sutta » an » an5 » Aṅguttara Nikāya 5.165

Pañhapucchāsutta

Asking Questions

Tatra kho āyasmā sāriputto bhikkhū āmantesi …pe… “yo hi koci, āvuso, paraṁ pañhaṁ pucchati, sabbo so pañcahi ṭhānehi, etesaṁ vā aññatarena.
There Venerable Sāriputta addressed the mendicants: … “Whoever asks a question of another, does so for one or other of these five reasons.

Katamehi pañcahi?
What five?

Mandattā momūhattā paraṁ pañhaṁ pucchati, pāpiccho icchāpakato paraṁ pañhaṁ pucchati, paribhavaṁ paraṁ pañhaṁ pucchati, aññātukāmo paraṁ pañhaṁ pucchati, atha vā panevaṁcitto paraṁ pañhaṁ pucchati:
Someone asks a question of another from stupidity and folly. Or they ask from corrupt wishes, being of wishful temperament. Or they ask in order to disparage. Or they ask wanting to understand. Or they ask with the thought,

‘sace me pañhaṁ puṭṭho sammadeva byākarissati iccetaṁ kusalaṁ, no ce me pañhaṁ puṭṭho sammadeva byākarissati ahamassa sammadeva byākarissāmī’ti.
‘If they correctly answer the question I ask it’s good. If not, I’ll correctly answer it for them.’

Yo hi koci, āvuso, paraṁ pañhaṁ pucchati, sabbo so imehi pañcahi ṭhānehi, etesaṁ vā aññatarena.
Whoever asks a question of another, does so for one or other of these five reasons.

Ahaṁ kho panāvuso, evaṁcitto paraṁ pañhaṁ pucchāmi:
As for myself, I ask with the thought,

‘sace me pañhaṁ puṭṭho sammadeva byākarissati iccetaṁ kusalaṁ, no ce me pañhaṁ puṭṭho sammadeva byākarissati, ahamassa sammadeva byākarissāmī’”ti.
‘If they correctly answer the question I ask it’s good. If not, I’ll correctly answer it for them.’”

Pañcamaṁ.