5.
The Discourse on What Need Not Be Guarded
58.
"There are, monks, these four things the Truth-finder need not guard against, and he is blameless in three respects.
What are the four things the Truth-finder need not guard against?
The Truth-finder, monks, is of pure bodily conduct;
there is no bodily misconduct of the Truth-finder that the Truth-finder should guard against, thinking:
'Let not another know this of me.'
The Truth-finder, monks, is of pure verbal conduct;
there is no verbal misconduct of the Truth-finder that the Truth-finder should guard against, thinking:
'Let not another know this of me.'
The Truth-finder, monks, is of pure mental conduct;
there is no mental misconduct of the Truth-finder that the Truth-finder should guard against, thinking:
'Let not another know this of me.'
The Truth-finder, monks, is of pure livelihood;
there is no wrong livelihood of the Truth-finder that the Truth-finder should guard against, thinking:
'Let not another know this of me.'
These are the four things the Truth-finder need not guard against.
"In which three respects is he blameless? The Truth-finder, monks, is one whose teaching is well proclaimed. That indeed an ascetic or a brahmin or a god or Māra or Brahmā or anyone in the world would reprove me with reason, saying: 'Thus you are not one whose teaching is well proclaimed.' I do not see this sign, monks. Not seeing this sign, monks, I dwell having attained security, having attained fearlessness, having attained self-confidence.
"Monks, I have well laid down for my disciples the practice leading to Nibbāna. Practicing thus, my disciples, through the elimination of the mental corruptions, realise by their own direct knowledge, in this very life, the liberation of mind and the liberation by wisdom that are free from mental corruptions and, having entered upon them, dwell in them. That indeed an ascetic or a brahmin or a god or Māra or Brahmā or anyone in the world would reprove me with reason, saying: 'Thus, you have not well laid down for your disciples the practice leading to Nibbāna. Practicing thus, your disciples, through the elimination of the mental corruptions, having realised, having attained, dwell therein.' I do not see this sign, monks. Not seeing this sign, monks, I dwell having attained security, having attained fearlessness, having attained self-confidence.
"Many hundreds indeed of my assembly of disciples, monks, through the elimination of the mental corruptions, having realised, having attained, dwell. That indeed an ascetic or a brahmin or a god or Māra or Brahmā or anyone in the world would reprove me with reason, saying: 'Thus indeed your assembly of disciples is not many hundreds who, through the elimination of the mental corruptions, realise by their own direct knowledge, in this very life, the liberation of mind and the liberation by wisdom that are free from mental corruptions and, having entered upon them, dwell in them.' I do not see this sign, monks. Not seeing this sign, monks, I dwell having attained security, having attained fearlessness, having attained self-confidence. He is blameless on these three grounds.
"These, monks, are the four things the Truth-finder need not guard against, and he is blameless on these three grounds." The fifth.