[494] "Then, Prince, a third simile occurred to me, spontaneous (anacchariyā), never heard before. Suppose, Prince, there were a dry, sapless log, lying on dry land far from water. Then a man might come along, taking an upper fire-stick, thinking: 'I shall produce fire, I shall make heat appear.' What do you think, Prince — could that man, taking the upper fire-stick and rubbing it against that dry, sapless log lying on dry land far from water, produce fire and make heat appear?"
"He could, venerable sir. Why is that? Because, venerable sir, that log is dry and sapless, and moreover it is lying on dry land far from water."
"Even so, Prince, as to whatever ascetics or brahmins dwell withdrawn in body from sensual pleasures, and in whom sensual desire (kāmacchanda) for sensual pleasures, affection for sensual pleasures, infatuation with sensual pleasures, thirst for sensual pleasures, and fever for sensual pleasures has been well abandoned and well stilled internally — whether those worthy ascetics and brahmins feel painful, racking, sharp feelings born of exertion, or whether they do not feel painful, racking, sharp feelings born of exertion, they are indeed capable of knowledge (ñāṇa), of vision, of supreme awakening. This, Prince, was the third simile that occurred to me, spontaneous, never heard before. These, Prince, were the three similes that occurred to me, spontaneous, never heard before."
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.