Aṇguttara Nikāya
Catukka Nipāta
XVIII: Sañcetaniya Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
The Book of the Fours
Chapter XVIII: Intentional
Sutta 174
Mahā Koṭṭhita Sutta
Koṭṭhita
Translated from the Pali by F. L. Woodward, M.A.
Copyright The Pali Text Society
Commercial Rights Reserved
For details see Terms of Use.
[1][than][olds] Then the venerable Koṭṭhita the Great[1]
came to visit the venerable Sāriputta.
On coming to him
he greeted him courteously,
and after the exchange of greetings and courtesies,
sat down at one side.
So seated the venerable Koṭṭhita the Great
said this to the venerable Sāriputta:
'Your reverence, does anything at all exist
after the passionless ending,
without remainder,
of the six spheres of contact?'
'Say not that, your reverence!'
■
Then, your reverence,
not anything exists after the passionless ending
without remainder
of the six spheres of contact.'[2]
Say not that, your reverence!'
■
'Then there both is and is not
anything existing after the passionless ending
without remainder
of the six spheres of contact.'
'Say not that, your reverence!'
■
[2][than][olds] 'Your reverence, when questioned thus:
"Is there anything at all that exists
after the passionless ending,
without remainder,
of the six spheres of contact;
is there not anything at all that exists
after the passionless ending,
without remainder,
of the six spheres of contact;
is there and is there not anything at all that exists
after the passionless ending,
without remainder,
of the six spheres of contact;
neither is there nor is there not anything existing after the passionless ending,
without remainder,
of the six spheres of contact?" you reply:
"Say not that, your reverence!"
Pray, then, how is the meaning of what I said to be regarded?'
■
[3][than][olds] 'Your reverence,
in saying that there is something left
one makes difficulty where there is none.
In saying that there neither is nor is not anything left
one makes difficulty where there is none.[3]
[169] So long, your reverence,
as there is going to the six spheres of contact,
for just so long
is there a going to difficulty.
But, your reverence,
by the passionless ending without remainder
of the six spheres of contact
there is calming down of difficulty.'
§
[4][olds] Now the venerable Ānanda came to visit the venerable Koṭṭhita the Great,
and on coming to him he greeted him courteously
and after the exchange of greetings and courtesies
sat down at one side.
So seated the venerable Ānanda said this
to the venerable Koṭṭhita the Great:[4]
'Your reverence, does anything at all exist
after the passionless ending,
without remainder,
of the six spheres of contact?'
'Say not that, your reverence!'
■
Then, your reverence,
not anything exists after the passionless ending
without remainder
of the six spheres of contact.'
Say not that, your reverence!'
■
'Then there both is and is not
anything existing after the passionless ending
without remainder
of the six spheres of contact.'
'Say not that, your reverence!'
■
[5][olds] 'Your reverence, when questioned thus:
"Is there anything at all that exists
after the passionless ending,
without remainder,
of the six spheres of contact;
is there not anything at all that exists
after the passionless ending,
without remainder,
of the six spheres of contact;
is there and is there not anything at all that exists
after the passionless ending,
without remainder,
of the six spheres of contact;
neither is there nor is there not anything existing after the passionless ending,
without remainder,
of the six spheres of contact?" you reply:
"Say not that, your reverence!"
Pray, then, how is the meaning of what I said to be regarded?'
■
[6][olds] 'Your reverence,
in saying that there is something left
one makes difficulty where there is none.
In saying that there neither is nor is not anything left
one makes difficulty where there is none.
So long, your reverence,
as there is going to the six spheres of contact,
for just so long
is there a going to difficulty.
But, your reverence,
by the passionless ending without remainder
of the six spheres of contact
there is calming down of difficulty.'
[1]Cf. A. i, 24, 'chief of the masters of logical analysis.'
[2]I.e., of sight, sound, smell, taste, touch and mental images. Cf. K.S. iii, 52.
[3]Iti vadaṇ appapañceti, lit. 'obstructs the unobstructed.' Papañca is often taken to mean 'illusion.' It means 'prolixity, obstruction.' The taints of craving, view and pride are regarded as papañca. The Buddha is called nippapañca. Again Papañca-sūdanī (the destruction of difficulties) is the name of the Commentary on Majjhima Nikāya. Cf. S.A. ii, 32, papañcaṇ katvā (idaṇ) kathitaṇ.
Acc. to Comy. the first alternative is the eternalist heresy, the second is the annihilationist heresy. The other two will be the mystic 'unanswerables.'
[4]This is taken as a separate sutta by Comy. and Sinh. text.
