Devatāsaṁyutta 25

Linked Discourses 1.25

3. A Sword

A Perfected One

1 “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’?”

2 “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.”

3 “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’?”

4 “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’,

5 and also ‘they speak to me’.

Skillful, understanding the world’s labels,

they’d use these terms as mere expressions.”