“Monks, suppose the great Earth was worn away and destroyed except for seven clay balls the size of blueberries. What do you think, monks? Which is more: the great Earth that has been worn away and destroyed, or the seven clay balls the size of blueberries that are left?”
“Bhante, the great Earth that has been worn away and destroyed is certainly more. The seven clay balls the size of blueberries are tiny. Compared to the great Earth that has been worn away and eroded, they can’t be reckoned or compared. They’re not even a fraction.”
“Monks, in the same way, a person becomes a noble disciple with right view by understanding the Four Noble Truths. The suffering that’s over and destroyed by him is more, the suffering that’s left over is tiny.
“He’s understood, ‘This is suffering, this is the origin of suffering, this is the end of suffering and this is the path that leads to the end of suffering. Therefore, there are at most seven more lives for him. Compared to the mass of suffering in the past that’s over and destroyed, it can’t be reckoned or compared. It’s not even a fraction.
“Therefore, monks, you should make an effort to understand: ‘This is suffering.’ You should make an effort to understand: ‘This is the origin of suffering.’ You should make an effort to understand: ‘This is the end of suffering.’ You should make an effort to understand: ‘This is the path that leads to the end of suffering.’”
