[174] Then the Venerable Ānanda approached the Venerable Mahākoṭṭhita; having approached, he exchanged greetings with the Venerable Mahākoṭṭhita, and when the courteous and memorable talk was concluded, he sat down to one side. Sitting to one side, the Venerable Ānanda said this to the Venerable Mahākoṭṭhita:
"Friend, with the remainderless fading away and cessation of the six bases of contact (phassāyatana), does anything else exist?"
"Do not say so, friend."
"Friend, with the remainderless fading away and cessation of the six bases of contact, does nothing else exist?"
"Do not say so, friend."
"Friend, with the remainderless fading away and cessation of the six bases of contact, does anything else both exist and not exist?"
"Do not say so, friend."
"Friend, with the remainderless fading away and cessation of the six bases of contact, does anything else neither exist nor not exist?"
"Do not say so, friend."
"Friend, when asked, 'With the remainderless fading away and cessation of the six bases of contact, does anything else exist?' you say, 'Do not say so, friend.' When asked, 'Friend, with the remainderless fading away and cessation of the six bases of contact, does nothing else exist?' you say, 'Do not say so, friend.' When asked, 'Friend, with the remainderless fading away and cessation of the six bases of contact, does anything else both exist and not exist?' you say, 'Do not say so, friend.' When asked, 'Friend, with the remainderless fading away and cessation of the six bases of contact, does anything else neither exist nor not exist?' you say, 'Do not say so, friend.' In what way, then, friend, should the meaning of this statement be seen?"
"Friend, saying, 'With the remainderless fading away and cessation of the six bases of contact, something else exists,' one proliferates what is without proliferation. Saying, 'Friend, with the remainderless fading away and cessation of the six bases of contact, nothing else exists,' one proliferates what is without proliferation. Saying, 'Friend, with the remainderless fading away and cessation of the six bases of contact, something else both exists and does not exist,' one proliferates what is without proliferation. Saying, 'Friend, with the remainderless fading away and cessation of the six bases of contact, something else neither exists nor does not exist,' one proliferates what is without proliferation. Friend, as far as the range of the six bases of contact extends, just so far extends the range of proliferation (papañca); as far as the range of proliferation extends, just so far extends the range of the six bases of contact. Friend, with the remainderless fading away and cessation of the six bases of contact comes the cessation of proliferation, the stilling of proliferation."
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.