Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).
Atha kho āyasmā mahākoṭṭhiko yenāyasmā sāriputto tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmatā sāriputtena saddhiṁ sammodi.
¶ 1Then Venerable Mahākoṭṭhita went up to Venerable Sāriputta, and exchanged greetings with him.
Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā mahākoṭṭhiko āyasmantaṁ sāriputtaṁ etadavoca:
¶ 2When the greetings and polite conversation were over, Mahākoṭṭhita sat down to one side, and said to Sāriputta:
“Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā atthaññaṁ kiñcī”ti?
¶ 3“Reverend, when the six fields of contact have faded away and ceased with no residue left behind, does something else still exist?”
“Mā hevaṁ, āvuso”.
¶ 4“Don’t put it like that, reverend.”
“Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā natthaññaṁ kiñcī”ti?
¶ 5“Does something else no longer exist?”
“Mā hevaṁ, āvuso”.
¶ 6“Don’t put it like that, reverend.”
“Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā atthi ca natthi ca aññaṁ kiñcī”ti?
¶ 7“Does something else both still exist and no longer exist?”
“Mā hevaṁ, āvuso”.
¶ 8“Don’t put it like that, reverend.”
“Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā nevatthi no natthaññaṁ kiñcī”ti?
¶ 9“Does something else neither still exist nor no longer exist?”
“Mā hevaṁ, āvuso”.
¶ 10“Don’t put it like that, reverend.”
“‘Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā atthaññaṁ kiñcī’ti, iti puṭṭho samāno ‘mā hevaṁ, āvuso’ti vadesi.
¶ 11“Reverend, when asked whether—when the six fields of contact have faded away and ceased with no residue left behind—something else still exists, you say ‘don’t put it like that’.
‘Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā natthaññaṁ kiñcī’ti, iti puṭṭho samāno:
¶ 12When asked whether something else no longer exists,
‘mā hevaṁ, āvuso’ti vadesi.
¶ 13you say ‘don’t put it like that’.
‘Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā atthi ca natthi ca aññaṁ kiñcī’ti, iti puṭṭho samāno:
¶ 14When asked whether something else both still exists and no longer exists,
‘mā hevaṁ, āvuso’ti vadesi.
¶ 15you say ‘don’t put it like that’.
‘Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā nevatthi no natthaññaṁ kiñcī’ti, iti puṭṭho samāno:
¶ 16When asked whether something else neither still exists nor no longer exists,
‘mā hevaṁ, āvuso’ti vadesi.
¶ 17you say ‘don’t put it like that’.
Yathā kathaṁ pana, āvuso, imassa bhāsitassa attho daṭṭhabbo”ti?
¶ 18How then should we see the meaning of this statement?”
“‘Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā atthaññaṁ kiñcī’ti, iti vadaṁ appapañcaṁ papañceti.
¶ 19“In saying that, ‘When the six fields of contact have faded away and ceased with no residue left behind, something else still exists’, you’re proliferating the unproliferated.
‘Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā natthaññaṁ kiñcī’ti, iti vadaṁ appapañcaṁ papañceti.
¶ 20In saying that, ‘something else no longer exists’, you’re proliferating the unproliferated.
‘Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā atthi ca natthi ca aññaṁ kiñcī’ti, iti vadaṁ appapañcaṁ papañceti.
¶ 21In saying that, ‘something else both still exists and no longer exists’, you’re proliferating the unproliferated.
‘Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā nevatthi no natthaññaṁ kiñcī’ti, iti vadaṁ appapañcaṁ papañceti.
¶ 22In saying that, ‘something else neither still exists nor no longer exists’, you’re proliferating the unproliferated.
Yāvatā, āvuso, channaṁ phassāyatanānaṁ gati tāvatā papañcassa gati;
¶ 23The scope of proliferation extends as far as the scope of the six fields of contact.
yāvatā papañcassa gati tāvatā channaṁ phassāyatanānaṁ gati.
¶ 24The scope of the six fields of contact extends as far as the scope of proliferation.
Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā papañcanirodho papañcavūpasamo”ti.
¶ 25When the six fields of contact fade away and cease with no residue left behind, proliferation stops and is stilled.”