Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
The Realized One feels inspired to teach only when a mendicant has faith and approaches, pays homage, asks questions, actively listens, remembers what they've heard, examines its meaning, practices accordingly, speaks well, and encourages their companions — all ten conditions fulfilled, not merely some of them.
A chain where any single break stops everything
The discourse's structure is unusually strict: it works through the ten conditions one at a time, and at every single point states plainly that the Buddha does not feel inspired to teach if that condition alone is missing, even when every earlier condition in the chain has already been met.
Inspiration to teach as relational, not autonomous
This discourse pushes back against any picture of the Buddha's teaching as simply flowing outward regardless of the audience: whether he feels inspired to teach at all is described as depending step by step on what the listener actually does, right down to whether they later pass the teaching on well to others.
From bare faith to teaching others in turn
The ten-step chain traces an entire arc of receiving a teaching, from the first stirring of faith through approach, respect, inquiry, attentive listening, memory, reflection, and practice, ending only when the listener becomes capable of encouraging their own spiritual companions in turn — the student's growth completing in their own ability to teach.
Key terms
The text
Puṇṇiya's question
§1Then Venerable Puṇṇiya went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him: “Sir, what is the cause, what is the reason why sometimes the Realized One feels inspired to teach, and other times not?”
Ten conditions, one at a time
§2“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 … they practice in line with the teaching, but they’re not a good speaker and do not enunciate well. Their voice is not polished, clear, articulate, and doesn’t express the meaning … They’re a good speaker who enunciates well, but they don’t educate, encourage, fire up, and inspire their spiritual companions. The Realized One doesn’t feel inspired to teach.
All ten fulfilled together
§3But when a mendicant has faith, approaches, pays homage, asks questions, actively listens to the teachings, remembers the teachings, examines the meaning, practices in line with the principle of the teaching, has a good voice, and encourages their spiritual companions, the Realized One feels inspired to teach. When someone possesses these ten qualities, the Realized One feels totally inspired to teach.”
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