The Word of the Buddha Unprofitable Questions

¶ 16In the same way, Mālukyaputta, if someone were to say: ‘I will not lead the spiritual life under the Blessed One until the Blessed One explains whether: ‘the world is eternal,’ or ‘the world is not eternal;’ ‘the world is finite,’ or ‘the world is infinite;’ ‘the life force and the body are the same,’ or ‘the life force is one thing and the body another;’ ‘after death, a Tathāgata exists,’ or ‘after death, a Tathāgata does not exist,’ or ‘after death, a Tathāgata both exists and does not exist,’ or ‘after death, a Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist,’ that would still remain unexplained by the Tathāgata, and in the meantime, that person would die.

¶ 17Mālukyaputta, if there is the view, ‘the world is eternal,’ the spiritual life cannot be lived. If there is the view, ‘the world is not eternal,’ the spiritual life cannot be lived. Whether there is the view, ‘the world is eternal,’ or the view ‘the world is not eternal,’ there is birth, there is aging, there is death, there is sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair. It is for the striking down of these that I teach the Dhamma in the here and now. Mālukyaputta, if there is the view, ‘the world is finite,’ the spiritual life cannot be lived. If there is the view, ‘the world is infinite,’ the spiritual life cannot be lived. Whether there is the view, ‘the world is finite,’ or the view, ‘the world is infinite,’ there is birth, there is aging, there is death, there is sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair. It is for the striking down of these that I teach the Dhamma in the here and now. Mālukyaputta, if there is the view, ‘the life force and the body are the same,’ the spiritual life cannot be lived. If there is the view, ‘the life force is one thing and the body another,’ the spiritual life cannot be lived. Whether there is the view, ‘the life force and the body are the same,’ or the view, ‘the life force is one thing and the body another,’ there is birth, there is aging, there is death, there is sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair. It is for the striking down of these that I teach the Dhamma in the here and now. Mālukyaputta, if there is the view, ‘after death, a Tathāgata exists,’ the spiritual life cannot be lived. If there is the view, ‘after death, a Tathāgata does not exist,’ the spiritual life cannot be lived. Whether there is the view, ‘after death, a Tathāgata exists,’ or the view, ‘after death, a Tathāgata does not exist,’ there is birth, there is aging, there is death, there is sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair. It is for the striking down of these that I teach the Dhamma in the here and now. Mālukyaputta, if there is the view, ‘after death, a Tathāgata both exists and does not exist,’ the spiritual life cannot be lived. If there is the view, ‘after death, a Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist,’ the spiritual life cannot be lived. Whether there is the view, ‘after death, a Tathāgata both exists and does not exist,’ or the view, ‘after death, a Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist,’ there is birth, there is aging, there is death, there is sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair. It is for the striking down of these that I teach the Dhamma in the here and now.

¶ 18Therefore, Mālukyaputta, remember what I have left unexplained as unexplained, and what I have explained as explained. And what, Mālukyaputta, have I left unexplained? ‘The world is eternal’—this, I have left unexplained. ‘The world is not eternal’—this, I have left unexplained. ‘The world is finite’—this, I have left unexplained. ‘The world is infinite’—this, I have left unexplained. ‘The life force and the body are the same’—this, I have left unexplained. ‘The life force is one thing and the body another’—this, I have left unexplained. ‘After death, a Tathāgata exists’—this, I have left unexplained. ‘After death, a Tathāgata does not exist’—this, I have left unexplained. ‘After death, a Tathāgata both exists and does not exist’—this, I have left unexplained. ‘After death, a Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist’—this, I have left unexplained.

¶ 19[Blow away] sorrow and yearning,
and one’s own displeasure;
seeking happiness for oneself,
one should draw out the dart from oneself.

¶ 17Mālukyaputta, if there is the view, ‘the world is eternal,’ the spiritual life cannot be lived. If there is the view, ‘the world is not eternal,’ the spiritual life cannot be lived. Whether there is the view, ‘the world is eternal,’ or the view ‘the world is not eternal,’ there is birth, there is aging, there is death, there is sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair. It is for the striking down of these that I teach the Dhamma in the here and now. Mālukyaputta, if there is the view, ‘the world is finite,’ the spiritual life cannot be lived. If there is the view, ‘the world is infinite,’ the spiritual life cannot be lived. Whether there is the view, ‘the world is finite,’ or the view, ‘the world is infinite,’ there is birth, there is aging, there is death, there is sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair. It is for the striking down of these that I teach the Dhamma in the here and now. Mālukyaputta, if there is the view, ‘the life force and the body are the same,’ the spiritual life cannot be lived. If there is the view, ‘the life force is one thing and the body another,’ the spiritual life cannot be lived. Whether there is the view, ‘the life force and the body are the same,’ or the view, ‘the life force is one thing and the body another,’ there is birth, there is aging, there is death, there is sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair. It is for the striking down of these that I teach the Dhamma in the here and now. Mālukyaputta, if there is the view, ‘after death, a Tathāgata exists,’ the spiritual life cannot be lived. If there is the view, ‘after death, a Tathāgata does not exist,’ the spiritual life cannot be lived. Whether there is the view, ‘after death, a Tathāgata exists,’ or the view, ‘after death, a Tathāgata does not exist,’ there is birth, there is aging, there is death, there is sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair. It is for the striking down of these that I teach the Dhamma in the here and now. Mālukyaputta, if there is the view, ‘after death, a Tathāgata both exists and does not exist,’ the spiritual life cannot be lived. If there is the view, ‘after death, a Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist,’ the spiritual life cannot be lived. Whether there is the view, ‘after death, a Tathāgata both exists and does not exist,’ or the view, ‘after death, a Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist,’ there is birth, there is aging, there is death, there is sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair. It is for the striking down of these that I teach the Dhamma in the here and now.