[642] "Friends, suppose a man in need of heartwood, seeking heartwood, wandering in search of heartwood, having passed over the root and passed over the trunk of a great tree standing possessed of heartwood, were to imagine that heartwood should be sought among the branches and leaves — such is what has come to pass for the venerable ones: though the Teacher was present face to face, you passed over the Blessed One and imagined that this matter should be asked of me. For, friends, that Blessed One, knowing, knows; seeing, he sees; he has become vision, become knowledge (ñāṇa), become Dhamma, become Brahmā; he is the speaker, the proclaimer, the elucidator of the meaning, the giver of the Deathless, the lord of the Dhamma, the Tathāgata. That indeed was the time when you should have asked the Blessed One himself about this matter; as the Blessed One answered you, so you should have borne it in mind."
"Certainly, friend Kaccāna, the Blessed One, knowing, knows; seeing, he sees; he has become vision, become knowledge, become Dhamma, become Brahmā; he is the speaker, the proclaimer, the elucidator of the meaning, the giver of the Deathless, the lord of the Dhamma, the Tathāgata. That indeed was the time when we should have asked the Blessed One himself about this matter; as the Blessed One answered us, so we should have borne it in mind. But the Venerable Mahākaccāna is praised by the Teacher and esteemed by his wise companions in the holy life, and the Venerable Mahākaccāna is able to analyze in detail the meaning of this summary set forth in brief by the Blessed One without the meaning being analyzed in detail. Let the Venerable Mahākaccāna analyze it, without finding it burdensome."
"Then, friends, listen and attend well; I shall speak." "Yes, friend," those bhikkhus replied to the Venerable Mahākaccāna.
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.