1There the Venerable Sāriputta addressed the bhikkhus: "Friends, bhikkhus!"

"Friend!" those bhikkhus replied. The Venerable Sāriputta said this:

2"Friends, any bhikkhu or bhikkhunī who observes four things inwardly can come to the conclusion: ‘I am declining in wholesome qualities. This is called decline by the Blessed One.’ What four? An abundance of lust, an abundance of hatred, an abundance of delusion, and his wisdom eye does not tread in the deep matters of what is possible and impossible. [n.842] Ee reads here: gambhīresu … ṭhānaṭṭhānesu, which might be translated "various deep matters." It could be that ṭhānaṭṭhānesu was the more original reading, which was altered to ṭhānāṭṭhānesu under the influence of this more common expression. But since Mp comments as if the latter were the reading, it is clear that ṭhānāṭṭhānesu goes back at least to the age of the commentator. At MN 115.12–18, III 64–67, the Buddha explains how a bhikkhu is "skilled in what is possible and impossible" (ṭhānāṭhānakusalo). Any bhikkhu or bhikkhunī who observes these four things inwardly can come to the conclusion: ‘I am declining in wholesome qualities. This is called decline by the Blessed One.’

3"Friends, any bhikkhu or bhikkhunī who observes four things inwardly can come to the conclusion: ‘I am not declining in wholesome qualities. This is called non-decline by the Blessed One.’ What four? The diminishing of lust, the diminishing of hatred, the diminishing of delusion, and his wisdom eye treads in the deep matters of what is possible and impossible. Any bhikkhu or bhikkhunī who observes these four things inwardly can come to the conclusion: ‘I am not declining in wholesome qualities. This is called non-decline by the Blessed One.’"

1Tatra kho āyasmā sāriputto bhikkhū āmantesi: "āvuso bhikkhave"ti.

"Āvuso"ti kho te bhikkhū āyasmato sāriputtassa paccassosuṁ. Āyasmā sāriputto etadavoca:

2"Yo hi koci, āvuso, bhikkhu vā bhikkhunī vā cattāro dhamme attani samanupassati, niṭṭhamettha gantabbaṁ: ‘parihāyāmi kusalehi dhammehi’. Parihānametaṁ vuttaṁ bhagavatā. Katame cattāro? Rāgavepullattaṁ, dosavepullattaṁ, mohavepullattaṁ, gambhīresu kho panassa ṭhānāṭhānesu paññācakkhu na kamati. Yo hi koci, āvuso, bhikkhu vā bhikkhunī vā ime cattāro dhamme attani samanupassati, niṭṭhamettha gantabbaṁ: ‘parihāyāmi kusalehi dhammehi’. Parihānametaṁ vuttaṁ bhagavatā.

3Yo hi koci, āvuso, bhikkhu vā bhikkhunī vā cattāro dhamme attani samanupassati, niṭṭhamettha gantabbaṁ: ‘Na parihāyāmi kusalehi dhammehi’. Aparihānametaṁ vuttaṁ bhagavatā. Katame cattāro? Rāgatanuttaṁ, dosatanuttaṁ, mohatanuttaṁ, gambhīresu kho panassa ṭhānāṭhānesu paññācakkhu kamati. Yo hi koci, āvuso, bhikkhu vā bhikkhunī vā ime cattāro dhamme attani samanupassati, niṭṭhamettha gantabbaṁ: ‘Na parihāyāmi kusalehi dhammehi’. Aparihānametaṁ vuttaṁ bhagavatā"ti.

Aṭṭhamaṁ.