Faults -
You are now like a withered leaf. Death's messengers themselves are in your
presence. You are standing in the jaws of your departure, and provisions for
the road you have none. In such a case, build yourself an island. Make the effort
quickly and become a wise man. Cleansed of your faults and now without blemish,
you will go to the heavenly land of the saints. You are now at your life's conclusion.
You are in the presence of the King of Death. There is no stopping off place
on the way, and provisions for the road you have none. In such a case, build
yourself an island. Make the effort quickly and become a wise man. Cleansed
of your faults and now without blemish, you will come no more to birth and aging.
Little by little, moment by moment, a wise man should cleanse himself of blemishes,
like a smith purifying silver. Just as the rust which develops on iron, derives
from it but then proceeds to eat it away, so a person of unrestrained behavior
is drawn to hell by his own actions. Lack of repetition is the blight of scriptures.
Lack of repairs is the blight of buildings. The blight of beauty is laziness,
and carelessness is the blight of a guard. The blight of a woman is misconduct.
The blight of a giver is meanness. Bad mental states are indeed blights in this
world and the next. But the supreme blight, ignorance, is the blight of blights.
Destroying this blight, be free of blights, bhikkhus. Life is easy enough for
the shameless, the crow-hero type of man, offensive, swaggering, impudent and
depraved. But it is hard for the man of conscience, always striving after purity,
alert, reserved, pure of behavior and discerning. When a man takes life, tells
lies, takes what he is not entitled to in the world, resorts to other men's
wives and indulges in drinking wine and spirits - such a man is digging up his
own roots here and now in this world. So understand this, my man - unrestrained
men are evil. Don't let greed and wrong doing subject you to lasting suffering.
People give according to their faith, or as they feel well disposed. If one
is put out for that reason with other people's food and drink, then one will
not achieve stillness of mind in meditation, day or night. But he who has destroyed
that sort of reaction, has rooted it out and done away with it - he will achieve
stillness of mind in meditation, day and night. There is no fire like desire.
There is no hold like anger. There is no net like ignorance. There is no river
like craving. Other people's faults are easily seen. One can winnow out other
people's faults like chaff. One hides one's own faults though, like a dishonest
gambler hides an unlucky throw. When one notices the mistakes of others and
is always finding fault with them, the inflow of one's thoughts just increases
and one is a long way from the cessation of this influx. Just as there is no
path in the sky, there is no man of religion outside. Other people take pleasure
in multiplicity, but the Buddhas are free from it. Just as there is no path
in the sky, there is no man of religion outside. There are no lasting functions
of the mind, but there is no oscillation of mind for the Buddhas.