1On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Ñātika in the Brick Hall. There the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus thus: "Bhikkhus!"

"Venerable sir!" those bhikkhus replied. The Blessed One said this:

2"Bhikkhus, in dependence on an element there arises a perception, there arises a view, there arises a thought." [n.240] Spk: From this point on the word "element" means inclination (ajjhāsaya).

When this was said, the Venerable saddhā Kaccāyana said to the Blessed One: "Venerable sir, when, in regard to those who are not perfectly enlightened, the view arises, ‘These are Perfectly Enlightened Ones,’ in dependence on what is this view discerned?" [n.241] The name of the bhikkhu is given as in Ee. Be and Se cite it simply as Kaccāna, and Se notes a v.l., Sandha Kaccāyana. At SN44.11 a Sabhiya Kaccāna is mentioned, also at the Brick Hall in Ñātika, and the two may be the same person.
Spk explains his question in two ways: (i) "Why does the view arise in the six (rival) teachers who are not perfectly enlightened, ‘We are Perfectly Enlightened Ones’?" (ii) "Why does the view arise in their disciples in regard to (their teachers) who are not perfectly enlightened, ‘They are Perfectly Enlightened Ones’?" Ee sammāsambuddho ti should be amended to sammāsambuddhā ti.

3"Mighty, Kaccāyana, is this element, the element of ignorance. sn.ii.154 In dependence on an inferior element, Kaccāyana, there arises an inferior perception, an inferior view, inferior thought, inferior volition, inferior longing, an inferior wish, an inferior person, inferior speech. He explains, teaches, proclaims, establishes, discloses, analyses, and elucidates the inferior. His rebirth, I say, is inferior.

4"In dependence on a middling element, Kaccāyana, there arises a middling perception, a middling view, middling thought, middling volition, middling longing, a middling wish, a middling person, middling speech. He explains, teaches, proclaims, establishes, discloses, analyses, and elucidates the middling. His rebirth, I say, is middling.

5"In dependence on a superior element, Kaccāyana, there arises a superior perception, a superior view, superior thought, superior volition, superior longing, a superior wish, a superior person, superior speech. He explains, teaches, proclaims, establishes, discloses, analyses, and elucidates the superior. His rebirth, I say, is superior."

1Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā ñātike vihārati giñjakāvasathe. Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: "bhikkhavo"ti.

"Bhadante"ti te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. Bhagavā etadavoca:

2"Dhātuṁ, bhikkhave, paṭicca uppajjati saññā, uppajjati diṭṭhi, uppajjati vitakko"ti.

Evaṁ vutte, āyasmā kaccāno bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: "yāyaṁ, bhante, diṭṭhi: ‘asammāsambuddhesu sammāsambuddhā’ti, ayaṁ nu kho, bhante, diṭṭhi kiṁ paṭicca paññāyatī"ti?

3"Mahati kho esā, kaccāna, dhātu yadidaṁ avijjādhātu. Hīnaṁ, kaccāna, dhātuṁ paṭicca uppajjati hīnā saññā, hīnā diṭṭhi, hīno vitakko, hīnā cetanā, hīnā patthanā, hīno paṇidhi, hīno puggalo, hīnā vācā; hīnaṁ ācikkhati deseti paññapeti paṭṭhapeti vivarati vibhajati uttānīkaroti; hīnā tassa upapattīti vadāmi.

4Majjhimaṁ, kaccāna, dhātuṁ paṭicca uppajjati majjhimā saññā, majjhimā diṭṭhi, majjhimo vitakko, majjhimā cetanā, majjhimā patthanā, majjhimo paṇidhi, majjhimo puggalo, majjhimā vācā; majjhimaṁ ācikkhati deseti paññapeti paṭṭhapeti vivarati vibhajati uttānīkaroti; majjhimā tassa upapattīti vadāmi.

5Paṇītaṁ, kaccāna, dhātuṁ paṭicca uppajjati paṇītā saññā, paṇītā diṭṭhi, paṇīto vitakko, paṇītā cetanā, paṇītā patthanā, paṇīto paṇidhi, paṇīto puggalo, paṇītā vācā; paṇītaṁ ācikkhati deseti paññapeti paṭṭhapeti vivarati vibhajati uttānīkaroti; paṇītā tassa upapattīti vadāmī"ti.

Tatiyaṁ.