“Alone and independent, O Sakyan,” said Venerable Upasīva, “I am not able to cross the great flood. Tell me a support, All-seer, depending on which I may cross this flood.”
“Mindfully contemplating nothingness,” replied the Buddha, “depending on the perception ‘there is nothing’, cross the flood. Giving up sensual pleasures, refraining from chatter, watch day and night for the ending of craving.”
“One who is free of desire for sensual pleasures,” said Venerable Upasīva, “depending on nothingness, all else left behind, freed in the ultimate liberation of perception: might they remain there without traveling on?”
“One free of desire for sensual pleasures,” replied the Buddha, “depending on nothingness, all else left behind, freed in the ultimate liberation of perception: they might remain there without traveling on.”
“If they were to remain there without traveling on, even for myriad years, All-seer, and, being freed, were to grow cool right there, would the consciousness of that sort pass away?”
“As a flame tossed by a gust of wind,” replied the Buddha, “comes to an end and cannot be reckoned; so too, a sage freed from the set of mental phenomena comes to an end and cannot be reckoned.”
“One who has disappeared—do they not exist? Or are they free from disease for eternity? Please, sage, answer me clearly, for truly you understand this matter.”
“One who has disappeared cannot be defined,” replied the Buddha. “They have nothing by which others might describe them. When all things have been eradicated, eradicated, too, are all ways of speech.”
The Questions of Upasīva
Snp 5.7 · Upasīvamāṇavapucchā
Connections
Collection & context
- Sutta NipātaThe collection containing this text
- The Pāli canonCanonical collection in which this edition is preserved
- Theravāda traditionsTransmission and study context
- The early Buddhist communityHistorical and traditional setting
Books
- On The Way To The Far Shore: Q&A with The Buddha on the Way to AwakeningLeigh Brasington · Commentary
- Handful of Leaves: an Anthology from the Sutta PiṭakaEarly Buddhist discourses; Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu (translator and compiler) · Included in anthology
- On the Path: An Anthology on the Noble Eightfold Path drawn from the Pāli CanonṬhānissaro Bhikkhu · Referenced in this book
- The Wings to Awakening: An Anthology from the Pāli CanonṬhānissaro Bhikkhu · Referenced in this book
About this edition
Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato · SuttaCentral · CC0
This translation is an expression of an ancient spiritual text that has been passed down by the Buddhist tradition for the benefit of all sentient beings. It is dedicated to the public domain via Creative Commons Zero (CC0). You are encouraged to copy, reproduce, adapt, alter, or otherwise make use of this translation. The translator respectfully requests that any use be in accordance with the values and principles of the Buddhist community. In particular, please do not use this work in AI training datasets, for the development of any AI model or algorithm, or in any AI-derived technologies.
Published source. Translation wording and order are preserved; source headings and notes are retained, with navigation and formatting adapted for this reader.
The opening image is AI-generated nature artwork for Buddhist Atlas, an evocative companion rather than a historical depiction.