SN 47.8. The Cook

“Mendicants, imagine a foolish, unskillful, and incompetent cook who attends to a king or a king’s minister. He serves him various kinds of curries: sour, bitter, hot, sweet, sharp, mild, spicy, and bland ones. But he fails to notice the signs of his master. He does not notice which curry pleased his master on a given day, which one he reached for, which one he ate lots of, or which one he praised. That cook will not gain clothes, wages, and gifts. Why? Because that foolish, unskillful, and incompetent cook fails to notice the signs of his own master.

Likewise, some foolish, unskillful, and incompetent mendicant might meditate on a certain aspect of the body, a certain sensation, a certain state of mind, or a certain phenomenon—motivated, aware, and non-‍forgetful, free from longing and aversion for worldly things. As he does so, his mind does not unify, his impurities are not abandoned, and he fails to notice the signs of that. That mendicant will not gain blissful abidings in this very life, and he will not gain non-‍forgetfulness and awareness. Why? Because that foolish, unskillful, and incompetent mendicant fails to notice the signs of his own mind.

Imagine a wise, skillful, and competent cook who attends to a king or a king’s minister. He serves him various kinds of curries: sour, bitter, hot, sweet, sharp, mild, spicy, and bland ones. And he does notice the signs of his master. He notices which curry pleased his master on a given day, which one he reached for, which one he ate lots of, or which one he praised. That cook will gain clothes, wages, and gifts. Why? Because that wise, skillful, and competent cook notices the signs of his own master.

Likewise, some wise, skillful, and competent mendicant might meditate on a certain aspect of the body, a certain sensation, a certain state of mind, or a certain phenomenon—motivated, aware, and non-‍forgetful, free from longing and aversion for worldly things. As he does so, his mind unifies, his impurities are abandoned, and he notices the signs of that. That mendicant will gain blissful abidings in this very life, and he will gain non-‍forgetfulness and awareness. Why? Because that wise, skillful, and competent mendicant notices the signs of his own mind.”