1At Sāvatthī.

“Mendicants, when what exists, because of grasping what and insisting on what, does the view arise: ‘There are these seven substances that are not made, not derived, not created, without a creator, barren, steady as a mountain peak, standing firm like a pillar. They don’t move or deteriorate or obstruct each other. They’re unable to cause pleasure, pain, or neutral feeling to each other. What seven? The substances of earth, water, fire, air; pleasure, pain, and the soul is the seventh. These seven substances are not made, not derived, not created, without a creator, barren, steady as a mountain peak, standing firm like a pillar. They don’t move or deteriorate or obstruct each other. They’re unable to cause pleasure, pain, or neutral feeling to each other. If you chop off someone’s head with a sharp sword, you don’t take anyone’s life. The sword simply passes through the gap between the seven substances. There are 1.4 million main wombs, and 6, 000, and 600. There are 500 deeds, and five, and three. There are deeds and half-deeds. There are 62 paths, 62 sub-eons, six classes of rebirth, and eight stages in a person’s life. There are 4, 900 Ājīvakaascetics, 4, 900 wanderers, and 4, 900 naked ascetics. There are 2, 000 faculties, 3, 000 hells, and 36 realms of dust. There are seven percipient embryos, seven non-percipient embryos, and seven embryos without attachments. There are seven gods, seven humans, and seven goblins. There are seven lakes, seven winds, seven cliffs, and 700 cliffs. There are seven dreams and 700 dreams. There are 8.4 million great eons through which the foolish and the astute transmigrate before making an end of suffering. And here there is no such thing as this: “By this precept or observance or mortification or spiritual life I shall force unripened deeds to bear their fruit, or eliminate old deeds by experiencing their results little by little” — for that cannot be. Pleasure and pain are allotted. Transmigration lasts only for a limited period, so there’s no increase or decrease, no getting better or worse. It’s like how, when you toss a ball of string, it rolls away unraveling. In the same way, after transmigrating the foolish and the astute will make an end of suffering’?”

“Our teachings are rooted in the Buddha. …”

“When form exists, because of grasping form and insisting on form, the view arises: ‘There are these seven substances that are not made … the foolish and the astute will make an end of suffering.’ When feeling … perception … choices … consciousness exists, because of grasping consciousness and insisting on consciousness, the view arises: ‘There are these seven substances that are not made … the foolish and the astute will make an end of suffering.’

3What do you think, mendicants? Is form permanent or impermanent?”

“Impermanent, sir.” …

“That which is seen, heard, thought, known, sought, and explored by the mind: is that permanent or impermanent?”

“Impermanent, sir.” …

“But by not grasping what’s impermanent, suffering, and perishable, would such a view arise?”

“No, sir.”

4“When a noble disciple has given up doubt in these six cases, and has given up doubt in suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the practice that leads to its cessation, they’re called a noble disciple who is a stream-enterer, not liable to be reborn in the underworld, bound for awakening.”

1Sāvatthinidānaṁ.

"Kismiṁ nu kho, bhikkhave, sati, kiṁ upādāya, kiṁ abhinivissa evaṁ diṭṭhi uppajjati: ‘sattime kāyā akaṭā, akaṭavidhā, animmitā, animmātā, vañjhā, kūṭaṭṭhā, esikaṭṭhāyiṭṭhitā; te na iñjanti, na vipariṇamanti, na aññamaññaṁ byābādhenti; nālaṁ aññamaññassa sukhāya vā dukkhāya vā sukhadukkhāya vā. Katame satta? Pathavīkāyo, āpokāyo, tejokāyo, vāyokāyo, sukhe, dukkhe, jīve sattame. Ime satta kāyā akaṭā, akaṭavidhā, animmitā, animmātā, vañjhā, kūṭaṭṭhā esikaṭṭhāyiṭṭhitā; te na iñjanti, na vipariṇamanti, na aññamaññaṁ byābādhenti; nālaṁ aññamaññassa sukhāya vā dukkhāya vā sukhadukkhāya vā. Yopi tiṇhena satthena sīsaṁ chindati, na sopi kañci jīvitā voropeti; sattannaṁ tveva kāyānamantarena satthaṁ vivaramanupavisati. Cuddasa kho panimāni yonipamukhasatasahassāni saṭṭhi ca satāni cha ca satāni pañca ca kammuno satāni pañca ca kammāni, tīṇi ca kammāni, kamme ca aḍḍhakamme ca dvaṭṭhipaṭipadā, dvaṭṭhantarakappā, chaḷābhijātiyo, aṭṭha purisabhūmiyo, ekūnapaññāsa ājīvakasate, ekūnapaññāsa paribbājakasate, ekūnapaññāsa nāgavāsasate, vīse indriyasate, tiṁse nirayasate, chattiṁsarajodhātuyo, satta saññīgabbhā, satta asaññīgabbhā, satta nigaṇṭhigabbhā, satta devā, satta mānusā, satta pesācā, satta sarā, satta pavuṭā, satta papātā, satta ca papātasatāni, satta supinā, satta supinasatāni, cullāsīti mahākappino satasahassāni, yāni bāle ca paṇḍite ca sandhāvitvā saṁsaritvā dukkhassantaṁ karissanti. Tattha natthi imināhaṁ sīlena vā vatena vā tapena vā brahmacariyena vā aparipakkaṁ vā kammaṁ paripācessāmi; paripakkaṁ vā kammaṁ phussa phussa byantīkarissāmīti hevaṁ natthi doṇamite sukhadukkhe pariyantakate saṁsāre, natthi hāyanavaḍḍhane, natthi ukkaṁsāvakaṁse. Seyyathāpi nāma suttaguḷe khitte nibbeṭhiyamānameva paleti; evameva bāle ca paṇḍite ca nibbeṭhiyamānā sukhadukkhaṁ palentī’"ti?

"Bhagavaṁmūlakā no, bhante, dhammā … pe …

2"Rūpe kho, bhikkhave, sati, rūpaṁ upādāya, rūpaṁ abhinivissa evaṁ diṭṭhi uppajjati: ‘sattime kāyā akaṭā, akaṭavidhā … pe … sukhadukkhaṁ palentī’ti. Vedanāya sati … pe … saññāya sati … saṅkhāresu sati … viññāṇe sati, viññāṇaṁ upādāya, viññāṇaṁ abhinivissa evaṁ diṭṭhi uppajjati: ‘sattime kāyā akaṭā, akaṭavidhā … pe … sukhadukkhaṁ palentī’ti.

3Taṁ kiṁ maññatha, bhikkhave, rūpaṁ niccaṁ vā aniccaṁ vā"ti?

"Aniccaṁ, bhante" … pe …

"yaṁ panāniccaṁ dukkhaṁ vipariṇāmadhammaṁ, api nu taṁ anupādāya evaṁ diṭṭhi uppajjeyya: ‘sattime kāyā akaṭā akaṭavidhā … pe … sukhadukkhaṁ palentī’"ti? "No hetaṁ, bhante". "Yampidaṁ diṭṭhaṁ sutaṁ mutaṁ viññātaṁ pattaṁ pariyesitaṁ anuvicaritaṁ manasā tampi niccaṁ vā aniccaṁ vā"ti?

"Aniccaṁ, bhante … pe …

api nu taṁ anupādāya evaṁ diṭṭhi uppajjeyya: ‘sattime kāyā akaṭā akaṭavidhā … pe … nibbeṭhiyamānā sukhadukkhaṁ palentī’"ti?

"No hetaṁ, bhante".

4"Yato kho, bhikkhave, ariyasāvakassa imesu ca ṭhānesu kaṅkhā pahīnā hoti, dukkhepissa kaṅkhā pahīnā hoti … pe … dukkhanirodhagāminiyā paṭipadāyapissa kaṅkhā pahīnā hoti – ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, ariyasāvako sotāpanno avinipātadhammo niyato sambodhiparāyano"ti.

Aṭṭhamaṁ.