[96] Bhikkhus, these eight worldly conditions (lokadhamma) revolve around the world, and the world revolves around these eight worldly conditions. What eight? Gain (lābha) and loss, fame (yasa) and disrepute, blame and praise, pleasure and pain. These, bhikkhus, are the eight worldly conditions that revolve around the world, and the world revolves around these eight worldly conditions.
Bhikkhus, for the uninstructed worldling there arise gain and loss, fame and disrepute, blame and praise, pleasure and pain; and for the instructed noble disciple too there arise gain and loss, fame and disrepute, blame and praise, pleasure and pain. Herein, bhikkhus, what is the distinction, what the disparity, what the difference between the instructed noble disciple and the uninstructed worldling?
"Venerable sir, our teachings are rooted in the Blessed One, guided by the Blessed One, take recourse in the Blessed One. It would be good indeed, venerable sir, if the meaning of this statement were to become clear through the Blessed One himself. Having heard it from the Blessed One, the bhikkhus will remember it."
"Then, bhikkhus, listen and attend carefully; I shall speak." "Yes, venerable sir," those bhikkhus replied to the Blessed One. The Blessed One said this:
Bhikkhus, when gain arises for the uninstructed worldling, he does not reflect thus: 'This gain has arisen for me; but it is impermanent, suffering (dukkha), subject to change'—he does not understand it as it really is. When loss arises, when fame arises, when disrepute arises, when blame arises, when praise arises, when pleasure arises, when pain arises, he does not reflect thus: 'This pain has arisen for me; but it is impermanent, suffering, subject to change'—he does not understand it as it really is. Gain obsesses his mind (citta) and remains; loss obsesses his mind and remains; fame obsesses his mind and remains; disrepute obsesses his mind and remains; blame obsesses his mind and remains; praise obsesses his mind and remains; pleasure obsesses his mind and remains; pain obsesses his mind and remains. He favors gain when it has arisen and opposes loss; he favors fame when it has arisen and opposes disrepute; he favors praise when it has arisen and opposes blame; he favors pleasure when it has arisen and opposes pain. Thus given over to favoring and opposing, he is not freed from birth, from aging, from death, from sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair; he is not freed from suffering, I say.
But, bhikkhus, when gain arises for the instructed noble disciple, he reflects thus: 'This gain has arisen for me; but it is impermanent, suffering, subject to change'—he understands it as it really is. When loss arises, when fame arises, when disrepute arises, when blame arises, when praise arises, when pleasure arises, when pain arises, he reflects thus: 'This pain has arisen for me; but it is impermanent, suffering, subject to change'—he understands it as it really is. Gain does not obsess his mind and remain; loss does not obsess his mind and remain; fame does not obsess his mind and remain; disrepute does not obsess his mind and remain; blame does not obsess his mind and remain; praise does not obsess his mind and remain; pleasure does not obsess his mind and remain; pain does not obsess his mind and remain. He does not favor gain when it has arisen nor oppose loss; he does not favor fame when it has arisen nor oppose disrepute; he does not favor praise when it has arisen nor oppose blame; he does not favor pleasure when it has arisen nor oppose pain. Having thus abandoned favoring and opposing, he is freed from birth, from aging, from death, from sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair; he is freed from suffering, I say.
This, bhikkhus, is the distinction, this the disparity, this the difference between the instructed noble disciple and the uninstructed worldling.
Gain and loss, fame and disrepute,
blame and praise, and pleasure and pain—
these conditions among human beings are impermanent,
not everlasting, subject to change.
Having known these, the mindful wise one
contemplates them as subject to change.
Desirable things do not stir his mind,
nor at the undesirable does he come to repulsion.
His favoring and his opposing
have been dispelled, gone to their end; they exist no more.
And having known the dust-free, sorrowless state,
he understands rightly, gone beyond existence.
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.