Present mind is the composite result of past mentalities. To speak or act with a corrupt mentality draws forth misery, as the wheel of a cart follows after the foot of its draft ox.
Present mind is the composite result of past mentalities. To speak or act with a pure mentality creates happiness, which follows like a shadow that never leaves...
Never underestimate the power of evil, supposing yourself beyond its influence. Even water, drip by drip, will in time fill a container. Just so does a fool fill up with evil, even though gathered little by little.
Never underestimate the power of good, supposing yourself beyond its influence. Even water, drip by drip, will in time fill a container. Just so do the wise fill up with goodness, even though gathered little by little.
Actions will not be wasted. Even with the passing of a hundred aeons. When the right causes and circumstances meet, the fruits of embodied beings will ripen.
When my concentrated mind was thus purified, bright, unblemished, rid of imperfection, malleable, wieldy, steady, and attained to imperturbability, I directed it to the knowledge of the passing away and reappearance of beings. With the divine eye, which is purified and surpasses the human, I saw beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, fair and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate. I understood how beings pass on according to their actions thus: 'These worthy beings who were ill-conducted in body, speech, and mind, revilers of noble ones, wrong in their views, giving effect to wrong view in their actions, on dissolution of the body, after death, have reappeared in a state of deprivation, in a bad destination, in perdition, even in hell; but these worthy beings who were well-conducted in their body, speech, and mind, not revilers of noble ones, right in their views, giving effect to right view in their actions, on dissolution of the body, after death, have reappeared in a good destination, even in a heavenly world. Thus with the divine eye, which is purified and surpasses the human, I saw beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, fair and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate, and I understood how beings pass on according to their actions.
This was the second true knowledge attained by me in the second watch of the night [on the eve on Enlightenment]. Ignorance was banished and true knowledge arose, darkness was banished and light arose, as happens in one who abides diligent, ardent and resolute.