Thus have I heard — At one time, the Blessed One was dwelling in Sāvatthi, in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's park.

Then, the wandering ascetic 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 wandering ascetic Vacchagotta said to the Blessed One:

"Venerable Gotama, is it your view that 'the world is eternal, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless'?"

"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 'the world is not eternal, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless'?"

"It is not my view, Vaccha, that 'the world is not eternal, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless'."

"Is it then, Venerable Gotama, your view that 'the world is finite, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless'?"

"It is not my view, Vaccha, that 'the world is finite, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless'."

"Then, Venerable Gotama, is it your view that 'the world is infinite, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless'?"

"It is not my view, Vaccha, that 'the world is infinite, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless'."

"Venerable Gotama, is it your view that 'the soul and the body are the same, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless'?"

"It is not my view, Vaccha, that 'the soul and the body are the same, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless'."

"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'?"

"It is not my view, Vaccha, that 'the soul is one thing and the body another, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless'."

"Venerable Gotama, is it your view that 'a Tathāgata exists after death, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless'?"

"It is not my view, Vaccha, that 'a Tathāgata exists after death, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless'."

"Then, Venerable Gotama, is it your view that 'a Tathāgata does not exist after death, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless'?"

"It is not my view, Vaccha, that 'a Tathāgata does not exist after death, this alone is true, anything else is meaningless'."

"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'?"

"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'."

"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'?"

"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'."

"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?"

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.

"Is there any speculative view that the Venerabel Gotama holds?"

"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 volitional formations, 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."

"Being thus liberated, Venerable Gotama, where does a bhikkhu reappear?"

"Vaccha, 'reappear' does not apply."

"Then, Venerable Gotama, does he not reappear?"

"Vaccha, 'does not reappear' also does not apply."

"Then, Venerable Gotama, does he both reappear and not reappear?"

"Vaccha, 'both reappears and does not reappear' does not apply."

"Then, Venerable Gotama, does he neither reappear nor not reappear?"

"Vaccha, 'neither reappears nor does not reappear' does not apply."

"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."

"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.

So, Vaccha, let me question you instead; answer as you see fit.

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'?"

"If there were a fire burning in front of me, Venerable Gotama, I would know, 'This fire is burning in front of me.'"

"And if someone were to ask you, 'This fire burning in front of you, on what does it depend?' how would you answer?"

"If, Venerable Gotama, you were to ask me thus:

'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.'"

"If that fire in front of you were to be extinguished, Vaccha, would you know, 'This fire in front of me has been extinguished'?"

"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.'"

"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?"

"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."

"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."

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 volitional formations by which one might designate the Tathāgata, those volitional formations 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 volitional formations, 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."

After these words were spoken, the wandering ascetic Vacchagotta said to the Blessed One:

"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.

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."