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.