This discourse was taught by the Blessed One, taught by the Arahant, the fully enlightened Supreme Buddha. This is as I heard,
“Monks, there are three inner stains, inner enemies, inner foes, inner murderers, and inner adversaries. What three?
Monks, greed, is an inner stain, inner enemy, inner foe, inner murderer, and inner adversary. Monks, hate, is an inner stain, inner enemy, inner foe, inner murderer, and inner adversary. Monks, delusion, is an inner stain, inner enemy, inner foe, inner murderer, and inner adversary.
Monks, these are the three inner stains, inner enemies, inner foes, inner murderers, and inner adversaries.
This is the meaning of what the Blessed One said. So, with regard to this, it was said:
Greed causes harm and agitates the mind; one does not realize it as a danger born from within.
A greedy person does not know what would lead to his own well-being. A greedy person has not realized the Dhamma. Overcome with greed, he is in total darkness.
But one who abandons greed is not tempted. Greed slips away from him like a water drop from a lotus leaf.
Hatred causes harm and agitates the mind; one doesn’t realize it as a danger born from within.
A hateful person does not know what would lead to his own well-being. A hateful person has not realized the Dhamma. Overcome with hatred, he is in total darkness.
But hatred is not aroused in one who abandons it. Hatred drops away from him like a palm fruit from its stalk.
Delusion causes harm and agitates the mind; one doesn’t realize it as a danger born from within.
A deluded person does not know what would lead to his own well-being. A deluded person has not realized the Dhamma. Overcome with delusion, he is in total darkness.
But one who abandons delusion feels no delusion for what arouses delusion. He puts an end to all delusion as the sunrise dispels the darkness.
This, too, is the meaning of what was said by the Blessed One. This is exactly as I heard.
