“When a mendicant is perfected, well-versed, with defilements ended, bearing the final body: would they say, ‘I speak’, or even ‘they speak to me’?”
“When a mendicant is perfected, well-versed, with defilements ended, bearing the final body: they would say, ‘I speak’, and also ‘they speak to me’. Skillful, understanding the world’s labels, they’d use these terms as mere expressions.”
“When a mendicant is perfected, well-versed, with defilements ended, bearing the final body: is such a mendicant drawing close to conceit if they’d say, ‘I speak’, or even ‘they speak to me’?”
“Someone who has given up conceit has no ties, the ties of conceit are all dissipated. Though that intelligent person has passed beyond conceiving, they’d still say, ‘I speak’,
and also ‘they speak to me’. Skillful, understanding the world’s labels, they’d use these terms as mere expressions.”
A Perfected One
SN 1.25 · Arahantasutta
Connections
Collection & context
- Saṃyutta NikāyaThe collection containing this text
- The Pāli canonCanonical collection in which this edition is preserved
- Theravāda traditionsTransmission and study context
- The early Buddhist communityHistorical and traditional setting
Books
- The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Saṃyutta NikāyaBhikkhu Bodhi; Bhikkhu Bodhi (translator) · Complete collection edition
- Through the Doors to the Deathless: Awakening While Listening to the DhammaṬhānissaro Bhikkhu · Referenced in this book
- Handful of Leaves: an Anthology from the Sutta PiṭakaEarly Buddhist discourses; Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu (translator and compiler) · Included in anthology
About this edition
Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato · SuttaCentral · CC0
This translation is an expression of an ancient spiritual text that has been passed down by the Buddhist tradition for the benefit of all sentient beings. It is dedicated to the public domain via Creative Commons Zero (CC0). You are encouraged to copy, reproduce, adapt, alter, or otherwise make use of this translation. The translator respectfully requests that any use be in accordance with the values and principles of the Buddhist community. In particular, please do not use this work in AI training datasets, for the development of any AI model or algorithm, or in any AI-derived technologies.
Published source. Translation wording and order are preserved; source headings and notes are retained, with navigation and formatting adapted for this reader.
The opening image is AI-generated nature artwork for Buddhist Atlas, an evocative companion rather than a historical depiction.