[557] Then the Blessed One, having understood Brahmā's request and out of compassion for beings, surveyed the world with the eye of a Buddha (buddhacakkhu).
Surveying the world with the eye of a Buddha, the Blessed One saw beings with little dust in their eyes and beings with much dust in their eyes, beings with keen faculties (indriya) and beings with dull faculties, beings of good disposition and beings of bad disposition, beings easy to teach and beings hard to teach, and some who dwelt seeing fear in blame and in the other world (paraloka).
Just as, in a pond of blue lotuses, or a pond of red lotuses, or a pond of white lotuses, some blue lotuses, red lotuses, or white lotuses, born in the water and grown up in the water, remain immersed in the water and thrive sunk beneath it; some blue lotuses, red lotuses, or white lotuses, born in the water and grown up in the water, stand at an even level with the water; and some blue lotuses, red lotuses, or white lotuses, born in the water and grown up in the water, rise up above the water and stand unsullied by the water — even so, surveying the world with the eye of a Buddha, the Blessed One saw beings with little dust in their eyes and beings with much dust in their eyes, beings with keen faculties and beings with dull faculties, beings of good disposition and beings of bad disposition, beings easy to teach and beings hard to teach, and some who dwelt seeing fear in blame and in the other world. Having seen this, he replied to Brahmā Sahampati in verse:
"Open for them are the doors of the Deathless (amata) —
let those who have ears release their faith (saddhā).
Perceiving trouble, I did not speak
the refined, sublime Dhamma among human beings, O Brahmā."
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.