtful matters. This is called an assembly educated in fancy talk, not in questioning.

Katamā ca, bhikkhave, paṭipucchāvinītā parisā nookkācitavinītā? Idha, bhikkhave, yassaṁ parisāyaṁ bhikkhū ye te suttantā kavitā kāveyyā cittakkharā cittabyañjanā bāhirakā sāvakabhāsitā tesu bhaññamānesu na sussūsanti na sotaṁ odahanti na aññā cittaṁ upaṭṭhapenti, na ca te dhamme uggahetabbaṁ pariyāpuṇitabbaṁ maññanti. Ye pana te suttantā tathāgatabhāsitā gambhīrā gambhīratthā lokuttarā suññatāpaṭisaṁyuttā tesu bhaññamānesu sussūsanti sotaṁ odahanti aññā cittaṁ upaṭṭhapenti, te ca dhamme uggahetabbaṁ pariyāpuṇitabbaṁ maññanti. Te taṁ dhammaṁ pariyāpuṇitvā aññamaññaṁ paṭipucchanti paṭivicaranti: ‘idaṁ kathaṁ, imassa ko attho’ti? Te avivaṭañceva vivaranti, anuttānīkatañca uttānīkaronti, anekavihitesu ca kaṅkhāṭhāniyesu dhammesu kaṅkhaṁ paṭivinodenti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, paṭipucchāvinītā parisā nookkācitavinītā. Imā kho, bhikkhave, dve parisā. Etadaggaṁ, bhikkhave, imāsaṁ dvinnaṁ parisānaṁ yadidaṁ paṭipucchāvinītā parisā nookkācitavinītā”ti.

And what is an assembly educated in questioning, not in fancy talk? It is an assembly where, when discourses composed by poets—poetry, with fancy words and phrases, composed by outsiders or spoken by disciples—are being recited the mendicants do not want to listen. They don’t actively listen or try to understand, nor do they think those teachings are worth learning and memorizing. But when discourses spoken by the Realized One—deep, profound, transcendent, dealing with emptiness—are being recited the mendicants do want to listen. They actively listen and try to understand, and they think those teachings are worth learning and memorizing. And when they’ve memorized those teachings they question and examine each other, saying: ‘Why does it say this? What does that mean?’ So they reveal what is hidden, clarify what is unclear, and dispel doubt regarding the many doubtful matters. This is called an assembly educated in questioning, not in fancy talk. These are the two assemblies. The better of these two assemblies is the assembly educated in questioning, not in fancy talk.”