sutta » sn » sn44 » Saṁyutta Nikāya 44.11

Sabhiyakaccānasutta

With Sabhiya Kaccāna

Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā sabhiyo kaccāno ñātike viharati giñjakāvasathe.
At one time Venerable Sabhiya Kaccāna was staying at Ñātika in the brick house.

Atha kho vacchagotto paribbājako yenāyasmā sabhiyo kaccāno tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmatā sabhiyena kaccānena saddhiṁ sammodi.
Then the wanderer Vacchagotta went up to him, and exchanged greetings with him.

Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho vacchagotto paribbājako āyasmantaṁ sabhiyaṁ kaccānaṁ etadavoca:
When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side, and said to Sabhiya Kaccāna:

“kiṁ nu kho bho, kaccāna, hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā”ti?
“Mister Kaccāna, does a realized one still exist after death?”

“Abyākataṁ kho etaṁ, vaccha, bhagavatā:
“Vaccha, this has not been declared by the Buddha.”

‘hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’”ti.

“Kiṁ pana, bho kaccāna, na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā”ti?
“Well then, does a realized one no longer exist after death?”

“Etampi kho, vaccha, abyākataṁ bhagavatā:
“This too has not been declared by the Buddha.”

‘na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’”ti.

“Kiṁ nu kho, bho kaccāna, hoti ca na ca hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā”ti?
“Well then, does a realized one both exist and not exist after death?”

“Abyākataṁ kho etaṁ, vaccha, bhagavatā:
“This has not been declared by the Buddha.”

‘hoti ca na ca hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’”ti.

“Kiṁ pana, bho kaccāna, neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā”ti?
“Well then, does a realized one neither exist nor not exist after death?”

“Etampi kho, vaccha, abyākataṁ bhagavatā:
“This too has not been declared by the Buddha.”

‘neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’”ti.

“‘Kiṁ nu kho, bho kaccāna, hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti, iti puṭṭho samāno:
“Mister Kaccāna, when asked these questions, you say that this has not been declared by the Buddha.

‘abyākataṁ kho etaṁ, vaccha, bhagavatā—

hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti vadesi.

‘Kiṁ pana, bho kaccāna, na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti, iti puṭṭho samāno:

‘abyākataṁ kho etaṁ, vaccha, bhagavatā—

na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti vadesi.

‘Kiṁ nu kho, bho kaccāna, hoti ca na ca hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti, iti puṭṭho samāno:

‘abyākataṁ kho etaṁ, vaccha, bhagavatā—

hoti ca na ca hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti vadesi.

‘Kiṁ pana, bho kaccāna, neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti, iti puṭṭho samāno:

‘etampi kho, vaccha, abyākataṁ bhagavatā—

neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti vadesi.

Ko nu kho, bho kaccāna, hetu, ko paccayo, yenetaṁ abyākataṁ samaṇena gotamenā”ti?
What’s the cause, what’s the reason why this has not been declared by the Buddha?”

“Yo ca, vaccha, hetu, yo ca paccayo paññāpanāya rūpīti vā arūpīti vā saññīti vā asaññīti vā nevasaññīnāsaññīti vā, so ca hetu, so ca paccayo sabbena sabbaṁ sabbathā sabbaṁ aparisesaṁ nirujjheyya.
“In order to describe him as ‘possessing form’ or ‘formless’ or ‘percipient’ or ‘non-percipient’ or ‘neither percipient nor non-percipient’, there must be some cause or reason for doing so. But if that cause and reason were to totally and utterly cease without anything left over,

Kena naṁ paññāpayamāno paññāpeyya rūpīti vā arūpīti vā saññīti vā asaññīti vā nevasaññīnāsaññīti vā”ti.
how could you describe him in any such terms?”

“Kīvaciraṁ pabbajitosi, bho kaccānā”ti?
“Mister Kaccāna, how long has it been since you went forth?”

“Naciraṁ, āvuso, tīṇi vassānī”ti.
“Not long, reverend: three years.”

“Yassapassa, āvuso, etamettakena ettakameva tampassa bahu, ko pana vādo evaṁ abhikkante”ti.
“Well, you’ve learned a lot already, let alone what lies ahead!”

Ekādasamaṁ.

Abyākatavaggo paṭhamo.

Tassuddānaṁ

Khemātherī anurādho,

sāriputtoti koṭṭhiko;

Moggallāno ca vaccho ca,

kutūhalasālānando;

Sabhiyo ekādasamanti.

Abyākatasaṁyuttaṁ samattaṁ.
The Linked Discourses on undeclared questions are complete.

Tassuddānaṁ

Saḷāyatanavedanā,

mātugāmo jambukhādako;

Sāmaṇḍako moggallāno,

citto gāmaṇi saṅkhataṁ;

Abyākatanti dasadhāti.

Saḷāyatanavaggo catuttho.

Saḷāyatanavaggasaṁyuttapāḷi niṭṭhitā.
The Book of the Six Sense Fields is finished.