Buddhist Holy Day Dhamma (29/12/2024)
“Mendicants, if a mendicant isn’t skilled in the ways of another’s mind, then they should train themselves: ‘I will be skilled in the ways of my own mind.’
And how is a mendicant skilled in the ways of their own mind? Suppose there was a woman or man who was young, youthful, and fond of adornments, and they check their own reflection in a clean bright mirror or a clear bowl of water. If they see any dirt or blemish there, they’d try to remove it. But if they don’t see any dirt or blemish there, they’re happy with that, as they’ve got all they wished for: ‘How fortunate that I’m clean!’
In the same way, checking is very helpful for a mendicant’s skillful qualities. ‘Do I have internal serenity of heart or not? Do I have the higher wisdom of discernment of principles or not?’
Suppose that, upon checking, a mendicant knows this: ‘I have serenity but not discernment.’ Grounded on serenity, they should practice meditation to get discernment. After some time they have both serenity and discernment.
But suppose that, upon checking, a mendicant knows this: ‘I have discernment but not serenity.’ Grounded on discernment, they should practice meditation to get serenity. After some time they have both serenity and discernment.”
AN 10.54 Serenity (Bhikkhu Sujato)
