[188] Then the Venerable Puṇṇiya approached the Blessed One; having approached and paid homage to the Blessed One, he sat down to one side. Sitting to one side, the Venerable Puṇṇiya said this to the Blessed One: "Venerable sir, what is the cause, what is the condition, why at times the teaching of the Dhamma occurs to the Tathāgata, and at times does not occur?"
"Puṇṇiya, when a bhikkhu has faith (saddhā) but is not one who approaches, the teaching of the Dhamma does not yet occur to the Tathāgata; but when, Puṇṇiya, a bhikkhu both has faith and is one who approaches, thus the teaching of the Dhamma occurs to the Tathāgata. When, Puṇṇiya, a bhikkhu has faith and is one who approaches, but is not one who attends upon [the Teacher] … is one who attends upon [the Teacher], but not one who asks questions; is one who asks questions, but does not listen to the Dhamma with attentive ear; listens to the Dhamma with attentive ear, but, having heard, does not retain the Dhamma; having heard, retains the Dhamma, but does not examine the meaning of the teachings he has retained; examines the meaning of the teachings he has retained, but is not one who, having understood the meaning and understood the Dhamma, practices in accordance with the Dhamma — so long the teaching of the Dhamma does not yet occur to the Tathāgata. But when, Puṇṇiya, a bhikkhu has faith, and is one who approaches, and one who attends upon [the Teacher], and one who asks questions, and listens to the Dhamma with attentive ear, and, having heard, retains the Dhamma, and examines the meaning of the teachings he has retained, and, having understood the meaning and understood the Dhamma, is one who practices in accordance with the Dhamma — thus the teaching of the Dhamma occurs to the Tathāgata. Puṇṇiya, when one is endowed with these qualities, the teaching of the Dhamma occurs with complete assurance to the Tathāgata."
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.