English
our bodies were weary, our minds were weary. Thus, having passed away from that realm, we are impermanent, unstable, short-lived, of a changing nature, and have come to this state of being.’ This, monks, the third ground, based on which, relying on which, some recluses and brahmins, partly eternalists, partly non-eternalists, partly eternal, partly non-eternal, proclaim the self and the world. 49. "And how, good sirs, do some recluses and brahmins, based on what, relying on what, partly eternalists, partly non-eternalists, partly eternal, partly non-eternal, proclaim the self and the world? Here, bhikkhus, some recluse or brahmin is a reasoner, an investigator. He, struck by reasoning, followed by investigation, with his own ingenuity, says this: ‘That which is called eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, this self is impermanent, unstable, non-eternal, subject to change. But that which is called mind, or intellect, or consciousness, this self is permanent, stable, eternal, not subject to change, it will remain just so for eternity.’ This, bhikkhus, is the fourth ground, based on which, relying on which, some recluses and brahmins, partly eternalists, partly non-eternalists, partly eternal, partly non-eternal, proclaim the self and the world. 50. "By these, bhikkhus, those recluses and brahmins, partly eternalists, partly non-eternalists, partly eternal, partly non-eternal, proclaim the self and the world by these four grounds. Whatever recluses or brahmins, bhikkhus, partly eternalists, partly non-eternalists, partly eternal, partly non-eternal, proclaim the self and the world, all of them do so by these four grounds, or by one of them; there is nothing outside of these. 51. "This, bhikkhus, the Tathāgata understands: ‘These views, thus grasped, thus clung to, lead to such and such a destination, such and such a future state.’ And the Tathāgata understands that, and he understands what is beyond that, and that understanding he does not cling to. Not clinging, for him, liberation is known personally. The origin and passing away of feelings, their gratification, their danger... And having known the origin and the escape as they really are, the Tathāgata, monks, is liberated without grasping. 52. These, monks, are those teachings, profound, difficult to see, difficult to understand, peaceful, excellent, beyond the sphere of reasoning, subtle, to be experienced by the wise, which the Tathāgata, having directly known and realized himself, proclaims, and by which, speaking rightly, one would speak the true praise of the Tathāgata. The Teaching of the Finite and Infinite 53. There are, monks, some ascetics and brahmins who are declarers of the finite and infinite, who declare the world to be finite and infinite on four grounds. And those venerable ascetics and brahmins, relying on what, starting from what, do they declare the world to be finite and infinite on four grounds? 54. Here, monks, some ascetic or brahmin, by means of ardent effort, by means of exertion, by means of application, by means of diligence, by means of right attention, attains such a concentration of mind that with his mind thus concentrated, he dwells perceiving the world as finite. He says thus: ‘This world is finite, circumscribed. For what reason? For I, by means of ardent effort, by means of exertion, by means of application, by means of diligence, by means of right attention, attain such a concentration of mind that with my mind thus concentrated, I dwell perceiving the world as finite. By this I know this – that this world is finite, circumscribed.’ This, monks, is the first ground, relying on which, starting from which, some ascetics and brahmins, declarers of the finite and infinite, declare the world to be finite and infinite. 55. And secondly, venerable ascetics and brahmins, relying on what, starting from what, do they declare the world to be finite and infinite? Here, monks, some ascetic or brahmin, by means of ardent effort, by means of exertion, by means of application, by means of diligence, by means of right attention, attains such a concentration of mind that with his mind thus concentrated, he dwells perceiving the world as infinite. He says thus: ‘This world is infinite, unbounded. Those ascetics and brahmins who said thus: ‘‘This world is finite, circumscribed’’— their... is false. This world is endless, unbounded. For what reason? For I, by following ardour, by following exertion, by following application, by following diligence, by following right attention, attain such a concentration of mind, that with my mind thus concentrated, I dwell perceiving the world as endless. By this I know this – that this world is endless, unbounded. This, bhikkhus, is the second ground, based on which, relying on which, some recluses and brahmins declare the world to be finite or infinite. 56. And, good sirs, based on what, relying on what, do some recluses and brahmins declare the world to be finite or infinite? Here, bhikkhus, some recluse or brahmin, by following ardour, by following exertion, by following application, by following diligence, by following right attention, attains such a concentration of mind, that with his mind thus concentrated, he dwells perceiving the world as finite above and below, and endless across. He says thus: ‘This world is finite and endless. Those recluses and brahmins who said: ‘‘This world is finite, circumscribed,’’ their statement is false. And those recluses and brahmins who said: ‘‘This world is endless, unbounded,’’ their statement is also false. This world is finite and endless. For what reason? For I, by following ardour, by following exertion, by following application, by following diligence, by following right attention, attain such a concentration of mind, that with my mind thus concentrated, I dwell perceiving the world as finite above and below, and endless across. By this I know this – that this world is finite and endless.’ This, bhikkhus, is the third ground, based on which, relying on which, some recluses and brahmins declare the world to be finite and infinite. 57. And, good sirs, based on what, relying on what, do some recluses and brahmins declare the world to be finite or infinite? Here, bhikkhus, some recluse or brahmin is a logician, an investigator. He, by logic-beaten investigation… his own spontaneous thought, he says thus: 'This world is not finite, nor is it infinite. Those recluses and brahmins who said thus: "This world is finite and circumscribed," their statement is false. And those recluses and brahmins who said thus: "This world is infinite and unbounded," their statement is also false. And those recluses and brahmins who said thus: "This world is both finite and infinite," their statement is also false. This world is not finite, nor is it infinite.' This, bhikkhus, is the fourth ground, based on which, concerning which, some recluses and brahmins, asserting the world to be finite or infinite, declare the world to be finite or infinite. 58. "It is by these four grounds, bhikkhus, that those recluses and brahmins, asserting the world to be finite or infinite, declare the world to be finite or infinite. Whatever recluses or brahmins, bhikkhus, asserting the world to be finite or infinite, declare the world to be finite or infinite, all of them do so by these four grounds, or by one of them; there is nothing outside of these. 59. "This, bhikkhus, the Tathāgata understands: 'These standpoints of views, thus grasped, thus clung to, lead to such a destination, such a future state.' And the Tathāgata understands that, and he understands what is even higher than that, and that understanding he does not cling to. Not clinging, for him, liberation is known personally. Having understood as it really is the origin and the passing away, the gratification, the danger, and the escape from feelings, the Tathāgata, bhikkhus, is liberated without clinging." 60. "These, bhikkhus, are those profound teachings, hard to see, hard to comprehend, peaceful, sublime, beyond the sphere of mere reasoning, subtle, to be experienced by the wise, which the Tathāgata, having realized them for himself by direct knowledge, proclaims, and by which those who speak rightly of the Tathāgata's true praise would speak." The Eel-Wriggler's Doctrine 61. "There are, bhikkhus, some recluses and brahmins who are eel-wrigglers, who, when questioned on this or that matter, resort to verbal equivocation, to eel-wriggling, on four grounds. And those venerable recluses and brahmins, based on what, concerning what..." Oh, the eel-wrigglers, when asked a question on various points, they resort to verbal equivocation, to eel-wriggling, on four grounds? 62. Here, monks, some ascetic or brahmin does not truly understand 'this is wholesome', does not truly understand 'this is unwholesome'. It occurs to him thus: 'Indeed, I do not truly understand "this is wholesome", I do not truly understand "this is unwholesome". If I, however, not truly understanding "this is wholesome", not truly understanding "this is unwholesome", were to declare 'this is wholesome', or declare 'this is unwholesome', that would be false for me. What would be false for me, that would be an annoyance for me. What would be an annoyance for me, that would be an obstacle for me.' Thus he, from fear of false speech, from abhorrence of false speech, does not declare 'this is wholesome', nor does he declare 'this is unwholesome'. When asked a question on various points, he resorts to verbal equivocation, to eel-wriggling: 'It is not thus for me; it is not so for me; it is not otherwise for me; it is not not for me; it is not not not for me.' This, monks, is the first ground, relying on which, based on which, some ascetics and brahmins, the eel-wrigglers, when asked a question on various points, resort to verbal equivocation, to eel-wriggling. 63. And secondly, venerable sirs, ascetics and brahmins, relying on what, based on what,