Ah, I did not realize until just now, reading Bhikkhu Bodhi's note, that the first verse here is not from the Buddha but from a deva. It is the second verse that is from the Buddha, a corrective or clarification. (On first read, I thought the Buddha was clarifying his own words.)
For now, I'm still reading it as: the first verse is not an incorrect practice/training to bring the mind under control (which is certainly how I read it when I thought it was the Buddha's words). But once the mind is brought under control, not constantly looking to feed, having some experience of the joy of
not "going out," then, it can more safely go out (while remaining vigilant for unwholesomeness, knowing the difference).
So, again, there is the potential/possibility/promise of
wholesome engagement.
SDC wrote: ↑Sat Jul 17, 2021 11:26 pm
Saṁyutta Nikāya
Manonivāraṇasutta (Reining in the Mind) SN 1.24 (PTS (1st ed) 1.14)
Translated by Bhikkhu Bodhi
- "From whatever one reins in the mind,
From that no suffering comes to one.
Should one rein in the mind from everything,
One is freed from all suffering.”
“One need not rein in the mind from everything
When the mind has come under control.
From whatever it is that evil comes,
From this one should rein in the mind.”
Those who grasp at perceptions & views wander the internet creating friction. [based on Sn4:9,v.847]