[9] "So it seems, friends Nigaṇṭhas, that at whatever time there is intense exertion on your part, intense striving, at that time you experience painful, racking, piercing feelings (vedanā) born of exertion; but at whatever time there is no intense exertion on your part, no intense striving, at that time you do not experience painful, racking, piercing feelings born of exertion. This being so, it is not fitting for the venerable Nigaṇṭhas 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, with the annihilation of old kammas (kamma) through asceticism (tapas) and the non-doing of new kammas, there is no flowing on into the future; with no flowing on into the future, there is the destruction of kamma; with the destruction of kamma, the destruction of suffering (dukkha); with the destruction of suffering, the destruction of feeling; with the destruction of feeling, all suffering will be worn away.'
"If, friends Nigaṇṭhas, at whatever time there is intense exertion on your part, intense striving, the painful, racking, piercing feelings born of exertion should at that time simply persist, and at whatever time there is no intense exertion on your part, no intense striving, the painful, racking, piercing feelings born of exertion should at that time likewise simply persist—this being so, it would be fitting for the venerable Nigaṇṭhas 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, with the annihilation of old kammas through asceticism and the non-doing of new kammas, there is no flowing on into the future; with no flowing on into the future, there is the destruction of kamma; with the destruction of kamma, the destruction of suffering; with the destruction of suffering, the destruction of feeling; with the destruction of feeling, all suffering will be worn away.'
"But since, friends Nigaṇṭhas, at whatever time there is intense exertion on your part, intense striving, at that time you experience painful, racking, piercing feelings born of exertion, and at whatever time there is no intense exertion on your part, no intense striving, at that time you do not experience painful, racking, piercing feelings born of exertion, then you, experiencing painful, racking, piercing feelings born of nothing but your own exertion, out of ignorance (avijjā), out of unknowing, out of confusion, mistakenly conclude: '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, with the annihilation of old kammas through asceticism and the non-doing of new kammas, there is no flowing on into the future; with no flowing on into the future, there is the destruction of kamma; with the destruction of kamma, the destruction of suffering; with the destruction of suffering, the destruction of feeling; with the destruction of feeling, all suffering will be worn away.'" Bhikkhus, though I spoke thus, I did not see among the Nigaṇṭhas any legitimate defense of their doctrine.
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.