[103] "Bhikkhus, there are these four pots. What four? The one empty and covered; the one full and open; the one empty and open; and the one full and covered. These, bhikkhus, are the four pots. In just the same way, bhikkhus, there are these four kinds of persons comparable to pots existing in the world. What four? The one empty and covered; the one full and open; the one empty and open; and the one full and covered.
"And how, bhikkhus, is a person empty and covered? Here, bhikkhus, some person's going forward and returning, looking ahead and looking aside, bending and stretching the limbs, and bearing of the outer robe (saṅghāṭi), bowl, and robes are inspiring; yet he does not understand as it really is: 'This is suffering (dukkha)'; he does not understand as it really is: 'This is the origin of suffering'; he does not understand as it really is: 'This is the cessation of suffering'; he does not understand as it really is: 'This is the way of practice leading to the cessation of suffering.' It is in this way, bhikkhus, that a person is empty and covered. Just as that pot, bhikkhus, is empty and covered, so too, I say, is this person like that.
"And how, bhikkhus, is a person full and open? Here, bhikkhus, some person's going forward and returning, looking ahead and looking aside, bending and stretching the limbs, and bearing of the outer robe, bowl, and robes are not inspiring; yet he understands as it really is: 'This is suffering'; he understands as it really is: 'This is the origin of suffering'; he understands as it really is: 'This is the cessation of suffering'; he understands as it really is: 'This is the way of practice leading to the cessation of suffering.' It is in this way, bhikkhus, that a person is full and open. Just as that pot, bhikkhus, is full and open, so too, I say, is this person like that.
"And how, bhikkhus, is a person empty and open? Here, bhikkhus, some person's going forward and returning, looking ahead and looking aside, bending and stretching the limbs, and bearing of the outer robe, bowl, and robes are not inspiring; and he does not understand as it really is: 'This is suffering'; he does not understand as it really is: 'This is the origin of suffering'; he does not understand as it really is: 'This is the cessation of suffering'; he does not understand as it really is: 'This is the way of practice leading to the cessation of suffering.' It is in this way, bhikkhus, that a person is empty and open. Just as that pot, bhikkhus, is empty and open, so too, I say, is this person like that.
"And how, bhikkhus, is a person full and covered? Here, bhikkhus, some person's going forward and returning, looking ahead and looking aside, bending and stretching the limbs, and bearing of the outer robe, bowl, and robes are inspiring; and he understands as it really is: 'This is suffering'; he understands as it really is: 'This is the origin of suffering'; he understands as it really is: 'This is the cessation of suffering'; he understands as it really is: 'This is the way of practice leading to the cessation of suffering.' It is in this way, bhikkhus, that a person is full and covered. Just as that pot, bhikkhus, is full and covered, so too, I say, is this person like that.
"These, bhikkhus, are the four kinds of persons comparable to pots existing in the world."
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.