The Long Āgama Sūtra 9.26

9.26

「復有六法，謂六出要界。若比丘作是言：『我修慈心，更生瞋恚。』餘比丘語言：『汝勿作此言，勿謗如來，如來不作是說：欲使修慈解脫，更生瞋恚想，無有是處。佛言：除瞋恚已，然後得慈。』若比丘言：『我行悲解脫，生憎嫉心；行喜解脫，生憂惱心；行捨解脫，生憎愛心；行無我行，生狐疑心；行無想行，生眾亂想。』亦復如是。復有六法，謂六無上：見無上、聞無上、利養無上、戒無上、恭敬無上、憶念無上。復有六法，謂六思念：佛念、法念、僧念、戒念、施念、天念。是為如來所說正法，當共撰集，以防諍訟，使梵行久立，多所饒益，天、人獲安。

“There are another six things, which are six spheres of escape: [1] Suppose a monk says, ‘I’d cultivate kindness, but then I become angry.’ The other monks say, ‘Don’t say that! Don’t misrepresent the Tathāgata. The Tathāgata doesn’t say, “I’d like to cultivate the liberation of kindness, but then notions of anger arise.” That’s impossible. The Buddha says, “Once anger is gone, then one becomes kind afterward.”’

“Suppose a monk says, [2] ‘I’d practice the liberation of compassion, but then I have hateful thoughts.’… [3] ‘practice the liberation of joy, but then I have sorrowful thoughts.’ … [4] ‘practice the liberation of equanimity, but then I have thoughts of like or dislike.’ … [5] ‘cultivate the practice of non-self, but then I have suspicious thoughts’ … [6] ‘cultivate the practice without conception, but then I have many distracting notions.’ Those cases are likewise.

“There are another six things, which are six unsurpassed things: Vision that’s unsurpassed, learning that’s unsurpassed, support that’s unsurpassed, precepts that are unsurpassed, respect that’s unsurpassed, and memory that’s unsurpassed.

“There are another six things, which are six recollections: Recollection of the Buddha, recollection of the Dharma, recollection of the Saṅgha, recollection of precepts, recollection of generosity, and recollection of the gods.

“Monks, these are the correct teachings taught by the Tathāgata that we ought to compile together to safeguard them from dispute, establish the religious life for a long time, and benefit many people so that gods and people will obtain peace.