AN4.180 — Mahāpadesa Sutta
At one time, the Blessed One was dwelling at Ānandacetiya in the town of Bhoganagara. There, the Blessed One addressed the disciples: Disciples. Venerable Sir, they replied to the Blessed One. The Blessed One said this: Disciples, I will teach you four great references. Listen, pay close attention, and I will speak.
Yes, Venerable Sir, the disciples replied to the Blessed One. The Blessed One said this: What are the four great references, disciples? Here a disciple might say: Friends, I have heard and received this in the presence of the Blessed One: This is the Dhamma, this is the Vinaya, this is the Teacher's instruction. The statement of that disciple should neither be approved nor disapproved. Without approving or disapproving, those words and phrases should be carefully learned and compared with the Suttas and reviewed in the Vinaya. If, when compared with the Suttas and reviewed in the Vinaya, they do not align with the Suttas and do not appear in the Vinaya, then you should conclude: Certainly, this is not the word of the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One; this disciple has misunderstood. Thus you should reject it.
However, if a disciple might say: Friends, I have heard and received this in the presence of the Blessed One: This is the Dhamma, this is the Vinaya, this is the Teacher's instruction. The statement of that disciple should neither be approved nor disapproved. Without approving or disapproving, those words and phrases should be carefully learned and compared with the Suttas and reviewed in the Vinaya. If, when compared with the Suttas and reviewed in the Vinaya, they align with the Suttas and appear in the Vinaya, then you should conclude: Certainly, this is the word of the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One; this disciple has understood correctly. This is the first great reference you should hold.
Furthermore a disciple might say: In such and such a monastery, there is a community with elders and leaders. I have heard and received this in the presence of that community: This is the Dhamma, this is the Vinaya, this is the Teacher's instruction. The statement of that disciple should neither be approved nor disapproved. Without approving or disapproving, those words and phrases should be carefully learned and compared with the Suttas and reviewed in the Vinaya.
If those teachings, when examined in the Sutta and compared with the Vinaya, do not align with the Sutta and do not appear in the Vinaya, then it should be concluded: Surely, this is not the word of the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One; it has been wrongly grasped by the community. Thus you should abandon it.
However if a disciple should say: In such and such a dwelling, a community resides with an elder and a leader. I have heard and received this in the presence of that community: This is the Dhamma, this is the Vinaya, this is the Teacher's instruction. The statement of that disciple should neither be approved nor rejected. Without approving or rejecting, those words and phrases should be carefully learned and compared with the Sutta and examined in the Vinaya. If, when examined in the Sutta and compared with the Vinaya, they align with the Sutta and appear in the Vinaya, then it should be concluded: Surely, this is the word of the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One; it has been rightly grasped by the community. This is the second great standard you should hold.
Moreover if a disciple should say: In such and such a dwelling, many elder disciples reside, learned, versed in the tradition, bearers of the Dhamma, bearers of the Vinaya, bearers of the summaries. I have heard and received this in the presence of those elders: This is the Dhamma, this is the Vinaya, this is the Teacher's instruction. The statement of that disciple should neither be approved nor rejected. Without approving or rejecting, those words and phrases should be carefully learned and compared with the Sutta and examined in the Vinaya. If, when examined in the Sutta and compared with the Vinaya, they do not align with the Sutta and do not appear in the Vinaya, then it should be concluded: Surely, this is not the word of the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One; it has been wrongly grasped by those elders. Thus you should abandon it.
Furthermore if a disciple should say: In such and such a dwelling, many elder disciples reside, learned, versed in the tradition, bearers of the Dhamma, bearers of the Vinaya, bearers of the summaries. I have heard and received this in the presence of those elders: This is the Dhamma, this is the Vinaya, this is the Teacher's instruction. The statement of that disciple should neither be approved nor rejected. Without approving or rejecting, those words and phrases should be carefully learned and compared with the Sutta and examined in the Vinaya.
If those teachings, when examined in the discourses and demonstrated in the discipline, are found to be consistent with both the discourses and the discipline, then it should be concluded: Surely, this is the word of the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One; and it has been well learned by those elders. This is the third great reference you should remember.
Now if a disciple should say: In such and such a dwelling, there is a certain elder disciple who is learned, who has memorized the teachings, who is a bearer of the Dhamma, a bearer of the discipline, a bearer of the summaries. I have heard and received this in the presence of that elder: This is the Dhamma, this is the discipline, this is the teaching of the Master. The statement of that disciple should neither be approved nor disapproved. Without approving or disapproving, those words and phrases should be carefully learned and compared with the discourses and demonstrated in the discipline. If, when examined in the discourses and demonstrated in the discipline, they are not found to be consistent with either the discourses or the discipline, then it should be concluded: Surely, this is not the word of the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One; and it has been poorly learned by that elder. Thus you should reject it.
Now if a disciple should say: In such and such a dwelling, there is a certain elder disciple who is learned, who has memorized the teachings, who is a bearer of the Dhamma, a bearer of the discipline, a bearer of the summaries. I have heard and received this in the presence of that elder: This is the Dhamma, this is the discipline, this is the teaching of the Master. The statement of that disciple should neither be approved nor disapproved. Without approving or disapproving, those words and phrases should be carefully learned and compared with the discourses and demonstrated in the discipline. If, when examined in the discourses and demonstrated in the discipline, they are found to be consistent with both the discourses and the discipline, then it should be concluded: Surely, this is the word of the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One; and it has been well learned by that elder. This is the fourth great reference you should remember.
These are the four great references.