Evaṁ me sutaṁ — ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme.
Thus have I heard—At one time, the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthi, in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s park.
Atha kho vacchagotto paribbājako yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavatā saddhiṁ sammodi. Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho vacchagotto paribbājako bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
Then, the wanderer Vacchagotta approached the Blessed One; having approached, he exchanged greetings with the Blessed One. After their cordial and meaningful conversation had concluded, he sat to one side. Seated to one side, the wanderer Vacchagotta said to the Blessed One:
Speculative Views
“Kiṁ nu kho, bho gotama, ‘sassato loko, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti— evaṁdiṭṭhi bhavaṁ gotamo”ti?
“Venerable Gotama, is it your view that ‘the world is eternal, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless’?”
“Na kho ahaṁ, vaccha, evaṁdiṭṭhi: ‘sassato loko, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’”ti.
“It is not my view, Vaccha, that ‘the world is eternal, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless’.”
“Kiṁ pana, bho gotama, ‘asassato loko, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti— evaṁdiṭṭhi bhavaṁ gotamo”ti?
“Then, Venerable Gotama, is it your view that ‘the world is not eternal, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless’?”
“Na kho ahaṁ, vaccha, evaṁdiṭṭhi: ‘asassato loko, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’”ti.
“It is not my view, Vaccha, that ‘the world is not eternal, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless’.”
“Kiṁ nu kho, bho gotama, ‘antavā loko, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti— evaṁdiṭṭhi bhavaṁ gotamo”ti?
“Is it then, Venerable Gotama, your view that ‘the world is finite, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless’?”
“Na kho ahaṁ, vaccha, evaṁdiṭṭhi: ‘antavā loko, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’”ti.
“It is not my view, Vaccha, that ‘the world is finite, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless’.”
“Kiṁ pana, bho gotama, ‘anantavā loko, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti— evaṁdiṭṭhi bhavaṁ gotamo”ti?
“Then, Venerable Gotama, is it your view that ‘the world is infinite, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless’?”
“Na kho ahaṁ, vaccha, evaṁdiṭṭhi: ‘anantavā loko, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’”ti.
“It is not my view, Vaccha, that ‘the world is infinite, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless’.”
“Kiṁ nu kho, bho gotama, ‘taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīraṁ, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti— evaṁdiṭṭhi bhavaṁ gotamo”ti?
“Venerable Gotama, is it your view that ‘the soul and the body are the same, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless’?”
“Na kho ahaṁ, vaccha, evaṁdiṭṭhi: ‘taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīraṁ, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’”ti.
“It is not my view, Vaccha, that ‘the soul and the body are the same, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless’.”
“Kiṁ pana, bho gotama, ‘aññaṁ jīvaṁ aññaṁ sarīraṁ, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti— evaṁdiṭṭhi bhavaṁ gotamo”ti?
“Then, Venerable Gotama, is it your view that ‘the soul is one thing and the body another, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless’?”
“Na kho ahaṁ, vaccha, evaṁdiṭṭhi: ‘aññaṁ jīvaṁ aññaṁ sarīraṁ, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’”ti.
“It is not my view, Vaccha, that ‘the soul is one thing and the body another, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless’.”
“Kiṁ nu kho, bho gotama, ‘hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti— evaṁdiṭṭhi bhavaṁ gotamo”ti?
“Venerable Gotama, is it your view that ‘a Tathāgata exists after death, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless’?”
“Na kho ahaṁ, vaccha, evaṁdiṭṭhi: ‘hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’”ti.
“It is not my view, Vaccha, that ‘a Tathāgata exists after death, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless’.”
“Kiṁ pana, bho gotama, ‘na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti— evaṁdiṭṭhi bhavaṁ gotamo”ti?
“Then, Venerable Gotama, is it your view that ‘a Tathāgata does not exist after death, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless’?”
“Na kho ahaṁ, vaccha, evaṁdiṭṭhi: ‘na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’”ti.
“It is not my view, Vaccha, that ‘a Tathāgata does not exist after death, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless’.”
“Kiṁ nu kho, bho gotama, ‘hoti ca na ca hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti— evaṁdiṭṭhi bhavaṁ gotamo”ti?
“Is it then, Venerable Gotama, your view that ‘a Tathāgata both exists and does not exist after death, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless’?”
“Na kho ahaṁ, vaccha, evaṁdiṭṭhi: ‘hoti ca na ca hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’”ti.
“It is not my view, Vaccha, that ‘a Tathāgata both exists and does not exist after death, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless’.”
“Kiṁ pana, bho gotama, ‘neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti— evaṁdiṭṭhi bhavaṁ gotamo”ti?
“Then, Venerable Gotama, is it your view that ‘a Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist after death, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless’?”
“Na kho ahaṁ, vaccha, evaṁdiṭṭhi: ‘neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’”ti.
“It is not my view, Vaccha, that ‘a Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist after death, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless’.”
“‘Kiṁ nu kho, bho gotama, sassato loko, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññanti— evaṁdiṭṭhi bhavaṁ gotamo’ti iti puṭṭho samāno ‘na kho ahaṁ, vaccha, evaṁdiṭṭhi— sassato loko, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti vadesi. ‘Kiṁ pana, bho gotama, asassato loko, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññanti— evaṁdiṭṭhi bhavaṁ gotamo’ti iti puṭṭho samāno ‘na kho ahaṁ, vaccha, evaṁdiṭṭhi— asassato loko, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti vadesi. ‘Kiṁ nu kho, bho gotama, antavā loko, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññanti— evaṁdiṭṭhi bhavaṁ gotamo’ti iti puṭṭho samāno ‘na kho ahaṁ, vaccha, evaṁdiṭṭhi— antavā loko, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti vadesi. ‘Kiṁ pana, bho gotama, anantavā loko, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññanti— evaṁdiṭṭhi bhavaṁ gotamo’ti iti puṭṭho samāno ‘na kho ahaṁ, vaccha, evaṁdiṭṭhi— anantavā loko, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti vadesi. ‘Kiṁ nu kho, bho gotama, taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīraṁ, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññanti— evaṁdiṭṭhi bhavaṁ gotamo’ti iti puṭṭho samāno ‘na kho ahaṁ, vaccha, evaṁdiṭṭhi— taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīraṁ, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti vadesi. ‘Kiṁ pana, bho gotama, aññaṁ jīvaṁ aññaṁ sarīraṁ, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññanti— evaṁdiṭṭhi bhavaṁ gotamo’ti iti puṭṭho samāno ‘na kho ahaṁ, vaccha, evaṁdiṭṭhi— aññaṁ jīvaṁ aññaṁ sarīraṁ, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti vadesi. ‘Kiṁ nu kho, bho gotama, hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññanti— evaṁdiṭṭhi bhavaṁ gotamo’ti iti puṭṭho samāno ‘na kho ahaṁ, vaccha, evaṁdiṭṭhi— hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti vadesi. ‘Kiṁ pana, bho gotama, na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññanti— evaṁdiṭṭhi bhavaṁ gotamo’ti iti puṭṭho samāno ‘na kho ahaṁ, vaccha, evaṁdiṭṭhi— na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti vadesi. ‘Kiṁ nu kho, bho gotama, hoti ca na ca hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññanti— evaṁdiṭṭhi bhavaṁ gotamo’ti iti puṭṭho samāno ‘na kho ahaṁ, vaccha, evaṁdiṭṭhi— hoti ca na ca hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti vadesi. ‘Kiṁ pana, bho gotama, neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññanti— evaṁdiṭṭhi bhavaṁ gotamo’ti iti puṭṭho samāno ‘na kho ahaṁ, vaccha, evaṁdiṭṭhi— neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti vadesi. Kiṁ pana bho gotamo ādīnavaṁ sampassamāno evaṁ imāni sabbaso diṭṭhigatāni anupagato”ti?
“When asked this ‘Venerable Gotama, is it your view that the world is eternal, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless?‘, you replied, ‘It is not my view, Vaccha, that the world is eternal, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless.’ ... ‘Then, Venerable Gotama, is it your view that a Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist after death, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless?’ When asked this, you replied, ‘It is not my view, Vaccha, that a Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist after death, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless.’ What danger do you see, Venerable Gotama, that leads you to avoid all these speculative views?”
“‘Sassato loko’ti kho, vaccha, diṭṭhigatametaṁ diṭṭhigahanaṁ diṭṭhikantāro diṭṭhivisūkaṁ diṭṭhivipphanditaṁ diṭṭhisaṁyojanaṁ sadukkhaṁ savighātaṁ saupāyāsaṁ sapariḷāhaṁ, na nibbidāya na virāgāya na nirodhāya na upasamāya na abhiññāya na sambodhāya na nibbānāya saṁvattati. ‘Asassato loko’ti kho, vaccha …pe… ‘antavā loko’ti kho, vaccha …pe… ‘anantavā loko’ti kho, vaccha …pe… ‘taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīran’ti kho, vaccha …pe… ‘aññaṁ jīvaṁ aññaṁ sarīran’ti kho, vaccha …pe… ‘hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti kho, vaccha …pe… ‘na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti kho, vaccha …pe… ‘hoti ca na ca hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti kho, vaccha …pe… ‘neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti kho, vaccha, diṭṭhigatametaṁ diṭṭhigahanaṁ diṭṭhikantāro diṭṭhivisūkaṁ diṭṭhivipphanditaṁ diṭṭhisaṁyojanaṁ sadukkhaṁ savighātaṁ saupāyāsaṁ sapariḷāhaṁ, na nibbidāya na virāgāya na nirodhāya na upasamāya na abhiññāya na sambodhāya na nibbānāya saṁvattati. Imaṁ kho ahaṁ, vaccha, ādīnavaṁ sampassamāno evaṁ imāni sabbaso diṭṭhigatāni anupagato”ti.
Vaccha, the view ‘the world is eternal’ is a view, a tangle of views, a thicket of views, a distortion of views, a writhing of views, a fetter of views. It is accompanied by suffering, distress, despair, and fever, and does not lead to disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, tranquility, higher knowledge, awakening, or Nibbāna. The view ‘the world is not eternal’ ... The view ‘the world is finite’ ... The view ‘the world is infinite’ ... The view ‘the soul and the body are the same’ ... The view ‘the soul is one thing and the body is another’ ... The view ‘the Tathāgata exists after death’ ... The view ‘the Tathāgata does not exist after death’ ... The view ‘the Tathāgata both exists and does not exist after death’ ... The view ‘the Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist after death’ is a view, a tangle of views, a thicket of views, a distortion of views, a writhing of views, a fetter of views. It is accompanied by suffering, distress, despair, and feverishness, and does not lead to disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, tranquility, higher knowledge, awakening, or Nibbāna. Seeing this danger, Vaccha, I do not take up any of these views.
Going Beyond Speculative Views
“Atthi pana bhoto gotamassa kiñci diṭṭhigatan”ti?
“Is there any speculative view that the Venerabel Gotama holds?”
“Diṭṭhigatanti kho, vaccha, apanītametaṁ tathāgatassa. Diṭṭhañhetaṁ, vaccha, tathāgatena: ‘iti rūpaṁ, iti rūpassa samudayo, iti rūpassa atthaṅgamo; iti vedanā, iti vedanāya samudayo, iti vedanāya atthaṅgamo; iti saññā, iti saññāya samudayo, iti saññāya atthaṅgamo; iti saṅkhārā, iti saṅkhārānaṁ samudayo, iti saṅkhārānaṁ atthaṅgamo; iti viññāṇaṁ, iti viññāṇassa samudayo, iti viññāṇassa atthaṅgamo’ti. Tasmā tathāgato sabbamaññitānaṁ sabbamathitānaṁ sabbaahaṅkāramamaṅkāramānānusayānaṁ khayā virāgā nirodhā cāgā paṭinissaggā anupādā vimuttoti vadāmī”ti.
“Vaccha, ‘speculative view’ is something the Tathāgata has gone beyond. The Tathāgata sees this: ‘Such is form, its arising, its passing away; such is feeling, its arising, its passing away; such is perception, its arising, its passing away; such are intentional constructs, their arising, their passing away; such is consciousness, its arising, its passing away.’ Therefore, I say, the Tathāgata, through giving up of all conceptions, all mental disturbance, all I-making, mine-making, and the underlying tendencies to conceit and through the exhaustion, fading away, cessation, relinquishment, is liberated without clinging.”
“Evaṁ vimuttacitto pana, bho gotama, bhikkhu kuhiṁ upapajjatī”ti?
“Being thus liberated, Venerable Gotama, where does a bhikkhu reappear?”
“Upapajjatīti kho, vaccha, na upeti”.
“Vaccha, ‘reappear’ does not apply.”
“Tena hi, bho gotama, na upapajjatī”ti?
“Then, Venerable Gotama, does he not reappear?”
“Na upapajjatīti kho, vaccha, na upeti”.
“Vaccha, ‘does not reappear’ also does not apply.”
“Tena hi, bho gotama, upapajjati ca na ca upapajjatī”ti?
“Then, Venerable Gotama, does he both reappear and not reappear?”
“Upapajjati ca na ca upapajjatīti kho, vaccha, na upeti”.
“Vaccha, ‘both reappears and does not reappear’ does not apply.”
“Tena hi, bho gotama, neva upapajjati na na upapajjatī”ti?
“Then, Venerable Gotama, does he neither reappear nor not reappear?”
“Neva upapajjati na na upapajjatīti kho, vaccha, na upeti”.
“Vaccha, ‘neither reappears nor does not reappear’ does not apply.”
“‘Evaṁ vimuttacitto pana, bho gotama, bhikkhu kuhiṁ upapajjatī’ti iti puṭṭho samāno ‘upapajjatīti kho, vaccha, na upetī’ti vadesi. ‘Tena hi, bho gotama, na upapajjatī’ti iti puṭṭho samāno ‘na upapajjatīti kho, vaccha, na upetī’ti vadesi. ‘Tena hi, bho gotama, upapajjati ca na ca upapajjatī’ti iti puṭṭho samāno ‘upapajjati ca na ca upapajjatīti kho, vaccha, na upetī’ti vadesi. ‘Tena hi, bho gotama, neva upapajjati na na upapajjatī’ti iti puṭṭho samāno ‘neva upapajjati na na upapajjatīti kho, vaccha, na upetī’ti vadesi. Etthāhaṁ, bho gotama, aññāṇamāpādiṁ, ettha sammohamāpādiṁ. Yāpi me esā bhoto gotamassa purimena kathāsallāpena ahu pasādamattā sāpi me etarahi antarahitā”ti.
“When asked, ‘Being thus liberated in mind, Venerable Gotama, where does a bhikkhu reappear?‘ you replied, ‘Vaccha, ‘reappears’ does not apply.’ When further asked, ‘Then, does he not reappear?’ you replied, ‘Vaccha, ‘does not reappear’ does not apply.’ When further asked if ‘he both reappears and does not reappear,’ you stated, ‘Vaccha, ‘both reappears and does not reappear’ does not apply.’ And when asked whether ‘he neither reappears nor does not reappear,’ you replied, ‘Vaccha, ‘neither reappears nor does not reappear’ does not apply.’ At this, I have fallen into confusion, Venerable Gotama. Even the slight confidence I had from our earlier conversation has now disappeared.”
“Alañhi te, vaccha, aññāṇāya, alaṁ sammohāya. Gambhīro hāyaṁ, vaccha, dhammo duddaso duranubodho santo paṇīto atakkāvacaro nipuṇo paṇḍitavedanīyo. So tayā dujjāno aññadiṭṭhikena aññakhantikena aññarucikena aññatrayogena aññatrācariyakena.
“It is fitting for you, Vaccha, to be confused. This Dhamma, Vaccha, is profound, hard to see, hard to understand, peaceful, sublime, beyond the sphere of reasoning, subtle, understandable only by the wise. It is difficult for you to understand this, being of another view, another faith, another inclination, following a different teacher.
Tena hi, vaccha, taññevettha paṭipucchissāmi; yathā te khameyya tathā naṁ byākareyyāsi.
So, Vaccha, let me question you instead; answer as you see fit.
Simile of Fire
Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, vaccha, sace te purato aggi jaleyya, jāneyyāsi tvaṁ: ‘ayaṁ me purato aggi jalatī’”ti?
What do you think, Vaccha, if a fire were burning in front of you, would you know, ‘This fire is burning in front of me’?”
“Sace me, bho gotama, purato aggi jaleyya, jāneyyāhaṁ: ‘ayaṁ me purato aggi jalatī’”ti.
“If there were a fire burning in front of me, Venerable Gotama, I would know, ‘This fire is burning in front of me.’”
“Sace pana taṁ, vaccha, evaṁ puccheyya: ‘yo te ayaṁ purato aggi jalati ayaṁ aggi kiṁ paṭicca jalatī’ti, evaṁ puṭṭho tvaṁ, vaccha, kinti byākareyyāsī”ti?
“And if someone were to ask you, ‘This fire burning in front of you, on what does it depend?‘ how would you answer?”
“Sace maṁ, bho gotama, evaṁ puccheyya:
“If, Venerable Gotama, you were to ask me thus:
‘yo te ayaṁ purato aggi jalati ayaṁ aggi kiṁ paṭicca jalatī’ti, evaṁ puṭṭho ahaṁ, bho gotama, evaṁ byākareyyaṁ: ‘yo me ayaṁ purato aggi jalati ayaṁ aggi tiṇakaṭṭhupādānaṁ paṭicca jalatī’”ti.
’This fire burning before you, on what does it depend to burn?‘ thus questioned, I, Venerable Gotama, would answer: ‘This fire burning before me depends on grass and wood as fuel to burn.’”
“Sace te, vaccha, purato so aggi nibbāyeyya, jāneyyāsi tvaṁ: ‘ayaṁ me purato aggi nibbuto’”ti?
“If that fire in front of you were to be extinguished, Vaccha, would you know, ‘This fire in front of me has been extinguished’?”
“Sace me, bho gotama, purato so aggi nibbāyeyya, jāneyyāhaṁ: ‘ayaṁ me purato aggi nibbuto’”ti.
“If that fire in front of me were to be extinguished, Venerable Gotama, I would know, ‘This fire in front of me has been extinguished.’”
“Sace pana taṁ, vaccha, evaṁ puccheyya: ‘yo te ayaṁ purato aggi nibbuto so aggi ito katamaṁ disaṁ gato— puratthimaṁ vā dakkhiṇaṁ vā pacchimaṁ vā uttaraṁ vā’ti, evaṁ puṭṭho tvaṁ, vaccha, kinti byākareyyāsī”ti?
“And if someone were to ask you, ‘This fire that has been extinguished, in which direction has it gone — east, south, west, or north?’ how would you respond?”
“Na upeti, bho gotama, yañhi so, bho gotama, aggi tiṇakaṭṭhupādānaṁ paṭicca ajali tassa ca pariyādānā aññassa ca anupahārā anāhāro nibbutotveva saṅkhyaṁ gacchatī”ti.
“It does not apply, Venerable Gotama. For that fire, having burned dependent on grass and wood for fuel, being consumed, and not being offered any more fuel, is said to be extinguished.”
Freed from Classification
“Evameva kho, vaccha, yena rūpena tathāgataṁ paññāpayamāno paññāpeyya taṁ rūpaṁ tathāgatassa pahīnaṁ ucchinnamūlaṁ tālāvatthukataṁ anabhāvaṅkataṁ āyatiṁ anuppādadhammaṁ. Rūpasaṅkhayavimutto kho, vaccha, tathāgato gambhīro appameyyo duppariyogāḷho— seyyathāpi mahāsamuddo. Upapajjatīti na upeti, na upapajjatīti na upeti, upapajjati ca na ca upapajjatīti na upeti, neva upapajjati na na upapajjatīti na upeti.
“In the same way, Vaccha, whatever form by which one might define the Tathāgata, that form has been abandoned, cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated so that it is no more subject to future arising. Freed from the classification by form, Vaccha, the Tathāgata is profound, immeasurable, hard to fathom like the great ocean. ‘Reappears’ does not apply, ‘does not reappear’ does not apply, ‘both reappears and does not reappear’ does not apply, ‘neither reappears nor does not reappear’ does not apply.”
Yāya vedanāya tathāgataṁ paññāpayamāno paññāpeyya sā vedanā tathāgatassa pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā. Vedanāsaṅkhayavimutto kho, vaccha, tathāgato gambhīro appameyyo duppariyogāḷho— seyyathāpi mahāsamuddo. Upapajjatīti na upeti, na upapajjatīti na upeti, upapajjati ca na ca upapajjatīti na upeti, neva upapajjati na na upapajjatīti na upeti. Yāya saññāya tathāgataṁ paññāpayamāno paññāpeyya sā saññā tathāgatassa pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā. Saññāsaṅkhayavimutto kho, vaccha, tathāgato gambhīro appameyyo duppariyogāḷho— seyyathāpi mahāsamuddo. Upapajjatīti na upeti, na upapajjatīti na upeti, upapajjati ca na ca upapajjatīti na upeti, neva upapajjati na na upapajjatīti na upeti. Yehi saṅkhārehi tathāgataṁ paññāpayamāno paññāpeyya te saṅkhārā tathāgatassa pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā. Saṅkhārasaṅkhayavimutto kho, vaccha, tathāgato gambhīro appameyyo duppariyogāḷho— seyyathāpi mahāsamuddo. Upapajjatīti na upeti, na upapajjatīti na upeti, upapajjati ca na ca upapajjatīti na upeti, neva upapajjati na na upapajjatīti na upeti. Yena viññāṇena tathāgataṁ paññāpayamāno paññāpeyya taṁ viññāṇaṁ tathāgatassa pahīnaṁ ucchinnamūlaṁ tālāvatthukataṁ anabhāvaṅkataṁ āyatiṁ anuppādadhammaṁ. Viññāṇasaṅkhayavimutto kho, vaccha, tathāgato gambhīro appameyyo duppariyogāḷho— seyyathāpi mahāsamuddo. Upapajjatīti na upeti, na upapajjatīti na upeti, upapajjati ca na ca upapajjatīti na upeti, neva upapajjati na na upapajjatīti na upetī”ti.
Whatever feeling by which one might designate the Tathāgata, that feeling has been abandoned by the Tathāgata, cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated, so it is no longer subject to future arising. Freed from the classification by feeling, Vaccha, the Tathāgata is profound, immeasurable, hard to fathom, like the great ocean. ‘Reappears’ does not apply, ‘does not reappear’ does not apply, ‘both reappears and does not reappear’ does not apply, ‘neither reappears nor does not reappear’ does not apply. Whatever perception by which one might designate the Tathāgata, that perception has been abandoned by the Tathāgata, cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated, so it is no longer subject to future arising. Freed from the classification by perception, Vaccha, the Tathāgata is profound, immeasurable, hard to fathom, like the great ocean. ‘Reappears’ does not apply, ‘does not reappear’ does not apply, ‘both reappears and does not reappear’ does not apply, ‘neither reappears nor does not reappear’ does not apply. Whatever intentional constructs by which one might designate the Tathāgata, those intentional constructs have been abandoned by the Tathāgata, cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated, so they are no longer subject to future arising. Freed from the classification by intentional constructs, Vaccha, the Tathāgata is profound, immeasurable, hard to fathom, like the great ocean. ‘Reappears’ does not apply, ‘does not reappear’ does not apply, ‘both reappears and does not reappear’ does not apply, ‘neither reappears nor does not reappear’ does not apply. Whatever consciousness by which one might designate the Tathāgata, that consciousness has been abandoned by the Tathāgata, cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated, so it is no longer subject to future arising. Freed from the classification by consciousness, Vaccha, the Tathāgata is profound, immeasurable, hard to fathom, like the great ocean. ‘Reappears’ does not apply, ‘does not reappear’ does not apply, ‘both reappears and does not reappear’ does not apply, ‘neither reappears nor does not reappear’ does not apply.”
Evaṁ vutte, vacchagotto paribbājako bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
After these words were spoken, the wanderer Vacchagotta said to the Blessed One:
“seyyathāpi, bho gotama, gāmassa vā nigamassa vā avidūre mahāsālarukkho. Tassa aniccatā sākhāpalāsā palujjeyyuṁ, tacapapaṭikā palujjeyyuṁ, pheggū palujjeyyuṁ; so aparena samayena apagatasākhāpalāso apagatatacapapaṭiko apagataphegguko suddho assa, sāre patiṭṭhito; evameva bhoto gotamassa pāvacanaṁ apagatasākhāpalāsaṁ apagatatacapapaṭikaṁ apagatapheggukaṁ suddhaṁ, sāre patiṭṭhitaṁ.
“Just as, Venerable Gotama, near a village or town, there stands a great sal tree. Its branches and leaves fall off, its bark peels away, and its sapwood disintegrates. In time, it stands clean, devoid of branches, bark, and sapwood, established in its heartwood. Similarly, the teaching of Venerable Gotama stands purified, free of branches, bark, and sapwood, established in its essence.
Abhikkantaṁ, bho gotama …pe… upāsakaṁ maṁ bhavaṁ gotamo dhāretu ajjatagge pāṇupetaṁ saraṇaṁ gatan”ti.
Marvelous, Venerable Gotama! Allow me to take refuge in Venerable Gotama from this day forth as long as life lasts, having gone to him for refuge.”