1On one occasion the Venerable Mahakassapa and the Venerable Sāriputta were dwelling at Baraṇasī in the Deer Park at Isipatana. Then, in the evening, the Venerable Sāriputta emerged from seclusion and approached the Venerable Mahakassapa. He exchanged greetings with the Venerable Mahakassapa and, when they had concluded their greetings and cordial talk, he sat down to one side and said to him:

"How is it, friend Kassapa, does the Tathāgata exist after death?" [n.310] Spk glosses "Tathāgata" here as satta, a being, on which Spk-pṭ comments: "As in past aeons, in past births, one has come into being by way of kamma and defilements, so one has also come now (tathā etarahi pi āgato); hence it is said ‘Tathāgata.’ Or else, according to the kamma one has done and accumulated, just so has one come, arrived, been reborn in this or that form of individual existence (tathā taṁ taṁ attabhāvaṁ āgato upagato upapanno)."
This explanation seems implausible, especially when other texts clearly show that the philosophical problem over the Tathāgata's post-mortem state concerns "the Tathāgata, the highest type of person, the supreme person, the one who has attained the supreme attainment (tathāgato uttamapuriso paramapuriso paramapattipatto)" (SN22.86 (III 116,13–14) = SN44.2 (IV 380,14–15)).

"The Blessed One, friend, has not declared this: ‘The Tathāgata exists after death.’"

"Then, friend, does the Tathāgata not exist after death?"

"The Blessed One, friend, has not declared this either: ‘The Tathāgata does not exist after death.’" sn.ii.223

"How is it then, friend, does the Tathāgata both exist and not exist after death?"

"The Blessed One, friend, has not declared this: ‘The Tathāgata both exists and does not exist after death.’"

"Then, friend, does the Tathāgata neither exist nor not exist after death?"

"The Blessed One, friend, has not declared this either: ‘The Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist after death.’"

"Why hasn’t the Blessed One declared this, friend?"

"Because this is unbeneficial, irrelevant to the fundamentals of the holy life, and does not lead to revulsion, to dispassion, to cessation, to peace, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbāna. Therefore the Blessed One has not declared this."

2"And what, friend, has the Blessed One declared?"

"The Blessed One, friend, has declared: ‘This is suffering,’ and ‘This is the origin of suffering,’ and ‘This is the cessation of suffering, ’ and ‘This is the way leading to the cessation of suffering.’"

"And why, friend, has the Blessed One declared this?"

"Because, friend, this is beneficial, relevant to the fundamentals of the holy life, and leads to revulsion, to dispassion, to cessation, to peace, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbāna. Therefore the Blessed One has declared this."

1Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā ca mahākassapo āyasmā ca sāriputto bārāṇasiyaṁ vihāranti isipatane migadāye. Atha kho āyasmā sāriputto sāyanhasamayaṁ paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito yenāyasmā mahākassapo tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmatā mahākassapena saddhiṁ sammodi. Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā sāriputto āyasmantaṁ mahākassapaṁ etadavoca:

"Kiṁ nu kho, āvuso kassapa, hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā"ti?

"Abyākataṁ kho etaṁ, āvuso, bhagavatā: ‘hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’"ti.

"Kiṁ panāvuso, na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā"ti?

"Evampi kho, āvuso, abyākataṁ bhagavatā: ‘Na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’"ti.

"Kiṁ nu kho, āvuso, hoti ca na ca hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā"ti?

"Abyākataṁ kho etaṁ, āvuso, bhagavatā: ‘hoti ca na ca hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’"ti.

"Kiṁ panāvuso, neva hoti, na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā"ti?

"Evampi kho, āvuso, abyākataṁ bhagavatā: ‘neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’"ti.

"Kasmā cetaṁ, āvuso, abyākataṁ bhagavatā"ti?

"Na hetaṁ, āvuso, atthasaṁhitaṁ nādibrahmacariyakaṁ na nibbidāya na virāgāya na nirodhāya na upasamāya na abhiññāya na sambodhāya na nibbānāya saṁvattati. Tasmā taṁ abyākataṁ bhagavatā"ti.

2"Atha kiñcarahāvuso, byākataṁ bhagavatā"ti?

"Idaṁ ‘dukkhan’ti kho, āvuso, byākataṁ bhagavatā; ayaṁ ‘dukkhasamudayo’ti byākataṁ bhagavatā; ayaṁ ‘dukkhanirodho’ti byākataṁ bhagavatā; ayaṁ ‘dukkhanirodhagāminī paṭipadā’ti byākataṁ bhagavatā"ti.

"Kasmā cetaṁ, āvuso, byākataṁ bhagavatā"ti?

"Etañhi, āvuso, atthasaṁhitaṁ etaṁ ādibrahmacariyakaṁ etaṁ nibbidāya virāgāya nirodhāya upasamāya abhiññāya sambodhāya nibbānāya saṁvattati. Tasmā taṁ byākataṁ bhagavatā"ti.

Dvādasamaṁ.