1Then the wanderer Uttiya approached the Blessed One and exchanged greetings with him. When they had concluded their greetings and cordial talk, he sat down to one side and said to the Blessed One:

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(1) "How is it, Master Gotama, is the world eternal? Is this alone true and anything else wrong?"

"Uttiya, I have not declared: ‘The world is eternal; this alone is true, anything else is wrong.’"

2(2) "Then, Master Gotama, is the world not eternal? Is this alone true and anything else wrong?"

"Uttiya, I also have not declared: ‘The world is not eternal; this alone is true, anything else is wrong.’"

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3(3) –(4) "How is it then, Master Gotama, is the world finite? … Is the world infinite? … (5) –(6) Are the soul and the body the same? … Is the soul one thing, the body another? … (7) –(10) Does the Tathāgata exist after death? … Does the Tathāgata not exist after death? … Does the Tathāgata both exist and not exist after death? … Does the Tathāgata neither exist nor not exist after death? Is this alone true and anything else wrong?"

"Uttiya, I also have not declared: ‘The Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist after death; this alone is true, anything else is wrong.’" [n.2127] Like AN10.93, this sutta was probably included in the Tens because it deals with the ten speculative views.

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4"When I asked you: ‘How is it, Master Gotama, is the world eternal? Is this alone true and anything else wrong?’ you said: ‘Uttiya, I have not declared: "The world is eternal; this alone is true, anything else is wrong."’

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5But when I asked you: ‘Then, Master Gotama, is the world not eternal? Is this alone true and anything else wrong?’ you said: ‘Uttiya, I also have not declared: "The world is not eternal; this alone is true, anything else is wrong."’

When I asked you: ‘How is it then, Master Gotama, is the world finite? … Does the Tathāgata neither exist nor not exist after death? Is this alone true and anything else wrong?’ you said: ‘Uttiya, I also have not declared: "The Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist after death; this alone is true, anything else is wrong."’ What, then, has Master Gotama declared?"

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7"Through direct knowledge, Uttiya, I teach the Dhamma to my disciples for the purification of beings, for the overcoming of sorrow and lamentation, for the passing away of pain and dejection, for the achievement of the method, for the realization of nibbāna."

8"But when Master Gotama, through direct knowledge, teaches the Dhamma to his disciples for the purification of beings, for the overcoming of sorrow and lamentation, for the passing away of pain and dejection, for the achievement of the method, for the realization of nibbāna, will the entire world be thereby emancipated, or half the world, or a third of the world?"

9When this was asked, the Blessed One remained silent. Then it occurred to the Venerable Ānanda: "The wanderer Uttiya had better not adopt the evil view: ‘When I ask the ascetic Gotama the most elevated question of all, he falters and does not answer. [n.2128] Mp: "The most elevated question of all: ‘Do not let him acquire the bad view: "When I ask the ascetic Gotama the ultimate question, he falters and does not reply. Is it the case that he isn’t up to the mark and cannot answer?"’" It must be that he is unable to do so.’ This would lead to the wanderer Uttiya's harm and suffering for a long time."

10Then the Venerable Ānanda said to the wanderer Uttiya: "Well then, friend Uttiya, I will give you a simile. Some intelligent people here understand the meaning of what is said by means of a simile. Suppose a king had a frontier city with strong ramparts, walls, and arches, and with a single gate. The gatekeeper posted there would be wise, competent, and intelligent; one who keeps out strangers and admits acquaintances. While he is walking along the path that encircles the city he would not see a cleft or an opening in the walls even big enough for a cat to slip through. He might not know how many living beings enter or leave the city, but he could be sure that whatever large living beings enter or leave the city all enter and leave through that gate.

11So too, friend Uttiya, the Tathāgata has no concern whether the entire world will be emancipated, or half the world, or a third of the world. But he can be sure that all those who have been emancipated, or who are being emancipated, or who will be emancipated from the world first abandon the five hindrances, corruptions of the mind that weaken wisdom, and then, with their minds well established in the four establishments of mindfulness, develop correctly the seven factors of enlightenment. It is in this way that they have been emancipated or are being emancipated or will be emancipated from the world.

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"Friend Uttiya, you asked the Blessed One from a different angle the same question that you had already asked him. [n.2129] Mp: "The same question: He shows that Uttiya again asked the same invalid question that he had previously posed in terms of whether the world is eternal. He asks from a different angle about the entire world, taking a stand on the belief in a sentient being (sattūpaladdhiyaṁyeva ṭhatvā aññenākārena pucchati)." Therefore the Blessed One did not answer you."

1Atha kho uttiyo paribbājako yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavatā saddhiṁ sammodi. Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho uttiyo paribbājako bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

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"Kiṁ nu kho, bho gotama, sassato loko, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan"ti?

"Abyākataṁ kho etaṁ, uttiya, mayā: ‘sassato loko, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’"ti.

2"Kiṁ pana, bho gotama, asassato loko, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan"ti?

"Etampi kho, uttiya, abyākataṁ mayā: ‘asassato loko, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’"ti.

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3"Kiṁ nu kho, bho gotama, antavā loko … pe … anantavā loko … taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīraṁ … aññaṁ jīvaṁ aññaṁ sarīraṁ … hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā … na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā … hoti ca na ca hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā … neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan"ti?

"Etampi kho, uttiya, abyākataṁ mayā: ‘neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’"ti.

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4"‘Kiṁ nu kho, bho gotama, sassato loko, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti, iti puṭṭho samāno ‘abyākataṁ kho etaṁ, uttiya, mayā – sassato loko, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti vadesi.

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5‘Kiṁ pana, bho gotama, asassato loko, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti, iti puṭṭho samāno: ‘etampi kho, uttiya, abyākataṁ mayā asassato loko, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti vadesi.

6‘Kiṁ nu kho, bho gotama, antavā loko … pe … anantavā loko … taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīraṁ … aññaṁ jīvaṁ aññaṁ sarīraṁ … hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā … na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā … hoti ca na ca hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā … neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti, iti puṭṭho samāno: ‘etampi kho, uttiya, abyākataṁ mayā – neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti vadesi. Atha kiñcarahi bhotā gotamena byākatan"ti?

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7"Abhiññāya kho ahaṁ, uttiya, sāvakānaṁ dhammaṁ desemi sattānaṁ visuddhiyā sokaparidevānaṁ samatikkamāya dukkhadomanassānaṁ atthaṅgamāya ñāyassa adhigamāya nibbānassa sacchikiriyāyā"ti.

8"Yaṁ panetaṁ bhavaṁ gotamo abhiññāya sāvakānaṁ dhammaṁ desesi sattānaṁ visuddhiyā sokaparidevānaṁ samatikkamāya dukkhadomanassānaṁ atthaṅgamāya ñāyassa adhigamāya nibbānassa sacchikiriyāya, sabbo vā tena loko nīyati upaḍḍho vā tibhāgo vā"ti? Evaṁ vutte, bhagavā tuṇhī ahosi.

9Atha kho āyasmato ānandassa etadahosi: "mā hevaṁ kho uttiyo paribbājako pāpakaṁ diṭṭhigataṁ paṭilabhi: ‘sabbasāmukkaṁsikaṁ vata me samaṇo gotamo pañhaṁ puṭṭho saṁsādeti, no vissajjeti, na nūna visahatī’ti. Tadassa uttiyassa paribbājakassa dīgharattaṁ ahitāya dukkhāyā"ti.

10Atha kho āyasmā ānando uttiyaṁ paribbājakaṁ etadavoca: "tenahāvuso uttiya, upamaṁ te karissāmi. Upamāya midhekacce viññū purisā bhāsitassa atthaṁ ājānanti. Seyyathāpi, āvuso uttiya, rañño paccantimaṁ nagaraṁ daḷhuddhāpaṁ daḷhapākāratoraṇaṁ ekadvāraṁ. Tatrassa dovāriko paṇḍito byatto medhāvī aññātānaṁ nivāretā ñātānaṁ pavesetā. So tassa nagarassa samantā anupariyāyapathaṁ anukkamati. Anupariyāyapathaṁ anukkamamāno na passeyya pākārasandhiṁ vā pākāravivaraṁ vā, antamaso biḷāranikkhamanamattampi. No ca khvassa evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘ettakā pāṇā imaṁ nagaraṁ pavisanti vā nikkhamanti vā’ti. Atha khvassa evamettha hoti: ‘ye kho keci oḷārikā pāṇā imaṁ nagaraṁ pavisanti vā nikkhamanti vā, sabbe te iminā dvārena pavisanti vā nikkhamanti vā’ti.

11Evamevaṁ kho, āvuso uttiya, na tathāgatassa evaṁ ussukkaṁ hoti: ‘sabbo vā tena loko nīyati, upaḍḍho vā, tibhāgo vā’ti. Atha kho evamettha tathāgatassa hoti: ‘ye kho keci lokamhā nīyiṁsu vā nīyanti vā nīyissanti vā, sabbe te pañca nīvaraṇe pahāya cetaso upakkilese paññāya dubbalīkaraṇe, catūsu satipaṭṭhānesu suppatiṭṭhitacittā, satta bojjhaṅge yathābhūtaṁ bhāvetvā. Evamete lokamhā nīyiṁsu vā nīyanti vā nīyissanti vā’ti.

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Yadeva kho tvaṁ, āvuso uttiya, bhagavantaṁ pañhaṁ apucchi tadevetaṁ pañhaṁ bhagavantaṁ aññena pariyāyena apucchi. Tasmā te taṁ bhagavā na byākāsī"ti.

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Pañcamaṁ.