Article summary
Aren’t you
checking your face in a clean bright mirror to check whether there is any dirt
or blemish? Aren’t you trying to remove it quickly if there is any? If there is
no dirt or blemish at all, aren’t you feel happy? Even though we do this daily
to maintain a good outer appearance, how often do you check your thoughts? How
well you maintain your inner appearance?
Let’s see what Samma
Sambuddha and the blessed one’s noble disciple has to say on this!
Once few bhikkhus, wen to
see noble disciple Sariputta arhath thero. And they asked;
“They speak of a “person
liable to decline”, and “one not liable to decline”. But
how did the Samma Sambuddha define a “person liable to decline”, and “one not
liable to decline”?”
Then the Ven. Sāriputta
explained how did the Samma Sambuddha define a “person liable to
decline”
1.
It’s when a person doesn’t get to
hear the true teachings of the blessed ones which they haven’t heard before.
2. Even
if they heard a little of them, they forget those teachings they have heard
because of the carelessness.
3. They
don’t keep rehearsing the teachings they’ve already got to know.
4. They
don’t come to understand what they haven’t understood before.
When there are these 4 facts
are available in one self, that person is liable to decline. If you don’t
have any of these you a “person NOT liable to decline”
You should train your
mind to be skillful by thinking “I will be skilled in the ways of my own mind”.
Like you take your time
to maintain the beauty of your face. Like that way you should train your
mind to be skillful.
“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. But if they don’t see
any dirt or blemish there, they’re happy with that, as they’ve got all they
wished for: ‘How fortunate that I’m clean!”
You can read the full
sutta in; https://suttacentral.net/an10.55/en/sujato
In the same way you
should check your mind and see how skilled you are. Let’s find out how to
do this through our next editorial. Till then have a blessed time dear
dhamma friend with a prettier face & a beautiful mind!
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