Parihāni sutta: Decline

There Sāriputta addressed the mendicants: “Reverends, mendicants!”

“Reverend,” they replied. Sāriputta said this:

“Reverends, any monk or nun who sees four things inside themselves should conclude: ‘My skillful qualities are declining. For this is what the Buddha calls decline.’ What four? They have much greed, much hate, and much delusion; and their wisdom eye doesn’t go into the many deep matters. Any monk or nun who sees these four things inside themselves should conclude: ‘My skillful qualities are declining. For this is what the Buddha calls decline.’

Any monk or nun who sees four things inside themselves should conclude: ‘My skillful qualities are not declining. For this is what the Buddha calls non-decline.’ What four? Their greed, hate, and delusion grow less; and their wisdom eye goes into the many deep matters. Any monk or nun who sees these four things inside themselves should conclude: ‘My skillful qualities are not declining. For this is what the Buddha calls non-decline.’”