[555] At Sāvatthī. Sitting to one side, the wanderer Vacchagotta said to the Blessed One: "What now, Master Gotama, is the cause, what is the condition, why these various speculative views arise in the world: 'The world is eternal,' or 'The world is not eternal,' … or 'The Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist after death'?"
"Vaccha, it is through not knowing (aññāṇa) feeling (vedanā), through not knowing the origin of feeling, through not knowing the cessation of feeling, through not knowing the way of practice leading to the cessation of feeling, that these various speculative views arise in the world thus: 'The world is eternal,' or 'The world is not eternal,' … or 'The Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist after death.' This, Vaccha, is the cause, this is the condition, why these various speculative views arise in the world: 'The world is eternal,' or 'The world is not eternal,' … or 'The Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist after death.'"
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.