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In the Sanditthika Sutta,

"The fact that when a delusive quality is present within you, you discern that a delusive quality is present within you; and when a delusive quality is not present within you, you discern that a delusive quality is not present within you"

A similar description is also given in the Satipatthana Sutta. The second part, "to know when something is not present inside of me", is to be understood how? Do I literally acknowledge at any point in my daily life that I have currently no defilements in me? And if the answer is yes, what do I do with that acknowledging?

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  • See also this topic which tries to define "delusion".
    – ChrisW ♦
    May 12, 2018 at 17:05

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The four right efforts in the noble path are:

  1. effort to prevent unwholesome mental states.

  2. effort to abandon unwholesome mental states.

  3. effort to develop wholesome mental states

  4. effort to maintain & increase wholesome mental states

Therefore, when the mind without delusion is discerned, the effort is made to maintain the mind without delusion, which requires governance or supervision by mindfulness.

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  • I never understood the first point. By that we mean sense restraint, right? How is that achieved? If I see tasty food or an attractive woman I have to reconsider the objects? Avoiding the objects might be good but it doesn't address my underlying desire, aversion and delusion.
    – Val
    Mar 13, 2018 at 13:47

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