The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha - Bhikkhu Nanamoli [47]
“Herein, the person with a blemish who does not understand it as it actually is thus: ‘I have a blemish in myself’ is called the inferior of these two persons with a blemish. Herein, the person with a blemish who understands it as it actually is thus: ‘I have a blemish in myself’ is called the superior of these two persons with a blemish.
“Herein, the person with no blemish [25] who does not understand it as it actually is thus: ‘I have no blemish’ is called the inferior of these two persons with no blemish. Herein, the person with no blemish who understands it as it actually is thus: ‘I have no blemish’ is called the superior of these two persons with no blemish.”
3. When this was said, the venerable Mahā Moggallāna asked the venerable Sāriputta: “Friend Sāriputta, what is the cause and reason why, of these two persons with a blemish, one is called the inferior man and one is called the superior man? What is the cause and reason why, of these two persons with no blemish, one is called the inferior man and one is called the superior man?”
4. “Herein, friend, when a person with a blemish does not understand it as it actually is thus: ‘I have a blemish in myself,’ it can be expected that he will not arouse zeal, make effort, or instigate energy to abandon that blemish, and that he will die with lust, hate, and delusion, with a blemish, with mind defiled. Suppose a bronze dish were brought from a shop or a smithy covered with dirt and stains, and the owners neither used it nor had it cleaned but put it away in a dusty corner. Would the bronze dish thus get more defiled and stained later on?”—“Yes, friend.”—“So too, friend, when a person with a blemish does not understand it as it actually is thus: ‘I have a blemish in myself,’ it can be expected…that he will die…with mind defiled.
5. “Herein, when a person with a blemish understands it as it actually is thus: ‘I have a blemish in myself,’ it can be expected that he will arouse zeal, make effort, and instigate energy to abandon that blemish, and that he will die without lust, hate, and delusion, without blemish, with mind undefiled. Suppose a bronze dish were brought from a shop or a smithy covered with dirt and stains, and the owners used it and had it cleaned and did not put it in a dusty corner. [26] Would the bronze dish thus get cleaner and brighter later on?”—“Yes, friend.”—“So too, friend, when a person with a blemish understands it as it actually is thus: ‘I have a blemish in myself,’ it can be expected…that he will die…with mind undefiled.
6. “Herein, when a person with no blemish does not understand it as it actually is thus: ‘I have no blemish in myself,’ it can be expected that he will give attention to the sign of the beautiful, 70 that by his doing so lust will infect his mind, and that he will die with lust, hate, and delusion, with a blemish, with mind defiled. Suppose a bronze dish were brought from a shop or smithy clean and bright, and the owners neither used it nor had it cleaned but put it in a dusty corner. Would the bronze dish thus get more defiled and more stained later on?”—“Yes, friend.”—“So too, friend, when a person with no blemish does not understand it as it actually is thus: ‘I have no blemish in myself,’ it can be expected that he will die…with mind defiled.
7. “Herein, when a person with no blemish understands it as it actually is thus: ‘I have no blemish in myself, ‘ it can be expected that he will not give attention to the sign of the beautiful, that by his not doing so lust will not infect his mind, and that he will die without lust, hate, and delusion, without blemish, with