And how does a mendicant show extra respect to senior mendicants of long standing, long gone forth, fathers and leaders of the Saṅgha? It’s when a mendicant consistently treats senior mendicants of long standing, long gone forth, fathers and leaders of the Saṅgha with kindness by way of body, speech, and mind, both in public and in private. That’s how a mendicant shows extra respect to senior mendicants of long standing, long gone forth, fathers and leaders of the Saṅgha. A mendicant with these eleven qualities can achieve growth, improvement, and maturity in this teaching and training.” That is what the Buddha said. Satisfied, the mendicants approved what the Buddha said.
Middle Discourses 34 The Shorter Discourse on the Cowherd