Introduction

This sutta is the second in a series of three suttas dedicated to the Buddha's conversations with the hermit Vaccha. Their first conversation is described in MN 71, and the third in MN 73. During the previous conversation, Vaccha felt confidence in the ethical foundation of the Buddha's teaching. In this conversation, the hermit asks the Blessed One about His beliefs.

Vacchagotta's Questions

One day, Vacchagotta approached the Buddha, exchanged polite greetings with Him, and, sitting down next to Him, asked: “There are ten propositions about which the hermits dispute. Some say that ‘the world is eternal,’ while others say that ‘the world is not eternal.’ The hermits also disagree on whether the world is limited or unlimited; whether the body and the being are identical or not; whether the Tathagata exists after death or not; whether the Tathagata exists after death and does not exist simultaneously, or neither exists nor does not exist simultaneously. What is the opinion of Master Gotama on this?”

Buddha's Answer

"Vaccha, these beliefs are a thicket, a formless heap, a tortuosity and distortion of the mind, a fetter for the seeker. Beliefs do not lead to disillusionment with worldly goals, to peace of mind and dispassion, to the extinction of suffering. These beliefs cause frustration and agitation of the mind. Therefore, I see danger in them and avoid them.

(Those who have a conviction in a proposition experience anxiety and fear that this statement will turn out to be false. They experience frustration from the inability to conclusively confirm what they believe in, and are agitated by thoughts associated with opposing propositions.)

I have eliminated the craving for beliefs. I know the truth about the five complexes: form, perceptions, notions, volition, and consciousness are subject to appearance, suffering, and disappearance. Therefore, I have destroyed all conceptualizations of "I" and "mine" and clinging to them.

Vaccha's grief

Having heard this answer from the Buddha, Vaccha attempted to elicit an answer from the Buddha indirectly. He asked, "In what worlds is the ascetic reborn who reflects in this way like Master Gotama?"

“In this case the word ‘rebirth’ is irrelevant, Vaccha.”

"So he is not reborn?"

“And the words ‘is not reborn’ are irrelevant here, Vaccha.”

"So he is both reborn and not reborn?"

"And these words are irrelevant here, Vaccha"

"So it turns out that he is neither reborn nor not reborn?"

“These words are also irrelevant here, Vaccha.”

"What Master Gotama says leaves me perplexed. I had some confidence in the Blessed One's words after our last conversation, but now that confidence is gone..."

"You are easily confused, Vaccha, because you follow a different teaching, listen to different teachers, and train your mind in a way different from the one I explain. It is difficult for those who follow different rules and instructions to comprehend my Dhamma. Therefore, let me question you, and you answer according to your understanding."

Fire and fuel

“Vaccha, if there was a fire burning in front of you, then by what means would it burn?”

"Thanks to sticks and dry grass, Master Gotama"

“If this fire, having used up its fuel, went out, then in which direction would this fire go – to the west, to the east, to the north or to the south?”

"That question is irrelevant, Master Gotama. The fire burned thanks to fuel. When the fuel was used up, the fire went out."

"In the same way, Vaccha, the Tathagata discards his gross form, through which other beings create conceptions of the Tathagata. The Awakened Ones destroy the preconditions that could bind them to form in the future. Therefore, their state cannot be defined by concepts related to form (coming and going, arising and disappearing, existence and non-existence). The state of the Awakened Ones is deep and immeasurable like the ocean, Vaccha.

"The Awakened Ones also destroy the preconditions that could bind them to perceptions, notions, volition, and consciousness. They render their connection to these complexes like the stump of a palm tree, incapable of regrowing a palm tree. Therefore, the judgments you mentioned are irrelevant here."

Vaccha becomes a lay follower of the Buddha

When Vaccha heard the Blessed One's explanation, he said, "It was as if Master Gotama had shown me the core of a great tree, its leaves, branches, bark, and sapwood worn away. Master Gotama's explanations are similarly devoid of leaves, branches, bark, and sapwood; they consist only of pure core. I take refuge in Master Gotama, His Teaching, and the Sangha for the rest of my life, as a lay follower."