‘I say that there are two two kinds of individual: those you should frequent, and those you shouldn’t frequent.’ That’s what I said, but why did I say it? Well, should you know of an individual: ‘When I frequent this individual, unskillful qualities grow, and skillful qualities decline.’ You should not frequent that kind of individual. Whereas, should you know of an individual: ‘When I frequent this individual, unskillful qualities decline, and skillful qualities grow.’ You should frequent that kind of individual. ‘I say that there are two kinds of individual: those you should frequent, and those you shouldn’t frequent.’ That’s what I said, and this is why I said it.”

Numbered Discourses 10.55 6. Your Own Mind Decline

There Sāriputta addressed the mendicants: “Reverends, mendicants!” “Reverend,” they replied. Sāriputta said this:

“Reverends, they speak of an individual liable to decline, and one not liable to decline. But how did the Buddha define an individual liable to decline, and one not liable to decline?” “Reverend, we would travel a long way to learn the meaning of this statement in the presence of Venerable Sāriputta. May Venerable Sāriputta himself please clarify the meaning of this. The mendicants will listen and remember it.”

“Then listen and apply your mind well, I will speak.” “Yes, reverend,” they replied. Sāriputta said this:

“How did the Buddha define an individual liable to decline? It’s when a mendicant doesn’t get to hear a teaching they haven’t heard before. They forget those teachings they have heard. They don’t keep exercising the teachings with which they are already familiar. And they don’t come to understand what they haven’t understood before. That’s how the Buddha defined an individual liable to decline.