an.4.109 Aṅguttara Nikāya (Numbered Discourses)

Trees

“Mendicants, there are these four kinds of tree.
What four?
One is a softwood surrounded by softwoods,
one is a softwood surrounded by hardwoods,
one is a hardwood surrounded by softwoods, and
one is a hardwood surrounded by hardwoods.
These are the four kinds of tree.
In the same way, these four people similar to trees are found in the world.
What four?
One is a softwood surrounded by softwoods,
one is a softwood surrounded by hardwoods,
one is a hardwood surrounded by softwoods, and
one is a hardwood surrounded by hardwoods.
And how is a person a softwood surrounded by softwoods?
It’s when a person is unethical, of bad character,
and their followers are the same.
That’s how a person is a softwood surrounded by softwoods.
That person is like a softwood tree that’s surrounded by softwoods, I say.

And how is a person a softwood surrounded by hardwoods?
It’s when a person is unethical, of bad character,
but their followers are ethical, of good character. …



And how is a person a hardwood surrounded by softwoods?
It’s when someone is ethical, of good character,
but their followers are unethical, of bad character. …



And how is a person a hardwood surrounded by hardwoods?
It’s when someone is ethical, of good character,
and their followers are the same.



These four people similar to trees are found in the world.”