Muni
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 maggaphalaṁ 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 （°sucaritaṁ & °duccaritaṁ），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）．（Page 538）