Aṅguttara Nikāya 4.174
Translators: sujato
Numbered Discourses 4.174
18. Sañcetaniyavagga
18. Intention
Ānandasutta
With Ānanda
Atha kho āyasmā ānando yenāyasmā mahākoṭṭhiko tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmatā mahākoṭṭhikena saddhiṁ sammodi.
Then Venerable Ānanda went up to Venerable Mahākoṭṭhita, and exchanged greetings with him.
Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā ānando āyasmantaṁ mahākoṭṭhikaṁ etadavoca:
When the greetings and polite conversation were over, Ānanda sat down to one side, and said to Mahākoṭṭhita:
“Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā atthaññaṁ kiñcī”ti?
“Reverend, when these six fields of contact have faded away and ceased with nothing left over, does anything else exist?”
“Mā hevaṁ, āvuso”.
“Don’t put it like that, reverend.”
“Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā natthaññaṁ kiñcī”ti?
“Does nothing else exist?”
“Mā hevaṁ, āvuso”.
“Don’t put it like that, reverend.”
“Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā atthi ca natthi ca aññaṁ kiñcī”ti?
“Do both something else and nothing else exist?”
“Mā hevaṁ, āvuso”.
“Don’t put it like that, reverend.”
“Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā nevatthi no natthaññaṁ kiñcī”ti?
“Do neither something else nor nothing else exist?”
“Mā hevaṁ, āvuso”.
“Don’t put it like that, reverend.”
“‘Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā atthaññaṁ kiñcī’ti, iti puṭṭho samāno:
“Reverend, when asked these questions,
‘mā hevaṁ, āvuso’ti vadesi.
you say ‘don’t put it like that’.
‘Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā natthaññaṁ kiñcī’ti, iti puṭṭho samāno:
‘mā hevaṁ, āvuso’ti vadesi.
‘Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā atthi ca natthi ca aññaṁ kiñcī’ti, iti puṭṭho samāno:
‘mā hevaṁ, āvuso’ti vadesi.
‘Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā nevatthi no natthaññaṁ kiñcī’ti, iti puṭṭho samāno:
‘mā hevaṁ, āvuso’ti vadesi.
Yathā kathaṁ panāvuso, imassa bhāsitassa attho daṭṭhabbo”ti?
… How then should we see the meaning of this statement?”
“‘Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā atthaññaṁ kiñcī’ti, iti vadaṁ appapañcaṁ papañceti.
“If you say that ‘when the six fields of contact have faded away and ceased with nothing left over, something else exists’, you’re proliferating the unproliferated.
‘Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā natthaññaṁ kiñcī’ti, iti vadaṁ appapañcaṁ papañceti.
If you say that ‘nothing else exists’, you’re proliferating the unproliferated.
‘Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā atthi ca natthi ca aññaṁ kiñcī’ti, iti vadaṁ appapañcaṁ papañceti.
If you say that ‘both something else and nothing else exist’, you’re proliferating the unproliferated.
‘Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā nevatthi no natthaññaṁ kiñcī’ti, iti vadaṁ appapañcaṁ papañceti.
If you say that ‘neither something else nor nothing else exist’, you’re proliferating the unproliferated.
Yāvatā, āvuso, channaṁ phassāyatanānaṁ gati tāvatā papañcassa gati.
The scope of proliferation extends as far as the scope of the six fields of contact.
Yāvatā papañcassa gati tāvatā channaṁ phassāyatanānaṁ gati.
The scope of the six fields of contact extends as far as the scope of proliferation.
Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā papañcanirodho papañcavūpasamo”ti.
When the six fields of contact fade away and cease with nothing left over, proliferation stops and is stilled.”
Catutthaṁ.