Often we tend to focus on being mindful and aware of unwholesome mind states & what has gone wrong e.g. that our mind has become distracted.

But this sutta passage highlights the importance of being aware when we are NOT distracted, when we ARE mindful, when one’s mind is pure, clean, and without defilements (even if temporarily)!

“Take the case of the person who doesn’t have a blemish but does not understand it. You can expect that they will focus on the feature of beauty, and because of that, lust will infect their mind. And they will die with greed, hate, and delusion, blemished, with a corrupted mind.

white tea cup with copper Turkish coffee pot on gray surface Photo by samer daboul on Pexels.com

Suppose a bronze dish was brought from a shop or smithy clean and bright. And the owners neither used it or had it cleaned, but kept it in a dirty place. Over time, wouldn’t that bronze dish get dirtier and more stained?”

“Yes, reverend.”
“In the same way, take the case of the person who has no blemish and does not understand it. You can expect that … they will die with a corrupted mind”

English translation of Pali: https://suttacentral.net/mn5/en/sujato

賢者！若有一人我內無穢，我內實無此穢不知如真者，當知彼人不護由眼耳所知法，彼因不護由眼耳所知法故，則為欲心纏，彼便有欲有穢，穢污心命終；彼因有欲有穢，穢污心命終故，便不賢死，生不善處。所以者何？彼因有欲有穢，穢污心命終故。賢者！猶如有人或從市肆，或從銅作家，買銅槃來，無垢淨潔，彼持來已，不數洗塵，不數揩拭，不數日炙，著饒塵處，如是銅槃必受塵垢。賢者！如是若有一人我內無穢，我內實無此穢不知如真者，當知彼人不護由眼耳所知法，彼因不護由眼耳所知法故，則為欲心纏，彼便有欲有穢，穢污心命終；彼因有欲有穢，穢污心命終故，便不賢死，生不善處。所以者何？彼因有欲有穢，穢污心命終故。

Chinese: https://suttacentral.net/ma87/lzh/taisho