1 This indeed was said by the Auspicious One, said by the Arahant, as heard by me:

2 “Even if, O bhikkhus, a bhikkhu having seized the edge of my outer robe, would followed step by step behind, puting down his feet in my footsteps. But he is covetous, has acute lust in sensual pleasures, has a mind of ill-will, has thoughts of a corrupted mind, with mindfulness muddled, not contemplative, not attained to samadhi, with a wandering mind, with uncontrolled faculties. He is truly far away from me, and I from him. What is the reason for that? Because, O bhikkhus, that bhikkhu does not see the Dhamma. Not seeing, he does not see me.

3 Even if, O bhikkhus, a bhikkhu were to dwell one hundred yojanas away. But he is not covetous, does not have acute lust in sensual pleasures, does not have a mind of ill-will, does not have thoughts of a corrupted mind, has mindfulness established, is contemplative, is attained to samadhi, has unique loftiness of mind, with faculties guarded. He is truly in my presence, and I in his. What is the reason for that? Because, O bhikkhus, that bhikkhu sees the Dhamma. Seeing, he sees me.”

4 This is the meaning of what the Auspicious One said. Thus, this was said there:

“Even if he would follow behind,
one of many wishes and dissatisfied;
the emotional one to the unperturbed,
the unquenched one to the quenched;
the greedy one to the one devoid of greed,
see how far away he is.

Truly the one with supreme knowledge of the Dhamma,
the wise one having understood the Dhamma;
just like a lake sheltered from the wind,
unperturbed, stilled.

The unperturbed one to the unperturbed,
the quenched one to the quenched;
the greedless one to the one devoid of greed,
see how near he is.”

5 “This too is the meaning of what was said by the Auspicious One. Thus was heard by me.”

1 vuttaṃ hetaṃ bhagavatā. vuttamarahatā’ti me sutaṃ:

2 saṅghāṭikaṇṇe ce’pi bhikkhave bhikkhu gahetvā piṭṭhito piṭṭhito anubaddho assa, pāde pādaṃ nikkhipanto. so ca hoti abhijjhālu kāmesu tibbasārāgo byāpannacitto paduṭṭhamanasaṅkappo muṭṭhassati asampajāno asamāhito vibbhantacitto pākatindriyo. atha kho so ārakā’va mayhaṃ, ahaṃ ca tassa. taṃ kissa hetu: dhammaṃ hi so bhikkhave bhikkhu na passati dhammaṃ apassanto na maṃ passati.

3 yojanasate ce’pi so bhikkhave bhikkhu vihareyya so ca hoti anabhijjhālu kāmesu na tibbasārāgo abyāpannacitto appaduṭṭhamanasaṅkappo upaṭṭhitassati sampajāno samāhito ekaggacitto saṃvutindriyo. atha kho so santikeva mayhaṃ, ahaṃ ca tassa. taṃ kissa hetu: dhammaṃ hi so bhikkhave bhikkhu passati dhammaṃ passanto maṃ passatīti.

4 etamatthaṃ bhagavā avoca. tatthetaṃ iti vuccati:

anubandho’pi ce assa,
mahiccho ca vighātavā;
ejānugo anejassa,
nibbutassa anibbuto;
giddho so vītagedhassa,
passa yāvañca ārakā.

so va dhammamabhiññāya,
dhammamaññāya paṇḍito;
rahado’va nivāte ca,
anejo vūpasammati.

anejo so anejassa,
nibbutassacanibbuto;
agiddho vītagedhassa,
passa yāvañca santike’ti.

5 ayampi attho vutto bhagavatā. iti me sutanti.