[5] "Suppose, friends Niganthas, a man were pierced by an arrow thickly smeared with poison. Because of the arrow's piercing he would feel painful, racking, sharp feelings (vedanā). His friends and companions, his kinsmen and blood-relatives would bring in a surgeon. The surgeon would cut around the opening of the wound with a knife; because of the cutting around the opening of the wound with the knife too, he would feel painful, racking, sharp feelings. The surgeon would probe for the arrow with a probe; because of the probing for the arrow with the probe too, he would feel painful, racking, sharp feelings. The surgeon would pull out the arrow; because of the pulling out of the arrow too, he would feel painful, racking, sharp feelings. The surgeon would apply a cauterizing medicine to the opening of the wound; because of the applying of the cauterizing medicine to the opening of the wound too, he would feel painful, racking, sharp feelings. At a later time, with the wound healed and covered with skin, he would be free of disease, happy, independent, his own master, able to go wherever he wished. It might occur to him thus: 'Formerly I was pierced by an arrow thickly smeared with poison. Because of the arrow's piercing I felt painful, racking, sharp feelings. My friends and companions, my kinsmen and blood-relatives brought in a surgeon. The surgeon cut around the opening of the wound with a knife; because of the cutting around the opening of the wound with the knife too, I felt painful, racking, sharp feelings. The surgeon probed for the arrow with a probe; because of the probing for the arrow with the probe too, I felt painful, racking, sharp feelings. The surgeon pulled out the arrow; because of the pulling out of the arrow too, I felt painful, racking, sharp feelings. The surgeon applied a cauterizing medicine to the opening of the wound; because of the applying of the cauterizing medicine to the opening of the wound too, I felt painful, racking, sharp feelings. But now, with the wound healed and covered with skin, I am free of disease, happy, independent, my own master, able to go wherever I wish.'
"Even so, friends Niganthas, if you knew: 'We certainly existed in the past; it is not that we did not exist'; if you knew: 'We certainly did evil deeds (kamma) in the past; it is not that we did not do them'; if you knew: 'We did such and such evil deeds'; if you knew: 'So much suffering (dukkha) has been worn away, or so much suffering remains to be worn away, or when so much suffering has been worn away, all suffering will have been worn away'; if you knew the abandoning of unwholesome states and the acquisition of wholesome states here and now — this being so, it would be fitting for the venerable Niganthas to declare: 'Whatever this individual person experiences, whether pleasant, or painful, or neither-painful-nor-pleasant, all that is caused by what was done in the past. Thus, by the annihilation of old deeds through asceticism (tapa), and by the non-doing of new deeds, there will be no flowing-on into the future; with no flowing-on into the future, there is the destruction of deeds; with the destruction of deeds, the destruction of suffering; with the destruction of suffering, the destruction of feeling; with the destruction of feeling, all suffering will have been worn away.'
"But since, friends Niganthas, you do not know: 'We certainly existed in the past; it is not that we did not exist'; you do not know: 'We certainly did evil deeds in the past; it is not that we did not do them'; you do not know: 'We did such and such evil deeds'; you do not know: 'So much suffering has been worn away, or so much suffering remains to be worn away, or when so much suffering has been worn away, all suffering will have been worn away'; you do not know the abandoning of unwholesome states and the acquisition of wholesome states here and now — therefore it is not fitting for the venerable Niganthas to declare: 'Whatever this individual person experiences, whether pleasant, or painful, or neither-painful-nor-pleasant, all that is caused by what was done in the past. Thus, by the annihilation of old deeds through asceticism, and by the non-doing of new deeds, there will be no flowing-on into the future; with no flowing-on into the future, there is the destruction of deeds; with the destruction of deeds, the destruction of suffering; with the destruction of suffering, the destruction of feeling; with the destruction of feeling, all suffering will have been worn away.'"
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.