The Word of the Buddha The Two Extremes and the Middle Doctrine

¶ 4“The world, Kaccāna, for the most part depends on a duality — on the notion of existence and the notion of non-existence.

¶ 5But for one who sees the arising of the world as it really is with correct wisdom, the notion of non-existence in regard to the world does not occur. And for one who sees the ending of the world as it really is with correct wisdom, the notion of existence in regard to the world does not occur.

¶ 62“And since a self and what belongs to a self are not found to exist in truth and reality, then this standpoint for views, namely: ‘This world is the self; after death I shall be permanent, enduring, eternal, not subject to change; I shall endure as long as eternity,’ would it not be an utterly and completely misguided teaching?”

¶ 12For one who attends superficially in this way, one of six views arises: 1.) The view ‘I have a self’ arises in them as true and established; 2.) Or the view ‘I do not have a self’ arises in them as true and established; 3.) Or the view ‘I perceive the self in itself’ arises in them as true and established; 4.) Or the view ‘I perceive the self in what is not-self’ arises in them as true and established; 5.) Or the view ‘I perceive what is not-self as the self’ arises in them as true and established; 6.) Or else, this view arises: ‘This self of mine that speaks and feels, that experiences here and there the results of good and bad actions, is permanent, everlasting, eternal, not subject to change, and it will endure as long as eternity.’ This is called adherence to views, entanglement in views, the wilderness of views, the distortion of views, the quivering of views, the fetter of views. Fettered by the fetter of views, the uninstructed ordinary person is not freed from birth, aging, and death, from sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair; they are not freed from suffering, I say.

¶ 2“An uninstructed ordinary person might become disenchanted with, dispassionate toward, and freed from this body composed of the four great elements. For what reason? Because it is seen that this body composed of the four great elements undergoes accumulation and reduction, taking up and casting off. Therefore, an uninstructed ordinary person might become disenchanted with, dispassionate toward, and freed from it.

¶ 42‘This fire burning in front of you, dependent on what does it burn?’ I would answer thus: ‘This fire burning in front of me burns dependent on the fuel of grass and sticks.’”

¶ 43“If that fire in front of you were to be extinguished, Vaccha, would you know: ‘This fire in front of me has been extinguished’?”

¶ 44“If that fire in front of me were to be extinguished, sir Gotama, I would know: ‘This fire in front of me has been extinguished.’”

¶ 45“But if someone were to ask you, Vaccha: ‘That fire in front of you that has been extinguished, to which direction has it gone from here, to the east, the south, the west, or the north?’ Being asked thus, Vaccha, how would you answer?”