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“Mendicants, suppose a spike of rice or barley was pointing the wrong way. If you trod on it with hand or foot, it is impossible for it to break the skin and produce blood. “Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, sālisūkaṁ vā yavasūkaṁ vā micchāpaṇihitaṁ hatthena vā pādena vā akkantaṁ hatthaṁ vā pādaṁ vā bhecchati lohitaṁ vā uppādessatīti netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati. Why is that? Taṁ kissa hetu? Because the spike is pointing the wrong way. Micchāpaṇihitattā, bhikkhave, sūkassa. In the same way, it is quite impossible for a mendicant whose mind is pointing the wrong way to break ignorance, produce knowledge, and realize extinguishment. Evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, so vata bhikkhu micchāpaṇihitena cittena avijjaṁ bhecchati, vijjaṁ uppādessati, nibbānaṁ sacchikarissatīti netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati. Why is that? Taṁ kissa hetu? Because their mind is pointing the wrong way.” Micchāpaṇihitattā, bhikkhave, cittassā”ti.