Thus have I heard. At one time the Buddha was staying in Śrāvastī, at Jetṛ’s Grove, in Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park. Then the Exalted One said to the monks:

“If there is a person who knows how to appreciate, he or she, never being oblivious of small favours, to say nothing of great acts of kindness, deserves honour. Should that person be a thousand or one hundred thousand yojanas away from here, he or she would not after all be far away; that person would, as it were, be close and not estranged from me. For that reason a monk should know that I always admire and praise someone who knows how to appreciate.

“Those who do not know how to appreciate great acts of kindness, let alone small favours, are neither close to me nor I am to them. Even if an ungrateful person formally wears his or her formal robes in my presence, he or she is after all far away.

“For this reason, O monks, you should be mindful of appreciating and you should not imitate others who do not appreciate. Thus, O monks, you should train.”

After listening to the Buddha’s words, the monks were pleased and respectfully applied themselves to practice.