[138] Bhikkhus, possessed of five factors, a king's elephant is an eater of food, an occupier of space, a dropper of dung,¹ and a taker of the ration-ticket, and yet it is reckoned merely as "a king's elephant." With which five? Here, bhikkhus, a king's elephant is not patient with forms, not patient with sounds, not patient with smells, not patient with tastes, not patient with tangibles. Possessed of these five factors, bhikkhus, a king's elephant is an eater of food, an occupier of space, a dropper of dung, and a taker of the ration-ticket, and yet it is reckoned merely as "a king's elephant."
In just the same way, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu possessed of five qualities is an eater of food, an occupier of space, a crusher of chairs,² and a taker of the ration-ticket, and yet he is reckoned merely as "a bhikkhu." With which five? Here, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu is not patient with forms, not patient with sounds, not patient with smells, not patient with tastes, not patient with tangibles. Possessed of these five qualities, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu is an eater of food, an occupier of space, a crusher of chairs,¹ and a taker of the ration-ticket, and yet he is reckoned merely as "a bhikkhu."
¹ Po. reads paṇḍusādano; Ma. laṇḍasāraṇo; Yu. laṇḍasādhano.
² Ma. reads mañcapīṭhamaddano ("a crusher of beds and chairs").
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.