Easily seen are others’ faults, hard to see are one’s own. One winnows others’ faults like chaff, but hides one’s own like a cheater hiding a losing throw.

Sudassaṃ vajjamaññesaṃ attano pana duddasaṃ — easy to see are others’ faults, one’s own are hard to see: su-dassa (easy to see) vs du-dassa (hard to see). This perceptual asymmetry is a universal fact of human psychology.

Paresaṃ hi so vajjāni opunāti yathā bhusaṃ — one winnows others’ faults like chaff: opunāti is to winnow, separate grain from chaff. Bhusa is chaff, husk. Others’ faults are winnowed and displayed with the efficiency of the farmer separating the useless.

Attano pana chādeti kaliṃva kitavā saṭho — but hides one’s own like a cheater his dice: kitavā saṭho is a cheating gambler. Kali is unfavorable dice. The cheater hides the dice that harm them — thus the human being hides their own faults.

This teaching resonates with verse 50 of the flowers vagga. The practice of seeing one’s own faults with the same clarity one sees others’ is one of the most difficult and necessary of the contemplative path.