Buddha addressed his disciples:
— In relations with worldly people, the greatest caution should be observed. Just as a barefoot man walks along a thorny path, stepping carefully, so a sage should walk through a village. Just as a bee does not destroy either the color or the smell of a flower, but only takes its nectar and flies away, in exactly the same way a wise man should pass through the village. The student should think to himself like this: when I walked through the village and collected alms, did pleasure, lust or hatred, embarrassment or anger arise in my thoughts from the images perceived by my eyes?
Look closely at yourself, like a young woman looking at her face in a clean mirror. Having noticed an impurity or stain on it, she tries to remove it, and if she does not see any impurity or stain, then she rejoices: “That’s wonderful! How pure I am." In the same way, the student, having become convinced that he is not yet free from all bad impulses, must take care of becoming free from them. If he sees that he is free from all bad and harmful impulses, then he should be satisfied and cheerful. Blessed is the man who has accustomed his thoughts to goodness!
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru