1Then the Venerable Puṇṇiya approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, sat down to one side, and said to him:

1Atha kho āyasmā puṇṇiyo yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā puṇṇiyo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: 

"Bhante, why is it that at times the Tathāgata is disposed to teach the Dhamma and at times is not disposed to teach?"

"Ko nu kho, bhante, hetu ko paccayo yena appekadā tathāgataṁ dhammadesanā paṭibhāti appekadā nappaṭibhātī"ti?

2(1) "When, Puṇṇiya, a bhikkhu is endowed with faith but does not approach him, the Tathāgata is not disposed to teach the Dhamma. (2) But when a bhikkhu is endowed with faith and approaches him, the Tathāgata is disposed to teach.

2"Saddho ca, puṇṇiya, bhikkhu hoti, no ca upasaṅkamitā; neva tāva tathāgataṁ dhammadesanā paṭibhāti. Yato ca kho, puṇṇiya, bhikkhu saddho ca hoti upasaṅkamitā ca, evaṁ tathāgataṁ dhammadesanā paṭibhāti.

3(3) "When, Puṇṇiya, a bhikkhu is endowed with faith and approaches him, but he does not attend on him … (4) When he attends on him but does not ask questions … (5) When he asks questions but does not listen to the Dhamma with eager ears … (6) When he listens to the Dhamma with eager ears, but having heard it, does not retain it in mind … (7) When, having heard it, he retains it in mind but does not examine the meaning of the teachings that have been retained in mind … (8) When he examines the meaning of the teachings that have been retained in mind but does not understand the meaning and the Dhamma and then practice in accordance with the Dhamma … (9) When he understands the meaning and the Dhamma and then practices in accordance with the Dhamma, but he is not a good speaker with a good delivery, one gifted with speech that is polished, clear, articulate, expressive of the meaning … (10) When he is a good speaker with a good delivery, one gifted with speech that is polished, clear, articulate, expressive of the meaning, but he does not instruct, encourage, inspire, and gladden his fellow monks, the Tathāgata is not disposed to teach the Dhamma.

3Saddho ca, puṇṇiya, bhikkhu hoti upasaṅkamitā ca, no ca payirupāsitā … pe … payirupāsitā ca, no ca paripucchitā … paripucchitā ca, no ca ohitasoto dhammaṁ suṇāti … ohitasoto ca dhammaṁ suṇāti, no ca sutvā dhammaṁ dhāreti … sutvā ca dhammaṁ dhāreti, no ca dhātānaṁ dhammānaṁ atthaṁ upaparikkhati … dhātānañca dhammānaṁ atthaṁ upaparikkhati no ca atthamaññāya dhammamaññāya dhammānudhammappaṭipanno hoti … atthamaññāya dhammamaññāya dhammānudhammappaṭipanno ca hoti, no ca kalyāṇavāco hoti kalyāṇavākkaraṇo poriyā vācāya samannāgato vissaṭṭhāya anelagaḷāya atthassa viññāpaniyā … kalyāṇavāco ca hoti kalyāṇavākkaraṇo poriyā vācāya samannāgato vissaṭṭhāya anelagaḷāya atthassa viññāpaniyā, no ca sandassako hoti samādapako samuttejako sampahaṁsako sabrahmacārīnaṁ, neva tāva tathāgataṁ dhammadesanā paṭibhāti.

4"But, Puṇṇiya, (1) when a bhikkhu is endowed with faith, (2) approaches the Tathāgata, (3) attends on the Tathāgata, (4) asks questions, and (5) listens to the Dhamma with eager ears; and (6) having heard the Dhamma, he retains it in mind, (7) examines the meaning of the teachings he has retained in mind, and (8) understands the meaning and the Dhamma and then practices in accordance with the Dhamma; and (9) he is a good speaker with a good delivery, one gifted with speech that is polished, clear, articulate, expressive of the meaning; and (10) he instructs, encourages, inspires, and gladdens his fellow monks, the Tathāgata is disposed to teach the Dhamma. When, Puṇṇiya, one possesses these ten qualities, the Tathāgata is entirely disposed to teach the Dhamma."

4Yato 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 – evaṁ tathāgataṁ dhammadesanā paṭibhāti. Imehi kho, puṇṇiya, dasahi dhammehi samannāgatā ekantapaṭibhānā tathāgataṁ dhammadesanā hotī"ti.

Tatiyaṁ.