"This will be a question-and-response talk. Where you understand, you should declare: 'We understand'. Where you don't, you should declare: 'We don't understand'. Where you are doubtful or confused, you should question me in return: 'How is this venerable sir? What is the meaning of this?'"
---Nandakovada Sutta, MN 146
"Bhikkhus, there are these two kinds of assemblies. What two? The assembly trained in pretty words, not in interrogation, and the assembly trained in interrogation, not in pretty words".
"And what is the assembly trained in pretty words? Here, in this kind of assembly, when those teachings spoken by Tathagata are being recited that are hard, hard in meaning, transcending the world, connected with extinction, 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 meanings should be studied and understood. But when those teachings are being recited that are mere poetry composed by poets with beautiful words and phrases, created by puthujjanas, spoken by their disciples, they have interest in them, lend an ear to them, and apply their minds to learn them. They think those teachings should be studied and understood. And having studied those teachings, they do not interrogate each other about them or examine them thoroughly, by asking: 'How is this? What is the meaning of this?' They do not clarify what is obscure, and elucidate what is unclear, or dispel their confusion about numerous confusing points. This is called the assembly trained in pretty words, not in interrogation".
"And what is the assembly trained in interrogation, not in pretty words? 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 puthujjanas and spoken by their disciples, the bhikkhus have no interest in them, they do not lend an ear to them, or apply their minds to learn them. But when those teachings spoken by the Tathagata are being recited that are hard, hard in meaning, transcending the world, connected with extinction, the bhikkhus are interested in them, lend an ear to them, and apply their minds to learn them. They think those teachings should be studied and understood. Having understood them, they interrogate each other about them and examine them thoroughly: 'How is this? What is the meaning of this?' They clarify what is obscure and elucidate what is unclear, and dispel their confusion about numerous confusing points. This is called the assembly trained in interrogation, not in pretty words."
"Out of these two kinds of assemblies, the assembly trained in interrogation, not in pretty words is superior".
--- AN 2:47
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