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with direct knowledge in this very life. This is the fourth fruit, the fourth advantage. the fourth advantage is the uprising of fruit. These, friends, are the four fruits, the four advantages to be expected by those who live devoted to these four kinds of pleasure. The Impossibility for an Arahant 186. It is possible, Cunda, that wanderers of other sects might say: ‘The Sakyan ascetics live without fixed principles.’ When they say this, Cunda, wanderers of other sects should be told: ‘Friends, the Dhamma has been taught and laid down by the Blessed One, the Knower, the Seer, the Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One, principles that are not to be transgressed throughout life. Just as, friends, an Indra-pillar or an iron pillar, deeply rooted, well-fixed, immovable, unshakable. Even so, friends, the Dhamma has been taught and laid down by the Blessed One, the Knower, the Seer, the Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One, principles that are not to be transgressed throughout life. That bhikkhu, friends, who is an Arahant, whose taints are destroyed, who has lived the holy life, who has done what had to be done, who has laid down the burden, who has attained his own goal, whose fetters of existence are destroyed, who is rightly liberated by perfect knowledge, he is incapable of committing nine things. It is impossible, friends, for an Arahant bhikkhu to intentionally take the life of a living being; it is impossible for an Arahant bhikkhu to take what is not given, in the manner of theft; it is impossible for an Arahant bhikkhu to engage in sexual intercourse; it is impossible for an Arahant bhikkhu to speak a deliberate lie; it is impossible for an Arahant bhikkhu to enjoy sensual pleasures by storing them up, as he did formerly when a householder; it is impossible for an Arahant bhikkhu to go on the path of desire; it is impossible for an Arahant bhikkhu to go on the path of hatred; it is impossible for an Arahant bhikkhu to go on the path of delusion; it is impossible for an Arahant bhikkhu to go on the path of fear. That bhikkhu, friends, who is an Arahant, whose taints are destroyed, who has lived the holy life, who has done what had to be done, who has laid down the burden, who has attained his own goal, whose fetters of existence are destroyed, who is rightly liberated by perfect knowledge, he is incapable of committing these nine things.’ Questions and Answers Without Strife 187. Cunda, there is indeed a possibility that other sect ascetics might say this: ‘Regarding the past, recluse Gotama teaches profound knowledge and vision, but regarding the future, he does not teach profound knowledge and vision. What is this? How is this?’ And those other sect ascetics, with a different kind of knowledge and vision, think that a different kind of knowledge and vision should be taught, just like fools, the unskilled. Cunda, regarding the past, the Tathāgata has knowledge that follows memory; he recollects as much as he wishes. And regarding the future, the Tathāgata's knowledge born of enlightenment arises: ‘This is the final birth, there is no more renewed existence now.’ Cunda, if something in the past is untrue, false, and unbeneficial, the Tathāgata does not declare it. Cunda, if something in the past is true, factual, but unbeneficial, the Tathāgata does not declare that either. Cunda, if something in the past is true, factual, and beneficial, then the Tathāgata is timely in declaring that matter. Cunda, if something in the future is untrue, false, and unbeneficial, the Tathāgata does not declare it. Cunda, if something in the future is true, factual, but unbeneficial, the Tathāgata does not declare that either. Cunda, if something in the future is true, factual, and beneficial, then the Tathāgata is timely in declaring that matter. Cunda, if something in the present is untrue, false, and unbeneficial, the Tathāgata does not declare it. Cunda, if something in the present is true, factual, but unbeneficial, the Tathāgata does not declare that either. Cunda, if something in the present is true, factual, and beneficial, then the Tathāgata is timely in declaring that matter. 188. Thus, Cunda, regarding matters of the past, future, and present, the Tathāgata speaks at the right time, speaks what is factual, speaks what is beneficial, speaks in accordance with the Dhamma, speaks in accordance with the Vinaya. Therefore, he is called ‘Tathāgata’. And Cunda, whatever in the world with its devas, its Māras, its Brahmās, By the generation of ascetics and brahmins, of devas and humans, what is seen, heard, sensed, cognized, attained, sought, pondered by the mind— all that has been fully awakened to by the Tathāgata. Therefore, he is called 'Tathāgata'. And Cunda, the night the Tathāgata fully awakens to unsurpassed perfect self-awakening, and the night he utterly passes away into the Nibbāna-element without remainder, what he speaks, says, and declares in between these— all that is just so, and not otherwise. Therefore, he is called 'Tathāgata'. As he speaks, Cunda, so the Tathāgata acts. As he acts, so he speaks. Thus, as he speaks, so he acts; as he acts, so he speaks. Therefore, he is called 'Tathāgata'. In the world with its devas, Cunda, with its Māras, with its Brahmās, with the generation of ascetics and brahmins, of devas and humans— the Tathāgata is the conqueror, unconquered, all-seeing, master. Therefore, he is called 'Tathāgata'. Undeclared Points 189. 'It is indeed possible, Cunda, that other sect ascetics might speak thus: "What, friends, is the Tathāgata after death? This alone is true, anything else is foolish." When other sect ascetics speak thus, Cunda, they should be told: "This, friends, has been undeclared by the Blessed One: 'The Tathāgata is after death; this alone is true, anything else is foolish.'" 'It is indeed possible, Cunda, that other sect ascetics might speak thus: "What, friends, is the Tathāgata not after death? This alone is true, anything else is foolish." When other sect ascetics speak thus, Cunda, they should be told: "This too, friends, has been undeclared by the Blessed One: 'The Tathāgata is not after death; this alone is true, anything else is foolish.'" 'It is indeed possible, Cunda, that other sect ascetics might speak thus: "What, friends, is the Tathāgata both after death and not after death? This alone is true, anything else is foolish." When other sect ascetics speak thus, Cunda, other... The sectarians, the wanderers, should be addressed thus: ‘This, friends, has been undeclared by the Blessed One: “The Tathāgata exists and does not exist after death; this alone is true, any other is foolish.”’ ‘It is possible, Cunda, that other sectarians, the wanderers, might say this: ‘What then, friends, does the Tathāgata neither exist nor not exist after death; this alone is true, any other is foolish?’ When they speak thus, Cunda, those other sectarians, the wanderers, should be addressed thus: ‘This too, friends, has been undeclared by the Blessed One: “The Tathāgata neither exists nor not exists after death; this alone is true, any other is foolish.”’ ‘It is possible, Cunda, that other sectarians, the wanderers, might say this: ‘Why then, friends, has this been undeclared by the recluse Gotama?’ When they speak thus, Cunda, those other sectarians, the wanderers, should be addressed thus: ‘Because this, friends, is not connected with benefit, not connected with the Dhamma, not fundamental to the holy life, does not lead to disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to tranquility, to direct knowledge, to full awakening, to Nibbāna; that is why it has been undeclared by the Blessed One.’ The Declared Matters 190. ‘It is possible, Cunda, that other sectarians, the wanderers, might say this: ‘What then, friends, has been declared by the recluse Gotama?’ When they speak thus, Cunda, those other sectarians, the wanderers, should be addressed thus: ‘This is suffering, friends, has been declared by the Blessed One; this is the origin of suffering, friends, has been declared by the Blessed One; this is the cessation of suffering, friends, has been declared by the Blessed One; this is the path leading to the cessation of suffering, friends, has been declared by the Blessed One.’ ‘It is possible, Cunda, that other sectarians, the wanderers, might say this: ‘Why then, friends, has this been declared by the recluse Gotama?’ When they speak thus, Cunda, those other sectarians, the wanderers, should be addressed thus: ‘Because this, friends, is connected with benefit, This, this is connected with Dhamma, this is fundamental to the holy life, for complete disenchantment, for dispassion, for cessation, for tranquility, for direct knowledge, for full enlightenment, for Nibbāna it leads. Therefore, it has been declared by the Blessed One. Views associated with the past 191. And those views, Cunda, associated with the past, they have been declared by me to you, as they should be declared. And as they should not be declared, why should I declare them to you in that way? And those views, Cunda, associated with the future, they have been declared by me to you, as they should be declared. And as they should not be declared, why should I declare them to you in that way? And what are those views, Cunda, associated with the past, which have been declared by me to you, as they should be declared? (And as they should not be declared, why should I declare them to you in that way?) There are, Cunda, some ascetics and brahmins who speak thus, who hold such views: ‘The self and the world are eternal, this alone is truth, anything else is delusion.’ But there are, Cunda, some ascetics and brahmins who speak thus, who hold such views: ‘The self and the world are not eternal, this alone is truth, anything else is delusion.’ ‘The self and the world are both eternal and not eternal, this alone is truth, anything else is delusion.’