51 (1)
“Luminous, bhikkhus, is this mind, but it is defiled by adventitious defilements. The uninstructed worldling does not understand this as it really is; therefore I say that for the uninstructed worldling there is no development of the mind.”47
52 (2)
“Luminous, bhikkhus, is this mind, and it is freed from adventitious defilements. The instructed noble disciple understands this as it really is; therefore I say that for the instructed noble disciple there is development of the mind.”48
“Bhikkhus, if for just the time of a finger snap a bhikkhu pursues a mind of loving-kindness, he is called a bhikkhu who is not devoid of jhāna, who acts upon the teaching of the Teacher, who responds to his advice, and who does not eat the country’s almsfood in vain.49 How much more, then, those who cultivate it!”
54 (4)
“Bhikkhus, if for just the time of a finger snap a bhikkhu develops a mind of loving-kindness, he is called a bhikkhu who is not devoid of jhāna, who acts upon the teaching of the Teacher, who responds to his advice, and who does not eat the country’s almsfood in vain. How much more, then, those who cultivate it!” [11]
55 (5)
“Bhikkhus, if for just the time of a finger snap a bhikkhu attends to a mind of loving-kindness, he is called a bhikkhu who is not devoid of jhāna, who acts upon the teaching of the Teacher, who responds to his advice, and who does not eat the country’s almsfood in vain. How much more, then, those who cultivate it!”
56 (6)
“Bhikkhus, whatever qualities are unwholesome, partake of the unwholesome, and pertain to the unwholesome, all have the mind as their forerunner.50 Mind arises first followed by the unwholesome qualities.”
57 (7)
“Bhikkhus, whatever qualities are wholesome, partake of the wholesome, and pertain to the wholesome, all have the mind as their forerunner. Mind arises first followed by the wholesome qualities.”
58 (8)
“Bhikkhus, I do not see a single thing that so causes unarisen unwholesome qualities to arise and arisen wholesome qualities to decline as heedlessness.51 For one who is heedless, unarisen unwholesome qualities arise and arisen wholesome qualities decline.”
59 (9)
“Bhikkhus, I do not see a single thing that so causes unarisen wholesome qualities to arise and arisen unwholesome qualities to decline as heedfulness. For one who is heedful, unarisen wholesome qualities arise and arisen unwholesome qualities decline.”
60 (10)
“Bhikkhus, I do not see a single thing that so causes unarisen unwholesome qualities to arise and arisen wholesome qualities to decline as laziness. For one who is lazy, unarisen unwholesome qualities arise and arisen wholesome qualities decline.” [12]
47 Cittabhāvanā natthi. Mp: “There is no stability of mind, no comprehension of mind” (cittaṭṭhiti cittapariggaho natthi). Mp-ṭ: “The development of mind [called] ‘stability of mind’ (cittaṭṭhiti) is the practice through which one can accurately understand defilement of the mind and liberation from it. The development of insight (vipassanābhāvanā), which occurs based on the stabilization [of the mind] by fully concentrating it on a single object, is what is known as comprehension of the mind (cittassa pariggaha); [this occurs] together with the associated [mental] factors based on that object. It is through this that one can accurately understand the meaning stated.”
The Nikāyas often set up a contrast between the “uninstructed worldling” (assutavā puthujjana), the common person of the world who lacks training in the Buddha’s teaching, and the instructed noble disciple (sutavā ariya sāvaka), who has learned the teaching and undertaken the training. More broadly, a puthujjana is anyone who has not yet reached the path of stream-entry (sotāpatti). An ariyasāvaka is not necessarily a “noble one” in the technical sense, but any disciple, monastic or layperson, who has learned the teaching and earnestly takes up the practice.
48 Mp: “In this sutta powerful insight (balavavipassanā) is discussed; but some say tender insight (taruṇavipassanā).” Here, “tender insight” refers to the early stage of knowledge of rise and fall, while “powerful insight” to the mature stage of knowledge of rise and fall and the higher insight knowledges.
49 Mp says that by “pursues a mind of loving-kindness” (mettācittaṃ āsevati), the text refers to the mere pervasion of all beings with a wish for their well-being. Thus it seems that here “not devoid of jhāna” (arittajjhāno) does not necessarily mean that the monk actually attains one of the four jhānas but that he earnestly engages in meditation. The phrase “does not eat the country’s almsfood in vain” means that by practicing meditation, the monk is worthy to receive almsfood from laypeople. He enables the donors to acquire merit and uses the almsfood properly to support the spiritual life.
50 Sabb’ete manopubbaṅgamā. Mp interprets this in line with the Abhidhamma doctrine that mind (citta) and its concomitants (cetasikas) occur simultaneously: “These [factors] arise together with mind (mano); they have a single arising, basis, cessation, and object. But because mind is what arouses, produces, generates, and originates them, they are said to have mind as their forerunner.” Again, Mp reads this statement through the lens of the Abhidhamma analysis of mind. Understood in line with Dhp 1 and 2, the text probably means simply that before one commits any unwholesome bodily or verbal deed, one first decides to act in such a way. This gives the statement an ethical rather than a psychological meaning. This interpretation is supported by the next sentence about the mind arising first, followed by the others. The same applies to the wholesome mind and its qualities in the next sutta.
51 Mp cites Vibh 350 (Be §846) for a definition of heedlessness (pamāda): “What is heedlessness? Laxity of mind, looseness of mind, in regard to bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, mental misconduct, and the five kinds of sensual pleasures; and disrespect for the cultivation of wholesome qualities without persevering and persisting in this. [It is] looseness of procedure, lack of desire, non-commitment, non-determination, non-devotion, non-pursuit, non-development, and non-cultivation [of wholesome qualities].”