Mahākoṭṭhikasutta

Aṅguttara Nikāya 4.173

Numbered Discourses 4.173

18. Sañcetaniyavagga

18. Intention

Mahākoṭṭhikasutta

With Mahākoṭṭhita

Atha kho āyasmā mahākoṭṭhiko yenāyasmā sāriputto tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmatā sāriputtena saddhiṁ sammodi.

Then Venerable Mahākoṭṭhita went up to Venerable Sāriputta, and exchanged greetings with him.

Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā mahākoṭṭhiko āyasmantaṁ sāriputtaṁ etadavoca:

When the greetings and polite conversation were over, Mahākoṭṭhita sat down to one side, and said to Sāriputta:

“Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā atthaññaṁ kiñcī”ti?

“Reverend, when the six fields of contact have faded away and ceased with no residue left behind, does something else still exist?”

“Mā hevaṁ, āvuso”.

“Don’t put it like that, reverend.”

“Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā natthaññaṁ kiñcī”ti?

“Does something else no longer exist?”

“Mā hevaṁ, āvuso”.

“Don’t put it like that, reverend.”

“Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā atthi ca natthi ca aññaṁ kiñcī”ti?

“Does something else both still exist and no longer exist?”

“Mā hevaṁ, āvuso”.

“Don’t put it like that, reverend.”

“Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā nevatthi no natthaññaṁ kiñcī”ti?

“Does something else neither still exist nor no longer exist?”

“Mā hevaṁ, āvuso”.

“Don’t put it like that, reverend.”

“‘Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā atthaññaṁ kiñcī’ti, iti puṭṭho samāno ‘mā hevaṁ, āvuso’ti vadesi.

“Reverend, when asked whether—when the six fields of contact have faded away and ceased with no residue left behind—something else still exists, you say ‘don’t put it like that’.

‘Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā natthaññaṁ kiñcī’ti, iti puṭṭho samāno:

When asked whether something else no longer exists,

‘mā hevaṁ, āvuso’ti vadesi.

you say ‘don’t put it like that’.

‘Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā atthi ca natthi ca aññaṁ kiñcī’ti, iti puṭṭho samāno:

When asked whether something else both still exists and no longer exists,

‘mā hevaṁ, āvuso’ti vadesi.

you say ‘don’t put it like that’.

‘Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā nevatthi no natthaññaṁ kiñcī’ti, iti puṭṭho samāno:

When asked whether something else neither still exists nor no longer exists,

‘mā hevaṁ, āvuso’ti vadesi.

you say ‘don’t put it like that’.

Yathā kathaṁ pana, āvuso, 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.

“In saying that, ‘When the six fields of contact have faded away and ceased with no residue left behind, something else still exists’, you’re proliferating the unproliferated.

‘Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā natthaññaṁ kiñcī’ti, iti vadaṁ appapañcaṁ papañceti.

In saying that, ‘something else no longer exists’, you’re proliferating the unproliferated.

‘Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā atthi ca natthi ca aññaṁ kiñcī’ti, iti vadaṁ appapañcaṁ papañceti.

In saying that, ‘something else both still exists and no longer exists’, you’re proliferating the unproliferated.

‘Channaṁ, āvuso, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā nevatthi no natthaññaṁ kiñcī’ti, iti vadaṁ appapañcaṁ papañceti.

In saying that, ‘something else neither still exists nor no longer exists’, 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 no residue left behind, proliferation stops and is stilled.”

Tatiyaṁ.