[697] **He, the sage who has laid down the burden, is fully released** — *Burden*: there are three burdens: the burden of the aggregates (khandha), the burden of the defilements (kilesa), and the burden of volitional formations (abhisaṅkhāra). What is the burden of the aggregates? Form, feeling (vedanā), perception, volitional formations, and consciousness at rebirth-linking (paṭisandhi) — this is the burden of the aggregates. What is the burden of the defilements? Lust (rāga), hatred, delusion … all unwholesome volitional formations — this is the burden of the defilements. What is the burden of volitional formations? The meritorious formation (puññābhisaṅkhāra), the demeritorious formation (apuññābhisaṅkhāra), the imperturbable formation (āneñjābhisaṅkhāra) — this is the burden of volitional formations. When the burden of the aggregates, the burden of the defilements, and the burden of volitional formations have been abandoned, cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated, not subject to future arising, then he is called one who has laid down the burden, whose burden has fallen away, whose burden is put down, whose burden is set aside, whose burden is deposited, whose burden is stilled.
*Sage (muni)*: knowledge (ñāṇa) is called sagehood (mona) — that is, wisdom, understanding, investigation, thorough investigation, investigation of dhammas, discernment, discrimination, differentiation, erudition, proficiency, subtlety, clarification, consideration, examination, breadth, sagacity, guidance, insight, clear comprehension, the goad, wisdom, the faculty of wisdom, the power of wisdom, the sword of wisdom, the palace of wisdom, the light of wisdom, the radiance of wisdom, the lamp of wisdom, the jewel of wisdom, non-delusion, investigation of dhammas, right view. One endowed with that knowledge is a sage, one who has attained sagehood. There are three kinds of sagehood (moneyya): sagehood of body, sagehood of speech, sagehood of mind.
What is sagehood of body? The abandoning of the three kinds of bodily misconduct is sagehood of body. The threefold good bodily conduct is sagehood of body. Knowledge with the body as its object is sagehood of body. The full understanding (pariññā) of the body is sagehood of body. The path accompanied by full understanding is sagehood of body. The abandoning of desire and lust (chandarāga) for the body is sagehood of body. The cessation of the bodily formation, the attainment of the fourth jhāna, is sagehood of body. This is sagehood of body.
What is sagehood of speech? The abandoning of the four kinds of verbal misconduct is sagehood of speech. The fourfold good verbal conduct is sagehood of speech. Knowledge with speech as its object is sagehood of speech. The full understanding of speech is sagehood of speech. The path accompanied by full understanding is sagehood of speech. The abandoning of desire and lust for speech is sagehood of speech. The cessation of the verbal formation, the attainment of the second jhāna, is sagehood of speech. This is sagehood of speech.
What is sagehood of mind? The abandoning of the three kinds of mental misconduct is sagehood of mind. The threefold good mental conduct is sagehood of mind. Knowledge with the mind (citta) as its object is sagehood of mind. The full understanding of the mind is sagehood of mind. The path accompanied by full understanding is sagehood of mind. The abandoning of desire and lust for the mind is sagehood of mind. The cessation of the mental formation, the attainment of the cessation of perception and feeling (saññāvedayitanirodha), is sagehood of mind. This is sagehood of mind.
A sage in body, a sage in speech, a sage in mind, free of taints (āsava),
a sage accomplished in sagehood — they call him one who has abandoned all.
A sage in body, a sage in speech, a sage in mind, free of taints,
a sage accomplished in sagehood — they call him one whose evil is washed away.
Endowed with these dhammas of sagehood, there are six sages: house-dwelling sages, homeless sages, trainee sages, sages beyond training, solitary sages (paccekamuni), and sages among sages. Who are the house-dwelling sages? Those householders who have seen the state and understood the teaching — these are the house-dwelling sages. Who are the homeless sages? Those gone forth who have seen the state and understood the teaching — these are the homeless sages. The seven trainees are the trainee sages. The Arahants are the sages beyond training. The Paccekabuddhas are the solitary sages. The sages among sages are the Tathāgatas, Arahants, Fully Self-Enlightened Ones.
Not by silence does one become a sage, if confused and unknowing;
but the wise one who, as though holding up a scale, takes what is best
and avoids evils — he is a sage; by that he is a sage.
One who understands both in the world is thereby called a sage.
Having known the dhamma of the bad and of the good,
inwardly and outwardly, in all the world,
honored by devas and humans —
he who has passed beyond the net of ties, he is a sage.
*Fully released*: the sage's mind is freed, released, well released from lust; the mind from hatred; the mind from delusion — freed, released, well released … the mind is freed, released, well released from all unwholesome volitional formations. Thus: **he, the sage who has laid down the burden, is fully released.**
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.