[197] "Suppose, Tissa, there were two men: one man unskilled in the path, and one man skilled in the path. The man unskilled in the path would ask the man skilled in the path about the path, and he would say thus: 'Just so, good man, this is the path. Go along it for a while; having gone along it for a while, you will see a fork in the road. There, avoiding the left, take the right. Go along it for a while; having gone along it for a while, you will see a dense forest thicket. Go along it for a while; having gone along it for a while, you will see a great low-lying marsh. Go along it for a while; having gone along it for a while, you will see a pit, a precipice. Go along it for a while; having gone along it for a while, you will see a delightful stretch of level ground.'
"I have made this simile, Tissa, in order to convey the meaning. And this is the meaning here: 'The man unskilled in the path,' Tissa, is a designation for the worldling (puthujjana). 'The man skilled in the path,' Tissa, is a designation for the Tathāgata, the Arahant, the Perfectly Awakened One. 'The fork in the road,' Tissa, is a designation for doubt (vicikicchā). 'The left-hand path,' Tissa, is a designation for the wrong eightfold path, that is: wrong view … wrong concentration. 'The right-hand path,' Tissa, is a designation for the noble eightfold path (magga), that is: right view … right concentration. 'The dense forest thicket,' Tissa, is a designation for ignorance (avijjā). 'The great low-lying marsh,' Tissa, is a designation for sensual pleasures. 'The pit, the precipice,' Tissa, is a designation for anger and despair. 'The delightful stretch of level ground,' Tissa, is a designation for Nibbāna.
"Rejoice, Tissa! Rejoice, Tissa! — with me as exhorter, with me as helper, with me as instructor."
This is what the Blessed One said. Elated, the Venerable Tissa delighted in the Blessed One's words.
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.