At one time Venerable Sabhiya Kaccāna was staying at Ñātika in the brick house. Then the wanderer Vacchagotta went up to him, and exchanged greetings with him. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side, and said to Sabhiya Kaccāna:
“Worthy Kaccāna, does a realized one still exist after death?”
“Vaccha, this has not been declared by the Buddha.”
“Well then, does a realized one no longer exist after death?”
“This too has not been declared by the Buddha.”
“Well then, does a realized one both still exist and no longer exist after death?”
“This has not been declared by the Buddha.”
“Well then, does a realized one neither still exist nor no longer exist after death?”
“This too has not been declared by the Buddha.”
“Worthy Kaccāna, when asked these questions, you say that this has not been declared by the Buddha. What’s the cause, what’s the reason why this has not been declared by the Buddha?”
“In order to describe him as ‘formed’ 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 remainder, how could you describe him in any such terms?”
“Worthy Kaccāna, how long has it been since you went forth?”
“Not long, reverend: three years.”
“One who has learned this much in this time, reverend, has learned a lot, who can say what lies ahead!”
The Linked Discourses on undeclared questions are complete.
The Book of the Six Sense Fields is finished.