7.
The Third Discourse on the Thoroughbred
99.
"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, worthy of hospitality, worthy of gifts, worthy of reverential salutation, 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, he dwells restrained by the restraint of the Pātimokkha, accomplished in good conduct and lawful resort, seeing danger in the slightest faults, 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, through the elimination of the mental corruptions, realised by his own direct knowledge, in this very life, the liberation of mind and the liberation by wisdom that are free from mental corruptions and, having entered upon them, dwells in them. 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 seventh.