At one time, the Blessed One was dwelling in the town of Bhoga, in the Ānanda Shrine.

There, the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus: "Bhikkhus."

"Yes, venerable sir," those bhikkhus replied to the Blessed One.

The Blessed One said this: "Bhikkhus, I will teach you these four great references. Listen to this and pay close attention, I will speak."

"Yes, venerable sir," those bhikkhus replied to the Blessed One. The Blessed One said this:

"What, bhikkhus, are the four great references?

1 Here, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu might say: 'Friends, I have heard this directly from the Blessed One, learned this in his presence — this is the Dhamma, this is the Vinaya, this is the teacher's instruction.' Bhikkhus, that bhikkhu's statement should neither be approved nor rejected. Without approving or rejecting, those words and phrases should be carefully learned, examined in the Suttas, and compared with the Vinaya. If, when examined in the Suttas and compared with the Vinaya, they do not align with the Suttas or appear in the Vinaya, then a conclusion should be reached: 'Certainly, this is not the word of the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Fully Awakened One; rather, this bhikkhu has misunderstood.' Thus, bhikkhus, it should be discarded.

But, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu might say: 'Friends, I have heard this directly from the Blessed One, learned this in his presence — this is the Dhamma, this is the Vinaya, this is the teacher's instruction.' Bhikkhus, that bhikkhu's statement should neither be approved nor rejected. Without approving or rejecting, those words and phrases should be carefully learned, examined in the Suttas, and compared with the Vinaya. If, when examined in the Suttas and compared with the Vinaya, they align with the Suttas and appear in the Vinaya, then a conclusion should be reached: 'Certainly, this is the word of the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Fully Awakened One; this bhikkhu has understood it correctly.' Bhikkhus, this is the first great reference that you should keep in mind.

2 Here again, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu might say: 'In a such and such residence, there dwells a Saṅgha with an elder bhikkhu and respected leaders. I have heard this directly from that community, learned it in the presence of that community — this is the Dhamma, this is the Vinaya, this is the teacher's instruction.' Bhikkhus, that bhikkhu's statement should neither be approved nor rejected. Without approving or rejecting, those words and phrases should be carefully learned, examined in the Suttas, and compared with the Vinaya. If, when examined in the Suttas and compared with the Vinaya, they do not align with the Suttas or appear in the Vinaya, then a conclusion should be reached: 'Certainly, this is not the word of the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Fully Awakened One; rather, that community has misunderstood.' Thus, bhikkhus, it should be discarded.

But, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu might say: 'In a such and such residence, there dwells a community with an elder bhikkhu and respected leaders. I have heard this directly from that community, learned it in the presence of that community — this is the Dhamma, this is the Vinaya, this is the teacher's instruction.' Bhikkhus, that bhikkhu's statement should neither be approved nor rejected. Without approving or rejecting, those words and phrases should be carefully learned, examined in the Suttas, and compared with the Vinaya. If, when examined in the Suttas and compared with the Vinaya, they align with the Suttas and appear in the Vinaya, then a conclusion should be reached: 'Certainly, this is the word of the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Fully Awakened One; that community has understood it correctly.' Bhikkhus, this is the second great reference that you should keep in mind.

3 Here again, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu might say: 'In a such and such residence, there dwell many elder bhikkhus who are very learned, heirs to the scriptures, keepers of the Dhamma, keepers of the Vinaya and keepers of the summaries. I have heard this directly from those elders, learned it in their presence — this is the Dhamma, this is the Vinaya, this is the teacher's instruction.' Bhikkhus, that bhikkhu's statement should neither be approved nor rejected. Without approving or rejecting, those words and phrases should be carefully learned, examined in the Suttas, and compared with the Vinaya. If, when examined in the Suttas and compared with the Vinaya, they do not align with the Suttas or appear in the Vinaya, then a conclusion should be reached: 'Certainly, this is not the word of the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Fully Awakened One; rather, those elders have misunderstood.' Thus, bhikkhus, it should be discarded.

But, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu might say: 'In a such and such residence, there dwell many elder bhikkhus who are very learned, heirs to the scriptures, keepers of the Dhamma, keepers of the Vinaya, and keepers of the summaries. I have heard this directly from those elders, learned it in their presence — this is the Dhamma, this is the Vinaya, this is the teacher's instruction.' Bhikkhus, that bhikkhu's statement should neither be approved nor rejected. Without approving or rejecting, those words and phrases should be carefully learned, examined in the Suttas, and compared with the Vinaya. If, when examined in the Suttas and compared with the Vinaya, they align with the Suttas and appear in the Vinaya, then a conclusion should be reached: 'Certainly, this is the word of the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Fully Awakened One; those elders have understood it correctly.' Bhikkhus, this is the third great reference that you should keep in mind.

4 Here again, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu might say: 'In a such and such residence, there dwells a single elder bhikkhu who is very learned, an heir to the scriptures, a keeper of the Dhamma, a keeper of the Vinaya, and a keeper of the summaries. I have heard this directly from that elder, learned it in his presence — this is the Dhamma, this is the Vinaya, this is the teacher's instruction.' Bhikkhus, that bhikkhu's statement should neither be approved nor rejected. Without approving or rejecting, those words and phrases should be carefully learned, examined in the Suttas, and compared with the Vinaya. If, when examined in the Suttas and compared with the Vinaya, they do not align with the Suttas or appear in the Vinaya, then a conclusion should be reached: 'Certainly, this is not the word of the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Fully Awakened One; rather, that elder has misunderstood.' Thus, bhikkhus, it should be discarded.

But, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu might say: 'In a such and such residence, there dwells a single elder bhikkhu who is very learned, an heir to the scriptures, a keeper of the Dhamma, a keeper of the Vinaya, and a keeper of the summaries. I have heard this directly from that elder, learned it in his presence — this is the Dhamma, this is the Vinaya, this is the teacher's instruction.' Bhikkhus, that bhikkhu's statement should neither be approved nor rejected. Without approving or rejecting, those words and phrases should be carefully learned, examined in the Suttas, and compared with the Vinaya. If, when examined in the Suttas and compared with the Vinaya, they align with the Suttas and appear in the Vinaya, then a conclusion should be reached: 'Certainly, this is the word of the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Fully Awakened One; that elder has understood it correctly.' Bhikkhus, this is the fourth great reference that you should keep in mind.

These, bhikkhus, are the four great references that you should keep in mind."