The Manifestation of the Afflictions of Sentient Beings

The affliction of evil (pāpa) is relatively coarse and manifests quite obviously; it should not appear, which is why it is hard for both oneself and others to tolerate. Unwholesome afflictions are somewhat lighter; they arise frequently in everyone, and people have a certain degree of tolerance for them. Sentient beings have much unwholesome dharma and little wholesome dharma, so they all regard the unwholesome as normal. Yet sentient beings do not know that all these phenomena everyone considers perfectly normal are in fact abnormal and should never appear. That people take the unwholesome as normal shows that all sentient beings possess unwholesome dharmas and that their minds are impure. The more one can tolerate evil and unwholesome dharmas, the fewer wholesome dharmas one's mind possesses. The tolerance of sentient beings is utterly different from that of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas: the tolerance of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is a manifestation of wisdom and compassion, whereas the tolerance of sentient beings is a manifestation of affliction. When many people engage in unwholesome bodily, verbal, and mental actions and you point it out to them, they become displeased, their minds lacking any shame or remorse.