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 seeing form, not seeing the arising of form, not seeing the cessation of form, not seeing the practice leading to the cessation of form 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.' It is from not seeing feeling, not seeing the arising of feeling, not seeing the cessation of feeling, not seeing the practice leading to the cessation of feeling. It is from not seeing perception, not seeing the arising of perception, not seeing the cessation of perception, not seeing the practice leading to the cessation of perception. It is from not seeing mental formations, not seeing the arising of mental formations, not seeing the cessation of mental formations, not seeing the practice leading to the cessation of mental formations. It is from not seeing consciousness, not seeing the arising of consciousness, not seeing the cessation of consciousness, not seeing the practice leading to the cessation of consciousness 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.'"