1.
The Discourse on What Has Been Learned by Hearing
191.
"Monks, when the teachings have been learnt by hearing, rehearsed verbally, examined with the mind, and well penetrated by view, four benefits are to be expected.
Which four?
Here, monks, a monk learns the Teaching thoroughly:
discourses, mixed prose and verse, expositions, verses, inspired utterances, sayings [of the Buddha], birth stories, amazing accounts, and questions-and-answers.
For him those teachings have been learnt by hearing, rehearsed verbally, examined with the mind, and well penetrated by view.
He passes away with muddled mindfulness and is reborn into a certain group of gods.
There, as he lives happily, passages of the Teaching resurface in his mind.
Sluggish, monks, is the arising of his mindfulness,
but then that being quickly reaches distinction.
Monks, when the teachings have been learnt by hearing, rehearsed verbally, examined with the mind, and well penetrated by view, this is the first benefit to be expected.
"Furthermore, monks, a monk learns the Teaching thoroughly: discourses, mixed prose and verse, expositions, verses, inspired utterances, sayings [of the Buddha], birth stories, amazing accounts, and questions-and-answers. For him those teachings have been learnt by hearing, rehearsed verbally, examined with the mind, and well penetrated by view. He passes away with muddled mindfulness and is reborn into a certain group of gods. There, as he lives happily, passages of the Teaching do not resurface in his mind, but a monk with supernormal power who has attained mastery of mind expounds the Teaching in the assembly of gods. He thinks thus: 'This is that Teaching and discipline in which I formerly lived the holy life.' Sluggish, monks, is the arising of his mindfulness, but then that being quickly reaches distinction. Just as, monks, a man skilled in the sound of a drum. He, travelling on the highway, might hear the sound of a drum. He would not indeed have uncertainty or doubt - 'Is it the sound of a drum or is it not the sound of a drum?' Then he would come to the conclusion: 'It is the sound of a drum.' So too, monks, a monk learns the Teaching thoroughly: discourses, mixed prose and verse, expositions, verses, inspired utterances, sayings [of the Buddha], birth stories, amazing accounts, and questions-and-answers. For him those teachings have been learnt by hearing, rehearsed verbally, examined with the mind, and well penetrated by view. He passes away with muddled mindfulness and is reborn into a certain group of gods. There, as he lives happily, passages of the Teaching do not resurface in his mind, but a monk with supernormal power who has attained mastery of mind expounds the Teaching in the assembly of gods. He thinks thus: 'This is that Teaching and discipline in which I formerly lived the holy life.' Sluggish, monks, is the arising of his mindfulness, but then that being quickly reaches distinction. Monks, when the teachings have been learnt by hearing, rehearsed verbally, examined with the mind, and well penetrated by view, this is the second benefit to be expected.
"Furthermore, monks, a monk learns the Teaching thoroughly: discourses, mixed prose and verse, expositions, verses, inspired utterances, sayings [of the Buddha], birth stories, amazing accounts, and questions-and-answers. For him those teachings have been learnt by hearing, rehearsed verbally, examined with the mind, and well penetrated by view. He passes away with muddled mindfulness and is reborn into a certain group of gods. There, as he lives happily, passages of the Teaching do not resurface in his mind, nor does a monk with supernormal power who has attained mastery of mind expound the Teaching in the assembly of gods; but a young god expounds the Teaching in the assembly of gods. He thinks thus: 'This is that Teaching and discipline in which I formerly lived the holy life.' Sluggish, monks, is the arising of his mindfulness, but then that being quickly reaches distinction. Just as, monks, a man skilled in the sound of a conch. He, travelling on the highway, might hear the sound of a conch. He would not indeed have uncertainty or doubt - "Is it the sound of a conch, or is it not the sound of a conch?" Then he would come to the conclusion that it is indeed the sound of a conch. So too, monks, a monk learns the Teaching thoroughly: discourses, mixed prose and verse, expositions, verses, inspired utterances, sayings [of the Buddha], birth stories, amazing accounts, and questions-and-answers. For him those teachings have been learnt by hearing, rehearsed verbally, examined with the mind, and well penetrated by view. He passes away with muddled mindfulness and is reborn into a certain group of gods. There, as he lives happily, passages of the Teaching do not resurface in his mind, nor does a monk with supernormal power who has attained mastery of mind expound the Teaching in the assembly of gods; but a young god expounds the Teaching in the assembly of gods. He thinks thus: 'This is that Teaching and discipline in which I formerly lived the holy life.' Sluggish, monks, is the arising of his mindfulness, but then that being quickly reaches distinction. Monks, when the teachings have been learnt by hearing, rehearsed verbally, examined with the mind, and well penetrated by view, this is the third benefit to be expected.
"Furthermore, monks, a monk learns the Teaching thoroughly: discourses, mixed prose and verse, expositions, verses, inspired utterances, sayings [of the Buddha], birth stories, amazing accounts, and questions-and-answers. For him those teachings have been learnt by hearing, rehearsed verbally, examined with the mind, and well penetrated by view. He passes away with muddled mindfulness and is reborn into a certain group of gods. There, as he lives happily, passages of the Teaching do not resurface in his mind, nor does a monk with supernormal power who has attained mastery of mind expound the Teaching in the assembly of gods, nor does a young god expound the Teaching in the assembly of gods; but a spontaneously born being reminds a spontaneously born being - "Do you remember, sir, do you remember, sir, where we formerly practised the holy life?" He speaks thus: "I remember, sir, I remember, sir." Sluggish, monks, is the arising of his mindfulness, but then that being quickly reaches distinction. Just as, monks, two friends who played together in the dust. They might from time to time meet one another. Then one friend might say to the other friend thus - "Do you remember this too, my dear, do you remember this too, my dear?" He might speak thus - "I remember, my dear, I remember, my dear." So too, monks, a monk learns the Teaching thoroughly: discourses, mixed prose and verse, expositions, verses, inspired utterances, sayings [of the Buddha], birth stories, amazing accounts, and questions-and-answers. For him those teachings have been learnt by hearing, rehearsed verbally, examined with the mind, and well penetrated by view. He passes away with muddled mindfulness and is reborn into a certain group of gods. There, as he lives happily, passages of the Teaching do not resurface in his mind, nor does a monk with supernormal power who has attained mastery of mind expound the Teaching in the assembly of gods, nor does a young god expound the Teaching in the assembly of gods; but a spontaneously born being reminds a spontaneously born being - "Do you remember, sir, do you remember, sir, where we formerly practised the holy life?" He speaks thus: "I remember, sir, I remember, sir." Sluggish, monks, is the arising of his mindfulness, but then that being quickly reaches distinction. Monks, when the teachings have been learnt by hearing, rehearsed verbally, examined with the mind, and well penetrated by view, this is the fourth benefit to be expected. Monks, when the teachings have been learnt by hearing, rehearsed verbally, examined with the mind, and well penetrated by view, these are the four benefits to be expected." The first.