The importance of discussion

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Maṅgala Sutta (Khp 5 / Sn 2.4) – “The Discourse on Blessings”

Among the list of greatest blessings, the Buddha includes:

“Patience, being easy to admonish, the sight of ascetics, and timely discussion of the teaching: this is the highest blessing.”

Mahāvedalla Sutta (MN 43)
“Friend, how many conditions are there for the arising of right view?”

“Friend, there are two conditions for the arising of right view: another’s voice and wise attention. These are the two conditions for the arising of right view.”

“Friend, how many factors is right view assisted by when it has deliverance of the heart for its fruit, deliverance of the heart for its benefit, and has the deliverance by understanding for its fruit, the deliverance by understanding for its benefit?”

“Friend, right view is assisted by five factors when it has the deliverance of the heart for its fruit, the deliverance of the heart for its benefit, the deliverance by understanding for its fruit, the deliverance by understanding for its benefit. Here right view is assisted by virtue, by learning, by converse, by peace and by insight. Right view assisted by these five factors has the deliverance of the heart for its fruit, the deliverance of the heart for its benefit, the deliverance by understanding for its fruit, the deliverance by understanding for its benefit.”

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“ The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha: A Complete Translation of the Anguttara Nikaya (The Teachings of the Buddha) by Bhikkhu Bodhi

And what is the assembly trained in interrogation, not in vain talk? Here, in this kind of assembly, when those discourses are being recited that are mere poetry composed by poets, beautiful in words and phrases, created by outsiders, spoken by disciples, the bhikkhus do not want to listen to them, do not lend an ear to them, or apply their minds to understand them; they do not think those teachings should be studied and learned. But when those discourses spoken by the Tathāgata are being recited that are deep, deep in meaning, world-transcending, connected with emptiness, the bhikkhus want to listen to them, lend an ear to them, and apply their minds to understand them; they think those teachings should be studied and learned. And having learned those teachings, they interrogate each other about them and examine them thoroughly, [asking]: ‘How is this? What is the meaning of this?’ [They] disclose to [others] what is obscure and elucidate what is unclear, and dispel their perplexity about numerous perplexing points. This is called the assembly trained in interrogation, not in vain talk. “These, bhikkhus, are the two kinds of assemblies. Of these two kinds of assemblies, the assembly trained in interrogation, not in vain talk, is foremos t.””—

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Also, a similar stock phrase on learning is Caṅki Sutta

Avakujja Sutta is quoted here AN3:30 ven bodhi
(1) “And what, bhikkhus, is the person with inverted wisdom? Here, some person often goes to the monastery to listen to the Dhamma from the bhikkhus. The bhikkhus teach him the Dhamma that is good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, with the right meaning and phrasing; they reveal the perfectly complete and pure spiritual life. While he is sitting in his seat, he does not attend to that talk at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end. After he has risen from his seat, he still does not attend to that talk at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end. Just as, when a pot is turned upside down, the water that had been poured into it runs off and does not remain there, so too, some person often goes to the monastery to listen to the Dhamma from the bhikkhus…. After he has risen from his seat, he still does not attend to that talk at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end. This is called the person with inverted wisdom.

(2) “And what is the person with lap-like wisdom? Here, some person often goes to the monastery to listen to the Dhamma from the bhikkhus. The bhikkhus teach him the Dhamma that is good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, with the right meaning and phrasing; they reveal the perfectly complete and pure spiritual life. While he is sitting in his seat, he attends to that talk at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end. But after he has risen from his seat, he does not attend to that talk at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end. Just as, when a person has various food stuffs strewn over his lap—sesamum seeds, rice grains, cakes, and jujubes—if he loses his mindfulness when rising from that seat, he would scatter them all over, so too, some person often goes to the monastery to listen to the Dhamma from the bhikkhus…. But after he has risen from his seat, he does not attend to that talk at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end. This is called the person with lap-like wisdom.

(3) “And what is the person with wide wisdom? Here, some person often goes to the monastery to listen to the Dhamma from the bhikkhus. The bhikkhus teach him the Dhamma that is good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, with the right meaning and phrasing; they reveal the perfectly complete and pure spiritual life. While he is sitting in his seat, he attends to that talk at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end. After he has risen from his seat, again he attends to that talk at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end. Just as, when a pot is kept upright, the water that had been poured into it stays there and does not run off, so too, some person often goes to the monastery to listen to the Dhamma from the bhikkhus…. After he has risen from his seat, again he attends to that talk at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end. This is called the person with wide wisdom.

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