Dhammapada 4.1.p2

4.1.p2

Te kira bhagavatā saddhiṃ janapadacārikaṃ caritvā jetavanaṃ āgantvā sāyanhasamaye upaṭṭhānasālāyaṃ sannisinnā attanā gatagataṭṭhānesu ‘‘asukagāmato asukagāmagamanaṭṭhāne samaṃ visamaṃ kaddamabahulaṃ sakkharabahulaṃ kāḷamattikaṃ tambamattika’’nti pathavikathaṃ kathesuṃ. Satthā āgantvā, ‘‘kāya nuttha, bhikkhave, etarahi kathāya sannisinnā’’ti pucchitvā, ‘‘bhante, amhehi vicaritaṭṭhāne pathavikathāyā’’ti vutte, ‘‘bhikkhave, esā bāhirapathavī nāma, tumhehi ajjhuttikapathaviyaṃ parikammaṃ kātuṃ vaṭṭatī’’ti vatvā imā dve gāthā abhāsi –

One evening, it appears, these monks returned to Jetavana after a journey through the country with the Teacher, and assembling in the Hall of State, began to talk about the various kinds of soil they had seen in going from one village to another, such as even and uneven, abounding in mud, abounding in gravel, black clay, red clay. The Teacher approached and asked them, “Monks, what is it that you are sitting here now talking about?” “Reverend Sir,” they replied, “we were talking about the different kinds of soil we saw in the places we visited.” “Monks,” said the Teacher, “this is the outer soil. It behooves you rather to cleanse the inner soil of the heart.” So saying, he pronounced the two following Stanzas,