[558] Sāvatthī. Sitting to one side, the wanderer Vacchagotta said to the Blessed One: "What now, Master Gotama, is the cause, what is the condition, whereby these many and various speculative views (diṭṭhigata) 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'?"
"It is, Vaccha, from lack of knowledge (aññāṇa) regarding consciousness (viññāṇa), from lack of knowledge regarding the origin of consciousness, from lack of knowledge regarding the cessation of consciousness, from lack of knowledge regarding the way of practice leading to the cessation of consciousness, that these many and 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, whereby these many and 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English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.