“Our Lord Buddha wanted us to get our foundation in good shape first, get everything clear and clean first. It’s like building a house or a building. We have to inspect the ground, the area where we’re going to put up the building, so that it’s in proper shape. Or like dyeing cloth: If you want to dye a piece of cloth, you have to look it over to see if it’s dirty. If it’s dirty, you have to wash it in detergent until it’s clean. Only then will it take the color when you dye it. In other words, wash it until it’s clean, and then it will take the dye. It’s the same with making merit. You first have to make your mind clean.
Making your mind clean means letting go of evil thoughts, letting go of everything that’s wrong and evil. That’s when you can do good, do what’s correct. With everything, the foundation has to be clean first, and then whatever you do will give rise to merit. Sabba-papassa akaranam: First you have to abandon evil, abandon what’s wrong, in the same way that you get rid of the dirt so that you can dye your cloth. This is one of the lessons in the heart of the Buddha’s teachings.”