Muni [cp. Vedic muni, originally one who has made the vow of silence. Cp. Chh. Up. viii.5, 2; Pss. of the Br. 132 note. Connected with mūka: see under mukha. This etym. preferred by Aufrecht: Halāyudha p. 311. Another, as favoured by Pischel (see under munāti) is "inspired, moved by the spirit." Pāli explns (popular etym.) are given by Dhammapāla at VvA 114 & 231: see munana] a holy man, a sage, wise man. I. The term which was specialised in Brahmanism has acquired a general meaning in Buddhism & is applied by the Buddha to any man attaining perfection in self -- restraint and insight. So the word is capable of many -- sided application and occurs frequently in the oldest poetic anthologies, e. g. Sn 207 -- 221 (the famous Muni -- sutta, mentioned Divy 20, 35; SnA 518; expld SnA 254 -- 277), 414, 462, 523 sq., 708 sq., 811 sq., 838, 844 sq., 912 sq., 946, 1074 & passim (see Pj. Index p. 749); Dh 49, 225, 268 sq., 423. -- Cp. general passages & explns at Pv ii.113; ii.133 (expld at PvA 163 by "attahitañ ca parahitañ ca munāti jānātī ti muni"); Miln 90 (munibhāva "munihood," meditation, self -- denial, abrogation); DhA iii.521 (munayo=moneyya -- paṭipadāya maggaphalaŋ pattā asekha -- munayo), 395 (here expld with ref. to orig. meaning tuṇhībhāva "state of silence" =mona). -- II. The Com. & Abhidhamma literature have produced several schedules of muni -- qualities, esp. based on the 3 fold division of character as revealed in action, speech & thought (kāya˚, vacī˚, mano˚). Just as these 3 are in general exhibited in good or bad ways of living (˚sucaritaŋ & ˚duccaritaŋ), they are applied to a deeper quality of saintship in kāya -- moneyya, vacīmoneyya, mano -- moneyya; or Muni -- hood in action, speech & thought; and the muni himself is characterised as a kāya -- muni, vacī˚ & mano˚. Thus runs the long exegesis of muni at Nd2 514a=Nd1 57. Besides this the same chapter (514b) gives a division of 6 munis, viz. agāra -- muni, anagāra˚ (the bhikkhus), sekha˚,asekha˚ (the Arahants), pacceka˚ (the Paccekabuddhas), muni˚ (the Tathāgatas). -- The parallel passage to Nd2 514a at A i.273 gives a muni as kāya -- muni, vācā˚ & ceto˚ (under the 3 moneyyāni).