Venerable Sāriputta describes four types of persons based on their awareness of inner blemishes—harmful, unwholesome mental qualities. Using the simile of a bronze bowl, he shows that recognizing one's own faults is essential to attaining an undefiled mind.

The venerable Mahāmoggallāna enumerates sixteen unwholesome qualities, such as being irritable, a denigrator, and deceitful, that make someone difficult to admonish. He then teaches the method of self-inference—understanding that our flaws are just as disagreeable to others as theirs are to us.

In the Gosiṅga Sal wood park, Sāriputta asks several elder disciples what kind of monk illuminates the place. Each answers based on their personal strength — learning, seclusion, divine eye, asceticism, Dhamma dialogue and mastery over mind. They present their answers to the Buddha, who affirms that all have spoken well and then shares his own answer.

The Buddha teaches Sakka that liberation comes from realizing “nothing is worth holding on to.” To cure Sakka's divine negligence, Mahāmoggallāna shakes Sakka's heavenly mansion with his toe, prompting the deity to correctly recall the teaching.

When the venerable Mahāmoggallāna falls gravely ill, the Buddha visits him and recites the seven factors of awakening. This inspires Mahāmoggallāna to a swift recovery from his illness.

When venerable Mahāmoggallāna was struggling with drowsiness, the Buddha gave him seven methods to overcome it. Moving beyond wakefulness, the discourse warns against pride and contentious talk, ultimately revealing how letting go leads to the exhaustion of craving and complete quenching.

Venerable Mahāmoggallāna is sitting in meditation posture, aligning his body upright, and having set up mindfulness immersed in the body. The Blessed One sees this and expresses an inspired utterance.

When a reckless spirit strikes the venerable Sāriputta with a blow powerful enough to split a mountain, the elder remains in deep collectedness, feeling only a “little pain.”