There Sāriputta addressed the mendicants: Tatra kho āyasmā sāriputto bhikkhū āmantesi: “Reverends, mendicants!” “āvuso bhikkhave”ti.

“Reverend,” they replied. “Āvuso”ti kho te bhikkhū āyasmato sāriputtassa paccassosuṁ. Sāriputta said this: Āyasmā sāriputto etadavoca:

“Reverends, if a mendicant isn’t skilled in encompassing another’s mind, then they should train themselves: ‘I will be skilled in encompassing my own mind.’ “No ce, āvuso, bhikkhu paracittapariyāyakusalo hoti, atha ‘sacittapariyāyakusalo bhavissāmī’ti—evañhi vo, āvuso, sikkhitabbaṁ.

And how is a mendicant skilled in the ways of their own mind? Kathañcāvuso, bhikkhu sacittapariyāyakusalo hoti? Suppose there was a woman or man who was young, youthful, and fond of adornments, and they check their own reflection in a clean bright mirror or a clear bowl of water. If they see any dirt or blemish there, they’d try to remove it. Seyyathāpi, āvuso, itthī vā puriso vā daharo yuvā maṇḍanakajātiko ādāse vā parisuddhe pariyodāte acche vā udapatte sakaṁ mukhanimittaṁ paccavekkhamāno sace tattha passati rajaṁ vā aṅgaṇaṁ vā, tasseva rajassa vā aṅgaṇassa vā pahānāya vāyamati. But if they don’t see any dirt or blemish there, they’re happy with that, as they’ve got all they wished for: No ce tattha passati rajaṁ vā aṅgaṇaṁ vā, tenevattamano hoti paripuṇṇasaṅkappo: ‘How fortunate that I’m clean!’ ‘lābhā vata me, parisuddhaṁ vata me’ti.

In the same way, checking is very helpful for a mendicant’s skillful qualities. Evamevaṁ kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno paccavekkhaṇā bahukārā hoti kusalesu dhammesu: ‘Am I often covetous or not? Am I often malicious or not? Am I often overcome with dullness and drowsiness or not? Am I often restless or not? Am I often doubtful or not? Am I often irritable or not? Am I often defiled in mind or not? Am I often disturbed in body or not? Am I often energetic or not? Am I often immersed in samādhi or not?’ ‘abhijjhālu nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, anabhijjhālu nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, byāpannacitto nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, abyāpannacitto nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, thinamiddhapariyuṭṭhito nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, vigatathinamiddho nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, uddhato nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, anuddhato nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, vicikiccho nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, tiṇṇavicikiccho nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, kodhano nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, akkodhano nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, saṅkiliṭṭhacitto nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, asaṅkiliṭṭhacitto nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, sāraddhakāyo nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, asāraddhakāyo nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, kusīto nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, āraddhavīriyo nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, samāhito nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, asamāhito nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmī’ti.

Suppose that, upon checking, a mendicant knows this: Sace, āvuso, bhikkhu paccavekkhamāno evaṁ jānāti: ‘I am often covetous, malicious, overcome with dullness and drowsiness, restless, doubtful, angry, defiled in mind, disturbed in body, lazy, and not immersed in samādhi.’ In order to give up those bad, unskillful qualities, they should apply extraordinary enthusiasm, effort, zeal, vigor, perseverance, mindfulness, and situational awareness. ‘abhijjhālu bahulaṁ viharāmi …pe… asamāhito bahulaṁ viharāmī’ti, tenāvuso, bhikkhunā tesaṁyeva pāpakānaṁ akusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ pahānāya adhimatto chando ca vāyāmo ca ussāho ca ussoḷhī ca appaṭivānī ca sati ca sampajaññañca karaṇīyaṁ. Suppose your clothes or head were on fire. In order to extinguish it, you’d apply extraordinary enthusiasm, effort, zeal, vigor, perseverance, mindfulness, and situational awareness. Seyyathāpi, āvuso, ādittacelo vā ādittasīso vā. Tasseva celassa vā sīsassa vā nibbāpanāya adhimattaṁ chandañca vāyāmañca ussāhañca ussoḷhiñca appaṭivāniñca satiñca sampajaññañca kareyya. In the same way, in order to give up those bad, unskillful qualities, that mendicant should apply extraordinary enthusiasm … Evamevaṁ kho, āvuso, tena bhikkhunā tesaṁyeva pāpakānaṁ akusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ pahānāya adhimatto chando ca vāyāmo ca ussāho ca ussoḷhī ca appaṭivānī ca sati ca sampajaññañca karaṇīyaṁ.

But suppose that, upon checking, a mendicant knows this: Sace panāvuso, bhikkhu paccavekkhamāno evaṁ jānāti: ‘I am often content, kind-hearted, rid of dullness and drowsiness, calm, confident, loving, pure in mind, undisturbed in body, energetic, and immersed in samādhi.’ Grounded on those skillful qualities, they should practice meditation further to end the defilements.” ‘anabhijjhālu bahulaṁ viharāmi …pe… samāhito bahulaṁ viharāmī’ti, tenāvuso, bhikkhunā tesuyeva kusalesu dhammesu patiṭṭhāya uttari āsavānaṁ khayāya yogo karaṇīyo”ti.

Dutiyaṁ.