Aṇguttara-Nikāya
III. Tika Nipāta
X. Loṇa-Phala Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
or
More-Numbered Suttas
III. The Book of the Threes
X. A Grain of Salt
Sutta 94
Paṭhama Ājānīya Suttaṃ
The Thoroughbred (a)
Translated from the Pali by
F.L. Woodward, M.A.
Copyright The Pali Text Society
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Once the Exalted One was dwelling near Sāvatthī.
There the Exalted One addressed the monks, saying:
"Monks."
"Yes, lord," they replied, and the Exalted One said:
"Possessed of three qualities, monks,
a rajah's noble thoroughbred steed
is worthy of the rajah,
a royal possession,
and is reckoned an attribute of royalty.
What are the three?
Herein, monks, the rajah's noble thoroughbred
is blessed with beauty,
with strength
and speed.
These are the three qualities,
possessed of which
a rajah's noble thoroughbred steed
is worthy of the rajah,
a royal possession,
and is reckoned an attribute of royalty.
■
2. In like manner, monks,
possessed of three things
a monk is worthy of offerings,
worthy of hospitality,
worthy of gifts,[1]
of salutations with clasped hands,
a field of merit unsurpassed for the world.
What three?
Beauty (of life),
strength (of character)
and speed (of insight).
§
3. And how is a monk blessed
with beauty (of life)?
Herein a monk is moral,
he lives restrained
with the restraint of the obligations,
proficient in the practice of good conduct;
seeing danger in trifling faults,
he trains himself in the rules
by undertaking them.
In this way he has beauty (of life).
■
[224] 4. And how is a monk blessed
with strength (of character)?
Herein a monk dwells ardent in energy,
ever striving to abandon bad qualities,
to acquire good qualities,
strenuously exerting himself,
not throwing off the burden
in good qualities.
In this way he has strength.
■
5. And how is a monk blessed with speed?
Herein a monk understands,
as it really is,
the meaning of:
This is Ill,
This is the arising of Ill,
This is the ending of Ill,
This is the practice
that leads to the ending of Ill.
In this way a monk is blessed
with speed (of insight).
Possessed of these three qualities a monk is worthy of offerings
worthy of hospitality,
worthy of gifts,
of salutations with clasped hands,
a field of merit unsurpassed for the world."
[1] Dakkhiṇeyyo, 'worthy of the ten gifts of the faithful.' Comy.
