A Perfected One

“When a mendicant is perfected, proficient, ^[1]

with defilements ended, bearing the final body:

would they say, ‘I speak’,

or even ‘they speak to me’?” ^[2]

“When a mendicant is perfected, proficient,

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.” ^[3]

“When a mendicant is perfected, proficient,

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.”