འཕགས་པ་ཆས་ཡང་དག་པར་སྡད་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད 1.17

1.17

(5) Take the example of a river filled with water. It flows downward when praised, and still flows downward when spoken to with enmity and curses. Similarly, whether one is praising or speaking badly of the Thus-Gone One, he proceeds with wisdom, not with pride. (6) Take the example of sugarcane. It is cut into many pieces but does not lose its sweet taste. Similarly, it does not matter if the Thus-Gone One is worshiped or not, when one attends to him the sweet taste of liberation is not lost. (7) Take the example of the earth. It persists without thinking or changing. Those who want profit from it plow it, cultivate it, and sow seeds so that their harvest will be abundant. Those who do not plow it, cultivate it, or sow seeds will not have an abundant harvest. Similarly, the Thus-Gone One, like the earth, persists without thinking or changing. Those who wish for good qualities and arouse faith, sincerity, and respect toward the Thus-Gone One will have an abundant harvest of good qualities. Those who do not arouse faith, sincerity, and respect toward the Thus-Gone One will not have an abundant harvest of good qualities. (8) Take, for example, the fact that some people disparage sandalwood and camphor and say that it is bad, while still smearing their bodies with them. Sandalwood and camphor make them fragrant and not smell bad. Similarly, people say nasty things about the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha, but after disparaging him, they serve and rely on him. The Thus-Gone One instills in those who revere him the fragrance of awakened qualities. (9) Take, for example, how a bridge,