could someone remind me of the name of the text where the Buddha says that if you have some awareness and wisdom you can get to know how someone operates but only after a long period of a lot of contact
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You can get to know a person’s ethics by living with them. But only after a long time, not casually; only when attentive, not when inattentive; and only by the wise, not the witless. AN 4.192
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thank you thats great
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Its a pleasure. I know how hard it can be to find a particular Sutta and Ive had some great help myself on this forum.
Its an interesting Sutta. I wonder how it can be used these days?
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Two that come to mind are to treat it as an exhortation…
- To not be over-hasty in forming judgements about others’ characters; and…
- To practise Cankisutta-style epistemic modesty with regard to any such judgments that one does form.
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Thanks for the great answer. Sadhu!
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