Then Venerable Sariputta said: “There are these five ways of putting away malice that arises. What five? Take the case of a person who is impure in deed but not in word. Suppose a monk who wears rag robes were to see a rag on the road. He would hold it with his left foot, spread it out with his right foot to see if he could make use of it, and then proceed on his way. In the same way, one who is impure in deed but not in word, his deed ought to be disregarded. Think instead about his ways that are pure.
And concerning one who words are impure but who is pure in deed, how should malice be put away? Suppose a man, tortured and overcome by heat, exhausted, wearied, craving and thirsty were to come upon a pond overgrown with mossy slime and water plants. He would dive into the pond, scatter the water plants this way and that, cup his hands, drink, and then go his way refreshed. In the same way, one whose words are impure but who is pure in deed, his words ought to be disregarded. Think instead about his ways that are pure.
And what of one whose words and deed are both impure, but who occasionally attains mental clarity and calm? Suppose a man, tortured and overcome by heat, exhausted, wearied craving and thirsty, were to come upon a puddle in a cow's footprint. He might think: ‘If I drink from this puddle using my hands or a cup I will stir up the mud and make it unfit to drink. I will crouch down on all fours, bend low and drink, as does a cow?’ Then he does this. In the same way, one whose word and deed are both impure but who occasionally attains mental clarity and calm from time to time, his words and deeds ought to be disregarded. Think only of his clarity and calm.
And what of one whose words and deeds are both impure and who cannot even occasionally attain mental clarity and calm? Suppose a sick ailing and grievously ill man was going along a highway with no village in front or behind, unable to get proper food, medicine or attention, or even a guide to the next village. If another man were to see him, he might feel pity and he might say to himself: ‘This poor man! He should get help or he will suffer to his detriment.’ In the same way, for one whose ways are impure and who cannot even occasionally attain mental clarity and calm, pity, compassion and commiseration ought to arise and you should think: ‘This poor man! He should give up the bad and develop the good, or else after death he will have a bad rebirth.’
And concerning one whose words and deeds are both pure and who has mental clarity and calm, how should malice be put away? Suppose a man, tortured and overcome by heat, wearied, craving and thirsty were to come upon a pool of sweet, cool, limpid water, a lovely resting place shaded by all kinds of trees. He would dive into the pond, bathe, drink and then come out and lie in the shade. In the same way, of this person, think about this person’s pure words, deeds and his mental clarity and calm.”