English
This is verbal impudence. What is mental impudence? Here, someone not gone forth from a high family, regards himself in mind as equal to one gone forth from a high family. Not gone forth from a great family, regards himself in mind as equal to one gone forth from a great family. Not gone forth from a family of great wealth, regards himself in mind as equal to one gone forth from a family of great wealth. Not gone forth from a family of abundant wealth... Not being a master of the Suttantas, regards himself in mind as equal to a master of the Suttantas. Not being a master of the Vinaya... Not being a Dhamma speaker... Not being a forest dweller... Not being an alms-round practitioner... Not being a rag-robe wearer... Not being a three-robe wearer... Not being a continuous alms-round practitioner... Not being a one-meal-a-day practitioner... Not being a sitter... Not being content with any bed... Not being an obtainer of the first jhana, regards himself in mind as equal to an obtainer of the first jhana... ...and so on... Not being an obtainer of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception... One who has attained (something) makes himself equal in mind with one who has attained the attainment of the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception – this is mental presumption. In whom these three presumptions are abandoned, uprooted, calmed, tranquilized, incapable of arising, burnt by the fire of knowledge, he is called unpresumptuous – unpresumptuous. "Not despicable." There is a despicable person, there is a not despicable person. And what kind of person is despicable? Here, some person is immoral, of evil nature, of impure, suspicious conduct, with hidden deeds, no ascetic but claiming to be an ascetic, no celibate but claiming to be a celibate, inwardly rotten, oozing, born of filth – this person is called despicable. Or else, he is angry, full of vexation, even when spoken to a little, he gets angry, is enraged, becomes hostile, persists, and manifests anger, ill-will, and displeasure – this person is called despicable. Or else, he is angry and resentful, he is a denigrator and a rival, he is envious and stingy, he is deceitful and fraudulent, he is stubborn and arrogant, he is of evil wishes and wrong view, he is one who clings to his own views, grasping, difficult to let go – this person is called despicable. And what kind of person is not despicable? Here, a monk is virtuous, he dwells restrained by the restraint of the Pātimokkha, endowed with good conduct and resort, seeing danger in the slightest faults, he undertakes and trains in the training rules – this person is called not despicable. Or else, he is not angry, not full of vexation, even when spoken to much, he does not get angry, is not enraged, does not become hostile, does not persist, and does not manifest anger, ill-will, and displeasure – this person is called not despicable. Or else, he is not angry and not resentful, he is not a denigrator and not a rival, he is not envious and not stingy, he is not deceitful and not fraudulent, he is not stubborn and not arrogant, he is not of evil wishes and not of wrong view, he is one who does not cling to his own views, not grasping, easy to let go. One who has renounced (faults) – this person is called not despicable. All foolish ordinary people are despicable. The virtuous ordinary person, and the eight noble persons, are not despicable – modest, not despicable. And not engaged in malicious speech. Malicious speech is this: here, some person is a malicious speaker, having heard here, he tells there for the division of these, or having heard there, he tells these for the division of those. Thus, he is a divider of those who are united, or an instigator of those who are divided, delighting in factions, enjoying factions, rejoicing in factions, speaking words that create factions – this is called malicious speech. Moreover, one engages in malicious speech for two reasons – either out of desire for affection, or with the intention of division. How does one engage in malicious speech out of desire for affection? "I will be dear to this one, I will be pleasing, I will be trusted, I will be intimate, I will be a good friend." Thus, one engages in malicious speech out of desire for affection. How does one engage in malicious speech with the intention of division? "How might these be separate, be apart, be in factions, be in two ways, be in two camps, be in two parties, be divided, not come together, dwell unhappily, not at ease?" Thus, one engages in malicious speech with the intention of division. For whom this malicious speech is abandoned, uprooted, calmed, tranquilized, incapable of arising again, burnt by the fire of knowledge, that one is not engaged in malicious speech, not yoked, not applied, not rightly applied – and not engaged in malicious speech. Therefore, the Blessed One said: "Withdrawn, not deceitful, not envious, not stingy; Modest, not despicable, and not engaged in malicious speech." Not flowing with pleasant things, and not engaged in conceit; Gentle and ready-witted, not credulous, not averse. Not flowing with pleasant things. "Pleasant things" are called the five sense pleasures. For what reason are the five sense pleasures called "pleasant things"? Because mostly gods and humans desire, delight in, long for, yearn for, and covet the five sense pleasures, therefore... The five cords of sensual pleasure are called "pleasures." For whom this pleasure-craving is not abandoned, for them, from the eye, craving for forms flows, streams, oozes, proceeds; from the ear, craving for sounds... from the nose, craving for smells... from the tongue, craving for tastes... from the body, craving for tangibles... from the mind, craving for mental objects flows, streams, oozes, proceeds. For whom this pleasure-craving is abandoned, uprooted, calmed, tranquilized, incapable of arising again, burnt by the fire of knowledge, for them, from the eye, craving for forms does not flow, does not stream, does not ooze, does not proceed; from the ear, craving for sounds... from the mind, craving for mental objects does not flow, does not stream, does not ooze, does not proceed – one who does not flow out into pleasures. And not joined with over-conceit. What is over-conceit? Here, someone despises another by birth or by clan... or by any other thing. That such conceit, thinking, the state of thinking, exaltation, elation, a banner, a grasping, the mind's desire for a flag – this is called over-conceit. For whom this over-conceit is abandoned, uprooted, calmed, tranquilized, incapable of arising again, burnt by the fire of knowledge, that one is not joined with over-conceit, not engaged, not connected, not rightly connected – not joined with over-conceit. And gentle and ready-witted. "Gentle" means endowed with gentle bodily action, thus gentle; endowed with gentle verbal action... endowed with gentle mental action, thus gentle; endowed with gentle foundations of mindfulness, thus gentle; endowed with gentle right exertions... endowed with gentle bases of psychic power... endowed with gentle faculties... endowed with gentle powers... endowed with gentle factors of awakening, thus gentle; endowed with the gentle noble eightfold path – thus gentle. "Ready-witted" means three kinds of ready-wittedness – ready-witted in learning, ready-witted in questioning, ready-witted in realization. What is ready-witted in learning? Here, for some, by nature, it is learned: discourses, mixed prose and verse, expositions, verses, inspired utterances, 'Thus-saids', birth stories, wonderful phenomena, questions and answers. fresh, by relying on that learning, it becomes clear to him – this one has clarity from learning. What is clarity from questioning? Here, someone is one who questions about his own welfare, and the welfare of others, about characteristics, and causes, and right and wrong, by relying on that questioning, it becomes clear to him – this one has clarity from questioning. What is clarity from realization? Here, for someone, the four foundations of mindfulness are realized, the four right efforts are realized, the four bases of psychic power are realized, the five faculties are realized, the five powers are realized, the seven factors of enlightenment are realized, the Noble Eightfold Path is realized, the four Noble Paths are realized, the four fruits of recluseship are realized, the four analytical knowledges are realized, the six supernormal powers are realized. For him, the meaning is known, the Dhamma is known, the language is known. When the meaning is known, the meaning becomes clear. When the Dhamma is known, the Dhamma becomes clear. When the language is known, the language becomes clear. Among these three knowledges, the knowledge is the analytical knowledge of clarity. Endowed, fully endowed, attained, fully attained, possessed, fully possessed, furnished with this analytical knowledge of clarity, he is called one with clarity. For whom there is no learning, no questioning, no realization, what will become clear to him? – He is subtle and has clarity. "Not believing, not delighting." "Not believing" means he does not believe anyone else – any other recluse or brahmin, or god, or Māra, or Brahmā – regarding the Dhamma which he himself has directly known, personally experienced. "All formations are impermanent" – he himself has directly known... "All formations are suffering"... "All phenomena are not-self"... "Conditioned by ignorance are formations"... ... "Conditioned by birth is old age and death"... "With the cessation of ignorance, there is cessation of formations"... ... "With the cessation of birth, there is cessation of old age and death"... "This is suffering"... ... "This is the path leading to the cessation of suffering"... "These are the defilements"... ... "This is the path leading to the cessation of defilements"... "These phenomena are to be directly known"... ..