[658] "And how, bhikkhus, is there neither flattering (ussādanā) nor disparaging (apasādanā), but only the teaching of the Dhamma? One does not speak thus: 'All those who, having happiness bound up with sensual pleasure, are devoted to the pursuit of joy — low, vulgar, of the worldling, ignoble, and unconnected with benefit — all of them are beset with suffering (dukkha), beset with harm, beset with despair, beset with fever, and have practised wrongly.' Rather, speaking thus: 'The pursuit itself is a state beset with suffering, beset with harm, beset with despair, beset with fever; it is the wrong way' — one teaches only the Dhamma.
One does not speak thus: 'All those who, having happiness bound up with sensual pleasure, are not devoted to the pursuit of joy — low, vulgar, of the worldling, ignoble, and unconnected with benefit — all of them are free from suffering, free from harm, free from despair, free from fever, and have practised rightly.' Rather, speaking thus: 'The non-pursuit itself is a state free from suffering, free from harm, free from despair, free from fever; it is the right way' — one teaches only the Dhamma.
One does not speak thus: 'All those who are devoted to the pursuit of self-mortification — painful, ignoble, and unconnected with benefit — all of them are beset with suffering, beset with harm, beset with despair, beset with fever, and have practised wrongly.' Rather, speaking thus: 'The pursuit itself is a state beset with suffering, beset with harm, beset with despair, beset with fever; it is the wrong way' — one teaches only the Dhamma.
One does not speak thus: 'All those who are not devoted to the pursuit of self-mortification — painful, ignoble, and unconnected with benefit — all of them are free from suffering, free from harm, free from despair, free from fever, and have practised rightly.' Rather, speaking thus: 'The non-pursuit itself is a state free from suffering, free from harm, free from despair, free from fever; it is the right way' — one teaches only the Dhamma.
One does not speak thus: 'All those whosoever in whom the fetter of existence (bhavasaṃyojana) is unabandoned — all of them are beset with suffering, beset with harm, beset with despair, beset with fever, and have practised wrongly.' Rather, speaking thus: 'When the fetter of existence is unabandoned, existence itself is unabandoned' — one teaches only the Dhamma.
One does not speak thus: 'All those whosoever in whom the fetter of existence is abandoned — all of them are free from suffering, free from harm, free from despair, free from fever, and have practised rightly.' Rather, speaking thus: 'When the fetter of existence is abandoned, existence itself is abandoned' — one teaches only the Dhamma.
It is in this way, bhikkhus, that there is neither flattering nor disparaging, but only the teaching of the Dhamma. So when it was said: 'One should know flattering and one should know disparaging; having known flattering and having known disparaging, one should neither flatter nor disparage, but should teach only the Dhamma' — it was because of this that it was said."
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.