6.
The Second Discourse on the Thoroughbred
98.
"Monks, a king's good thoroughbred horse possessed of three factors is worthy of a king, fit for a king's use, and is reckoned as a factor of the king himself.
With which three?
Here, monks, a king's good thoroughbred horse is endowed with beauty, endowed with strength, and endowed with speed.
Monks, a king's good thoroughbred horse possessed of these three factors is worthy of a king, fit for a king's use, and is reckoned as a factor of the king himself.
So too, monks, a monk possessed of three qualities is worthy of offerings, etc.
an unsurpassed field of merit for the world.
With which three?
Here, monks, a monk is endowed with beauty, endowed with strength, and endowed with speed.
"And how, monks, is a monk endowed with beauty? Here, monks, a monk is virtuous, etc. having accepted the training rules he trains in them. Thus, monks, a monk is endowed with beauty.
"And how, monks, is a monk endowed with strength? Here, monks, a monk dwells putting forth strenuous energy for the abandoning of unwholesome mental states and for the acquisition of wholesome mental states, steadfast, of firm effort, not shirking the responsibility regarding wholesome mental states. Thus, monks, a monk is endowed with strength.
"And how, monks, is a monk endowed with speed? Here, monks, a monk, with the utter elimination of the five lower mental fetters, becomes one of spontaneous birth, attaining final nibbāna there, not subject to return from that world. Thus, monks, a monk is endowed with speed. Monks, a monk possessed of these three qualities is worthy of offerings, etc. an unsurpassed field of merit for the world." The sixth.