“Puṇṇiya, when a mendicant has faith but doesn’t approach, the Realized One doesn’t feel inspired to teach. But when a mendicant has faith and approaches, the Realized One feels inspired to teach. When a mendicant has faith and approaches, but doesn’t pay homage … they pay homage, but don’t ask questions … they ask questions, but don’t actively listen to the teaching … they actively listen to the teaching, but don’t remember the teaching they’ve heard … they remember the teaching they’ve heard, but don’t examine the meaning of the teachings they’ve remembered … they examine the meaning of the teachings they’ve remembered, but, not having understood the meaning and the teaching, they don’t practice in line with the principle of the teaching. The Realized One doesn’t feel inspired to teach.
But when a mendicant has faith, approaches, pays homage, asks questions, actively listens to the teachings, remembers the teachings, examines the meaning, and practices in line with the principle of the teaching, the Realized One feels inspired to teach. When someone possesses these eight qualities, the Realized One feels totally inspired to teach.”
Numbered Discourses 8.83 9. Mindfulness Rooted
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Mendicants, if wanderers of other religions were to ask: ‘Reverends, all things have what as their root? What produces them? What is their origin? What is their meeting place? What is their chief? What is their ruler? What is their overseer? What is their core?’ How would you answer them?”
“Our teachings are rooted in the Buddha. He is our guide and our refuge. Sir, may the Buddha himself please clarify the meaning of this. The mendicants will listen and remember it.”