1"Bhikkhus, there are these two kinds of assemblies. What two? The assembly trained in vain talk, not in interrogation, and the assembly trained in interrogation, not in vain talk.[n.284] For the meaning of ukkācita I follow DOP, p. 387, which defines it as "boasting, empty talk," and ukkācitavinīta as "trained in empty talk." I use "vain talk" rather than "empty talk," since the talk considered worthy here is precisely talk about emptiness. Vibh 352 (Be §862) includes ukkācanā in a definition of lapanā, which suggests that ukkācanā is a tool of persuasion. See too Vism 27,19 — 22, Ppn 1.74. In the present sutta ukkācita seems to have a different nuance, perhaps elegant but hollow talk.

1"Dvemā, bhikkhave, parisā. Katamā dve? Okkācitavinītā parisā nopaṭipucchāvinītā, paṭipucchāvinītā parisā nookkācitavinītā.

"And what is the assembly trained in vain talk, not in interrogation? Here, in this kind of assembly, when those discourses spoken by the Tathāgata are being recited that are deep, deep in meaning, world-transcending, connected with emptiness, the bhikkhus do not want to listen to them, do not lend an ear to them, or apply their minds to understand them; they do not think those teachings should be studied and learned. But when those discourses are being recited that are mere poetry composed by poets, beautiful in words and phrases, created by outsiders, spoken by disciples, they want to listen to them, lend an ear to them, and apply their minds to understand them; they think those teachings should be studied and learned.[n.285] Also at SN 20:7, II 267,6–15. For "connected with emptiness" (suññatāpaṭisaṁyuttā), Mp says: "Like the Connected Discourses on the Unconditioned, disclosing mere phenomena empty of a sentient being" (sattasuññaṁ dhammamattameva pakāsakā asaṅkhatasaṁyuttasadisā). Since the Asaṅkhatasaṁyutta (SN chap. 43) does not speak of "mere phenomena," perhaps Mp actually means the Saḷāyatanasaṁyutta (esp. SN 35:85, IV 54). And having learned those teachings, they do not interrogate each other about them or examine them thoroughly, asking: ‘How is this? What is the meaning of this?’ They do not disclose to others what is obscure and elucidate what is unclear, or dispel their perplexity about numerous perplexing points. This is called the assembly trained in vain talk, not in interrogation.

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.

"And what is the assembly trained in interrogation, not in vain talk? Here, in this kind of assembly, when those discourses are being recited that are mere poetry composed by poets, beautiful in words and phrases, created by outsiders, spoken by disciples, the bhikkhus do not want to listen to them, do not lend an ear to them, or apply their minds to understand them; they do not think those teachings should be studied and learned. But when those discourses spoken by the Tathāgata are being recited that are deep, deep in meaning, world-transcending, connected with emptiness, the bhikkhus want to listen to them, lend an ear to them, and apply their minds to understand them; they think those teachings should be studied and learned. And having learned those teachings, they interrogate each other about them and examine them thoroughly, (asking): ‘How is this? What is the meaning of this?’ (They) disclose to (others) what is obscure and elucidate what is unclear, and dispel their perplexity about numerous perplexing points. This is called the assembly trained in interrogation, not in vain talk.

2Katamā 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.

"These, bhikkhus, are the two kinds of assemblies. Of these two kinds of assemblies, the assembly trained in interrogation, not in vain talk, is foremost."

Imā kho, bhikkhave, dve parisā. Etadaggaṁ, bhikkhave, imāsaṁ dvinnaṁ parisānaṁ yadidaṁ paṭipucchāvinītā parisā nookkācitavinītā"ti.