[113] Bhikkhus, here a bhikkhu might speak thus: "Friend, this I have heard in the presence of the Blessed One, received in his very 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 and without rejecting, having learned those words and phrases well, they should be checked against the Suttas and compared with the Vinaya. If, when they are being checked against the Suttas and compared with the Vinaya, they neither fit in the Suttas nor are found in the Vinaya, then the conclusion should be reached here: "Certainly this is not the word of that Blessed One, and it has been wrongly grasped by this bhikkhu." Thus, bhikkhus, you should discard it. But if, when they are being checked against the Suttas and compared with the Vinaya, they do fit in the Suttas and are found in the Vinaya, then the conclusion should be reached here: "Certainly this is the word of that Blessed One, and it has been rightly grasped by this bhikkhu." Bhikkhus, you should remember this as the first great reference (mahāpadesa).
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.