The Discourse about the Great Emancipation

The Fourth Chapter for Recitation
“Very well, reverend Sir,” venerable Ānanda replied to the Gracious
One. Then the Gracious One together with a great Community of
monks arrived at Bhoganagara. There the Gracious One lived near
Bhoganagara at the Joyous Shrine.
There the Gracious One addressed the monks, (saying): “I will teach
these Four Great Referrals, 123 monks, listen to it, apply your minds
well, and I will speak.”
“Very well, reverend Sir,” those monks replied to the Gracious One,
and the Gracious One said this:
1) “Here, monks, a monk might speak like this: ‘I have heard this
directly from the Gracious One, friends, directly I learned it: “This
is the Teaching, this is the Discipline, this is the Teacher's
Dispensation.”’ That monk's speech, monks, is not to be rejoiced
over, not to be scorned at. Without having rejoiced over it, without
having scorned it, after learning those words and syllables
123 Parse as mahā + apadesa. It should not be translated as authority, the
authorities are actually stated below to be the Teaching and the Discipline
(Dhammavinaya).
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