The venerable Upasīva asks the Buddha for a basis to rely upon to cross the great flood of existence. He then inquires about the destiny of one who is fully liberated.
“Eko ahaṁ sakka mahantamoghaṁ,
(iccāyasmā upasīvo)
Anissito no visahāmi tārituṁ;
Ārammaṇaṁ brūhi samantacakkhu,
Yaṁ nissito oghamimaṁ tareyyaṁ”.
“Alone, |Sakka::man of the Sakyan race, referring to the Buddha here [sakka]|, unsupported,”
(said the venerable Upasīva)
“I am not able to cross over the great flood;
Declare to me a |basis::foundation, support [ārammaṇa]|, O |All Seeing One::epithet of the Buddha [samantacakkhu]|,
relying on which I might cross over this flood.”
“Ākiñcaññaṁ pekkhamāno satimā,
(upasīvāti bhagavā)
Natthīti nissāya tarassu oghaṁ;
Kāme pahāya virato kathāhi,
Taṇhakkhayaṁ nattamahābhipassa”.
“Perceiving nothingness [1], |mindful::who has recollection, is aware, present [satimant]|,
(Upasīva,” said the Blessed One)
“relying on ‘there is not,’ cross over the flood;
Giving up sensual pleasures, abstaining from |talk::conversation, debate, detailed discussion [katha]|,
night and day, see into the |wearing away of craving::depletion of desire, extinction of longing [taṇhakkhaya]|.”
“Sabbesu kāmesu yo vītarāgo,
(iccāyasmā upasīvo)
Ākiñcaññaṁ nissito hitvā maññaṁ;
Saññāvimokkhe parame vimutto,
Tiṭṭhe nu so tattha anānuyāyī”.
“One |free from passion::without lust [vītarāga]| for all sensual pleasures,”
(said the venerable Upasīva)
“relying on nothingness, having left |conception::imagination, thought [mañña]|;
Liberated in the |supreme release of perception::highest meditation attainment with sense perception [saññāvimokkha]|,
would he remain there, without falling back?”
“Sabbesu kāmesu yo vītarāgo,
(upasīvāti bhagavā)
Ākiñcaññaṁ nissito hitvā maññaṁ;
Saññāvimokkhe parame vimutto,
Tiṭṭheyya so tattha anānuyāyī”.
“One free from passion for all sensual pleasures,
(Upasīva,” said the Blessed One)
“relying on nothingness, having left conception;
Liberated in the supreme release of perception,
he would remain there, without falling back.”
“Tiṭṭhe ce so tattha anānuyāyī,
Pūgampi vassānaṁ samantacakkhu;
Tattheva so sītisiyā vimutto,
Cavetha viññāṇaṁ tathāvidhassa”.
“If he would remain there without falling back,
even for a multitude of years, O All Seeing One;
would he become cool and liberated right there?
[or] would the |consciousness::that dependently arisen knowing which, when rooted in ignorance and supported by intentional constructs, finds a footing and becomes established in a sense realm, a form realm, or a formless realm leading to production of renewed existence in the future [viññāṇa]| of such a one |pass away::die, fall away [cavati]|?”
“Accī yathā vātavegena khittā,
(upasīvāti bhagavā)
Atthaṁ paleti na upeti saṅkhaṁ;
Evaṁ munī nāmakāyā vimutto,
Atthaṁ paleti na upeti saṅkhaṁ”.
“As a flame thrown by a gust of wind,
(Upasīva,” said the Blessed One)
“goes to its end and cannot be defined;
So too, the sage, freed from the |mental body::mind group; immaterial constituents (excluding consciousness); lit. name body [nāmakāya]|,
goes to his end, he cannot be defined.”
“Atthaṅgato so uda vā so natthi,
Udāhu ve sassatiyā arogo;
Taṁ me munī sādhu viyākarohi,
Tathā hi te vidito esa dhammo”.
“But does one who has gone to his end not exist,
or else is he |intact::free from disease, healthy [aroga]| through eternity?
Explain this matter clearly to me, O sage,
for this Dhamma has been understood by you.”
“Atthaṅgatassa na pamāṇamatthi,
(upasīvāti bhagavā)
Yena naṁ vajjuṁ taṁ tassa natthi;
Sabbesu dhammesu samohatesu,
Samūhatā vādapathāpi sabbe”ti.
“Of one who has gone to his end, there is no
measure, (Upasīva,” said the Blessed One)
“no means by which they might speak of him;
When all phenomena have been uprooted,
all |pathways of speech::linguistic concepts, modes of expression [vādapatha]| are also uprooted.”
“Alone, |Sakka::man of the Sakyan race, referring to the Buddha here [sakka]|, unsupported,”
(said the venerable Upasīva)
“I am not able to cross over the great flood;
Declare to me a |basis::foundation, support [ārammaṇa]|, O |All Seeing One::epithet of the Buddha [samantacakkhu]|,
relying on which I might cross over this flood.”
“Perceiving nothingness [1], |mindful::who has recollection, is aware, present [satimant]|,
(Upasīva,” said the Blessed One)
“relying on ‘there is not,’ cross over the flood;
Giving up sensual pleasures, abstaining from |talk::conversation, debate, detailed discussion [katha]|,
night and day, see into the |wearing away of craving::depletion of desire, extinction of longing [taṇhakkhaya]|.”
“One |free from passion::without lust [vītarāga]| for all sensual pleasures,”
(said the venerable Upasīva)
“relying on nothingness, having left |conception::imagination, thought [mañña]|;
Liberated in the |supreme release of perception::highest meditation attainment with sense perception [saññāvimokkha]|,
would he remain there, without falling back?”
“One free from passion for all sensual pleasures,
(Upasīva,” said the Blessed One)
“relying on nothingness, having left conception;
Liberated in the supreme release of perception,
he would remain there, without falling back.”
“If he would remain there without falling back,
even for a multitude of years, O All Seeing One;
would he become cool and liberated right there?
[or] would the |consciousness::that dependently arisen knowing which, when rooted in ignorance and supported by intentional constructs, finds a footing and becomes established in a sense realm, a form realm, or a formless realm leading to production of renewed existence in the future [viññāṇa]| of such a one |pass away::die, fall away [cavati]|?”
“As a flame thrown by a gust of wind,
(Upasīva,” said the Blessed One)
“goes to its end and cannot be defined;
So too, the sage, freed from the |mental body::mind group; immaterial constituents (excluding consciousness); lit. name body [nāmakāya]|,
goes to his end, he cannot be defined.”
“But does one who has gone to his end not exist,
or else is he |intact::free from disease, healthy [aroga]| through eternity?
Explain this matter clearly to me, O sage,
for this Dhamma has been understood by you.”
“Of one who has gone to his end, there is no
measure, (Upasīva,” said the Blessed One)
“no means by which they might speak of him;
When all phenomena have been uprooted,
all |pathways of speech::linguistic concepts, modes of expression [vādapatha]| are also uprooted.”
“Eko ahaṁ sakka mahantamoghaṁ,
(iccāyasmā upasīvo)
Anissito no visahāmi tārituṁ;
Ārammaṇaṁ brūhi samantacakkhu,
Yaṁ nissito oghamimaṁ tareyyaṁ”.
“Ākiñcaññaṁ pekkhamāno satimā,
(upasīvāti bhagavā)
Natthīti nissāya tarassu oghaṁ;
Kāme pahāya virato kathāhi,
Taṇhakkhayaṁ nattamahābhipassa”.
“Sabbesu kāmesu yo vītarāgo,
(iccāyasmā upasīvo)
Ākiñcaññaṁ nissito hitvā maññaṁ;
Saññāvimokkhe parame vimutto,
Tiṭṭhe nu so tattha anānuyāyī”.
“Sabbesu kāmesu yo vītarāgo,
(upasīvāti bhagavā)
Ākiñcaññaṁ nissito hitvā maññaṁ;
Saññāvimokkhe parame vimutto,
Tiṭṭheyya so tattha anānuyāyī”.
“Tiṭṭhe ce so tattha anānuyāyī,
Pūgampi vassānaṁ samantacakkhu;
Tattheva so sītisiyā vimutto,
Cavetha viññāṇaṁ tathāvidhassa”.
“Accī yathā vātavegena khittā,
(upasīvāti bhagavā)
Atthaṁ paleti na upeti saṅkhaṁ;
Evaṁ munī nāmakāyā vimutto,
Atthaṁ paleti na upeti saṅkhaṁ”.
“Atthaṅgato so uda vā so natthi,
Udāhu ve sassatiyā arogo;
Taṁ me munī sādhu viyākarohi,
Tathā hi te vidito esa dhammo”.
“Atthaṅgatassa na pamāṇamatthi,
(upasīvāti bhagavā)
Yena naṁ vajjuṁ taṁ tassa natthi;
Sabbesu dhammesu samohatesu,
Samūhatā vādapathāpi sabbe”ti.
[1] Per the commentary to the Suttanipāta, the venerable Upasīva was one who naturally gained the attainment of the base of nothingness but he did not know it as a support. When the Buddha says, “Perceiving nothingness,” he is showing him to use that as a support to rely on.