The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha - Bhikkhu Nanamoli [438]
“And what kind of inclination of mind causes unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates it? Here someone is covetous and abides with his mind imbued with covetousness; he has ill will and abides with his mind imbued with ill will; he is cruel and abides with his mind imbued with cruelty.1072 Such inclination of mind causes unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates it.
“And what kind of inclination of mind causes unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase [51] in one who cultivates it? Here someone is uncovetous and abides with his mind detached from covetousness; he is without ill will and abides with his mind detached from ill will; he is uncruel and abides with his mind detached from cruelty. Such inclination of mind causes unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates it.
“So it was with reference to this that it was said by the Blessed One: ‘Bhikkhus, inclination of mind is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. And inclination of mind is either the one or the other.’
9. “‘The acquisition of perception is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. And the acquisition of perception is either the one or the other.’ So it was said by the Blessed One. And with reference to what was this said?
“Venerable sir, such acquisition of perception as causes unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates it should not be cultivated. But such acquisition of perception as causes unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates it should be cultivated.
“And what kind of acquisition of perception causes unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates it? Here someone is covetous and abides with his perception imbued with covetousness; he has ill will and abides with his perception imbued with ill will; he is cruel and abides with his perception imbued with cruelty. Such acquisition of perception causes unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates it.
“And what kind of acquisition of perception causes unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates it? Here someone is uncovetous and abides with his perception detached from covetousness; he is without ill will and abides with his perception detached from ill will; he is uncruel and abides with his perception detached from cruelty. Such acquisition of perception causes unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates it.
“So it was with reference to this that it was said by the Blessed One: ‘Bhikkhus, the acquisition of perception is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. And the acquisition of perception is either the one or the other.’ [52]
10. “‘The acquisition of view is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. And the acquisition of view is either the one or the other.’ So it was said by the Blessed One. And with reference to what was this said?
“Venerable sir, such acquisition of view as causes unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates it should not be cultivated. But such acquisition of view as causes unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates it should be cultivated.
“And what kind of acquisition of view causes unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates it? Here someone holds such a view as this: ‘There is nothing given, nothing offered, nothing sacrificed; no fruit or result of good and bad actions; no this