1Then the Venerable Ānanda approached the Venerable Sāriputta and exchanged greetings with him. When they had concluded their greetings and cordial talk, he sat down to one side and said to the Venerable Sāriputta:

2"Friend Sāriputta, how does a bhikkhu get to hear a teaching he has not heard before, not forget those teachings he has already heard, bring to mind those teachings with which he is already familiar, [n.1355] Cetasā samphuṭṭapubbā te ca samudācaranti. The expression is unusual. Mp offers merely a routine word gloss. and understand what he has not understood?"

"The Venerable Ānanda is learned. Please clear up this matter yourself."

"Then listen, friend Sāriputta, and attend closely. I will speak."

"Yes, friend," the Venerable Sāriputta replied. The Venerable Ānanda said this:

3"Here, friend Sāriputta, (1) a bhikkhu learns the Dhamma: the discourses, mixed prose and verse, expositions, verses, inspired utterances, quotations, birth stories, amazing accounts, and questions-and-answers. (2) He teaches the Dhamma to others in detail as he has heard it and learned it. (3) He makes others repeat the Dhamma in detail as they have heard it and learned it. (4) He recites the Dhamma in detail as he has heard it and learned it. (5) He ponders, examines, and mentally inspects the Dhamma as he has heard it and learned it. (6) He enters upon the rains in a residence where there live elder bhikkhus who are learned, heirs to the heritage, experts on the Dhamma, experts on the discipline, experts on the outlines. From time to time he approaches them and inquires: ‘How is this, Bhante? What is the meaning of this?’ Those venerable ones then disclose to him what has not been disclosed, clear up what is obscure, and dispel his perplexity about numerous perplexing points. It is in this way, friend Sāriputta, that a bhikkhu gets to hear a teaching he has not heard before, does not forget those teachings he has already heard, brings to mind those teachings with which he is already familiar, and understands what he has not understood."

4"It's astounding and amazing, friend, how well this has been stated by the Venerable Ānanda. And we consider the Venerable Ānanda to be one who possesses these six qualities: (1) For the Venerable Ānanda has learned the Dhamma: the discourses, mixed prose and verse, expositions, verses, inspired utterances, quotations, birth stories, amazing accounts, and questions-and-answers. (2) He teaches the Dhamma to others in detail as he has heard it and learned it. (3) He makes others repeat the Dhamma in detail as they have heard it and learned it from him. (4) He recites the Dhamma in detail as he has heard it and learned it. (5) He ponders, examines, and mentally inspects the Dhamma as he has heard it and learned it. (6) He enters upon the rains in a residence where there live elder bhikkhus who are highly learned, heirs to the heritage, experts on the Dhamma, experts on the discipline, experts on the outlines. From time to time he approaches them and inquires: ‘How is this, Bhante? What is the meaning of this?’ Those venerable ones then disclose to him what has not been disclosed, clear up what is obscure, and dispel his perplexity about numerous perplexing points."

1Atha kho āyasmā ānando yenāyasmā sāriputto tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmatā sāriputtena saddhiṁ sammodi. Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā ānando āyasmantaṁ sāriputtaṁ etadavoca:

2"Kittāvatā nu kho, āvuso sāriputta, bhikkhu assutañceva dhammaṁ suṇāti, sutā cassa dhammā na sammosaṁ gacchanti, ye cassa dhammā pubbe cetasā samphuṭṭhapubbā te ca samudācaranti, aviññātañca vijānātī"ti?

"Āyasmā kho ānando bahussuto. Paṭibhātu āyasmantaṁyeva ānandan"ti.

"Tenahāvuso sāriputta, suṇāhi, sādhukaṁ manasi karohi; bhāsissāmī"ti.

"Evamāvuso"ti kho āyasmā sāriputto āyasmato ānandassa paccassosi. Āyasmā ānando etadavoca:

3"Idhāvuso sāriputta, bhikkhu dhammaṁ pariyāpuṇāti – suttaṁ geyyaṁ veyyākaraṇaṁ gāthaṁ udānaṁ itivuttakaṁ jātakaṁ abbhutadhammaṁ vedallaṁ. So yathāsutaṁ yathāpariyattaṁ dhammaṁ vitthārena paresaṁ deseti, yathāsutaṁ yathāpariyattaṁ dhammaṁ vitthārena paresaṁ vāceti, yathāsutaṁ yathāpariyattaṁ dhammaṁ vitthārena sajjhāyaṁ karoti, yathāsutaṁ yathāpariyattaṁ dhammaṁ cetasā anuvitakketi anuvicāreti manasānupekkhati. Yasmiṁ āvāse therā bhikkhū viharanti bahussutā āgatāgamā dhammadharā vinayadharā mātikādharā tasmiṁ āvāse vassaṁ upeti. Te kālena kālaṁ upasaṅkamitvā paripucchati paripañhati: ‘idaṁ, bhante, kathaṁ; imassa kvattho’ti? Te tassa āyasmato avivaṭañceva vivaranti, anuttānīkatañca uttānīkaronti, anekavihitesu ca kaṅkhāṭhāniyesu dhammesu kaṅkhaṁ paṭivinodenti. Ettāvatā kho, āvuso sāriputta, bhikkhu assutañceva dhammaṁ suṇāti, sutā cassa dhammā na sammosaṁ gacchanti, ye cassa dhammā pubbe cetasā samphuṭṭhapubbā te ca samudācaranti, aviññātañca vijānātī"ti.

4"Acchariyaṁ, āvuso, abbhutaṁ, āvuso, yāva subhāsitañcidaṁ āyasmatā ānandena. Imehi ca mayaṁ chahi dhammehi samannāgataṁ āyasmantaṁ ānandaṁ dhārema. Āyasmā hi ānando dhammaṁ pariyāpuṇāti – suttaṁ geyyaṁ veyyākaraṇaṁ gāthaṁ udānaṁ itivuttakaṁ jātakaṁ abbhutadhammaṁ vedallaṁ. Āyasmā ānando yathāsutaṁ yathāpariyattaṁ dhammaṁ vitthārena paresaṁ deseti, āyasmā ānando yathāsutaṁ yathāpariyattaṁ dhammaṁ vitthārena paresaṁ vāceti, āyasmā ānando yathāsutaṁ yathāpariyattaṁ dhammaṁ vitthārena sajjhāyaṁ karoti, āyasmā ānando yathāsutaṁ yathāpariyattaṁ dhammaṁ cetasā anuvitakketi anuvicāreti manasānupekkhati. Āyasmā ānando yasmiṁ āvāse therā bhikkhū viharanti bahussutā āgatāgamā dhammadharā vinayadharā mātikādharā tasmiṁ āvāse vassaṁ upeti. Te āyasmā ānando kālena kālaṁ upasaṅkamitvā paripucchati paripañhati: ‘idaṁ, bhante, kathaṁ; imassa kvattho’ti? Te āyasmato ānandassa avivaṭañceva vivaranti, anuttānīkatañca uttānīkaronti, anekavihitesu ca kaṅkhāṭhāniyesu dhammesu kaṅkhaṁ paṭivinodentī"ti.

Navamaṁ.