[216] Then the Blessed One, having dressed and taken his bowl and robe, approached the Venerable Vakkali. The Venerable Vakkali saw the Blessed One coming from afar, and having seen him, he stirred upon his bed. Then the Blessed One said to the Venerable Vakkali: "Enough, Vakkali, do not stir upon your bed. There are these seats prepared; I will sit down there." The Blessed One sat down on the prepared seat. Having sat down, the Blessed One said to the Venerable Vakkali: "I hope, Vakkali, that you are bearing up; I hope that you are getting by; I hope that your painful feelings (vedanā) are subsiding and not increasing, and that their subsiding, not their increasing, is evident."
"Venerable sir, I am not bearing up, I am not getting by; strong painful feelings are increasing in me, not subsiding, and their increasing, not their subsiding, is evident."
"I hope, Vakkali, that you have no remorse and no regret."
"Indeed, venerable sir, I have not a little remorse, not a little regret."
"But I hope, Vakkali, that you have nothing for which to reproach yourself in regard to virtue."
"Venerable sir, I have nothing for which to reproach myself in regard to virtue."
"If, Vakkali, you have nothing for which to reproach yourself in regard to virtue, then what is your remorse, and what is your regret?"
"For a long time, venerable sir, I have wished to come to see the Blessed One, but there is not enough strength in my body for me to come to see the Blessed One."
"Enough, Vakkali! What is there for you in seeing this putrid body? One who sees the Dhamma, Vakkali, sees me; one who sees me sees the Dhamma. For in seeing the Dhamma, Vakkali, one sees me; in seeing me, one sees the Dhamma. What do you think, Vakkali: is form (rūpa) permanent or impermanent?"
"Impermanent, venerable sir."
"And that which is impermanent — is it suffering (dukkha) or happiness?"
"Suffering, venerable sir."
"And that which is impermanent, suffering, and subject to change — is it fitting to regard it thus: 'This is mine, this I am, this is my self'?"
"No indeed, venerable sir."
"Is feeling … perception (saññā) … volitional formations (saṅkhārā) … consciousness (viññāṇa) permanent or impermanent?"
"Impermanent, venerable sir." … "'This is my self'?"
"No indeed, venerable sir."
"Therefore … seeing thus … he understands: '… there is no more for this state of being.'"
Then the Blessed One, having exhorted the Venerable Vakkali with this exhortation, rose from his seat and departed for Mount Gijjhakūṭa.
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.