[742] "Then, Bhāradvāja, a second simile occurred to me — spontaneous, never heard before. Suppose, Bhāradvāja, there were a wet, sappy log lying on dry land far from water. Then a man might come along with an upper fire-stick, thinking: 'I shall produce fire, I shall make heat appear.' What do you think, Bhāradvāja? Could that man, taking the upper fire-stick and rubbing it against that wet, sappy log lying on dry land far from water, produce fire and make heat appear?"
"No indeed, worthy Gotama. Why is that? Because, worthy Gotama, that log is wet and sappy, even though it lies on dry land far from water; and so that man would only reap weariness and vexation."
"Even so, Bhāradvāja, whatever ascetics or brahmins dwell withdrawn from sensual pleasures in body, but whose sensual desire (kāmacchanda), sensual affection, sensual infatuation, sensual thirst, and sensual fever have not been well abandoned, not well stilled within — even if those worthy ascetics and brahmins feel painful, racking, sharp feelings (vedanā) due to exertion, they are incapable of knowledge (ñāṇa), of vision, of supreme awakening; and even if those worthy ascetics and brahmins do not feel painful, racking, sharp feelings due to exertion, they are incapable of knowledge, of vision, of supreme awakening. This, Bhāradvāja, was the second simile that occurred to me — spontaneous, never heard before."
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.