At Sāvatthi.

While seated to one side, the wanderer Vacchagotta addressed the Blessed One:

"Venerable Gotama, what is the cause and condition for the various kinds of views that arise in the world, such as: 'The world is eternal,' or 'The world is not eternal,' ... or 'After death a Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist'?"

[The Blessed One replied]: "Vaccha, it is from not knowing volitional formations, not knowing the arising of volitional formations, not knowing the cessation of volitional formations, not knowing the practice leading to the cessation of volitional formations that these various kinds of views arise in the world, such as: 'The world is eternal,' ... or 'After death a Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist.' This, Vaccha, is the cause and condition for the various kinds of views that arise in the world: 'The world is eternal,' or 'The world is not eternal,' ... or 'After death a Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist.'"