[285] **"Or do they say that one is a sage (muni) because he is endowed with a way of life?"** means: or do they say, speak, declare, explain, designate as a sage one who is endowed, fully endowed, possessed, fully possessed, furnished, fully furnished, and equipped with the pursuit of an austere way of life consisting in the performance of many and various supremely difficult practices — hence, **"or do they say that one is a sage because he is endowed with a way of life."** Therefore that brahmin said:
"There are sages in the world" (thus said the venerable Nanda) —
so people say. How is this?
Do they say that one endowed with knowledge (ñāṇa) is a sage,
or do they say that one is a sage because he is endowed with a way of life?
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.