[142] Then, in the morning, several bhikkhus, having dressed, taking bowl and robe, entered Sāvatthī for alms. Having walked for alms in Sāvatthī, when they had returned from the almsround (piṇḍapāta) after their meal, they approached the Blessed One; having approached and paid homage to the Blessed One, they sat down at one side. Sitting at one side, those bhikkhus said this to the Blessed One:
"Here, venerable sir, many ascetics, brahmins, and wanderers of various sects (nānātitthiyā) are residing in Sāvatthī — holding various views (diṭṭhi), of various persuasions, of various preferences, resting on the support of their various views. There are some ascetics and brahmins who assert thus and hold this view: 'The self (attā) and the world (loka) are eternal (sassata); only this is true, anything else is futile.' But there are some ascetics and brahmins who assert thus and hold this view: 'The self and the world are not eternal; only this is true, anything else is futile.' There are some ascetics and brahmins who assert thus and hold this view: 'The self and the world are both eternal and not eternal; only this is true, anything else is futile.' But there are some ascetics and brahmins who assert thus and hold this view: 'The self and the world are neither eternal nor not eternal; only this is true, anything else is futile.' There are some ascetics and brahmins who assert thus and hold this view: 'The self and the world are made by oneself, made by another, both made by oneself and made by another, [or] not made by oneself and not made by another, having arisen fortuitously (adhiccasamuppanna); only this is true, anything else is futile.' There are some ascetics and brahmins who assert thus and hold this view: 'Pleasure and pain (sukhadukkha), and the self and the world, are eternal; only this is true, anything else is futile.' But there are some ascetics and brahmins who assert thus and hold this view: 'Pleasure and pain, and the self and the world, are not eternal; only this is true, anything else is futile.' There are some ascetics and brahmins who assert thus and hold this view: 'Pleasure and pain, and the self and the world, are both eternal and not eternal; only this is true, anything else is futile.' But there are some ascetics and brahmins who assert thus and hold this view: 'Pleasure and pain, and the self and the world, are neither eternal nor not eternal; only this is true, anything else is futile.' There are some ascetics and brahmins who assert thus and hold this view: 'Pleasure and pain, and the self and the world, are made by oneself; only this is true, anything else is futile.' But there are some ascetics and brahmins who assert thus and hold this view: 'Pleasure and pain, and the self and the world, are made by another; only this is true, anything else is futile.' There are some ascetics and brahmins who assert thus and hold this view: 'Pleasure and pain, and the self and the world, are both made by oneself and made by another; only this is true, anything else is futile.' But there are some ascetics and brahmins who assert thus and hold this view: 'Pleasure and pain, and the self and the world, are not made by oneself and not made by another, having arisen fortuitously; only this is true, anything else is futile.' They live quarreling and brawling, fallen into dispute, stabbing one another with verbal daggers: 'The Dhamma is like this; the Dhamma is not like this! The Dhamma is not like this; the Dhamma is like this!'"
"Bhikkhus, the wanderers of other sects (aññatitthiyā paribbājakā) are blind, without eyes: they do not know what is beneficial (attha), they do not know what is harmful (anattha); they do not know what is Dhamma, they do not know what is not Dhamma. Not knowing what is beneficial, not knowing what is harmful, not knowing what is Dhamma, not knowing what is not Dhamma, they live quarreling and brawling, fallen into dispute, stabbing one another with verbal daggers: 'The Dhamma is like this; the Dhamma is not like this! The Dhamma is not like this; the Dhamma is like this!'"
Then the Blessed One, having understood the meaning of this, on that occasion uttered this inspired utterance (udāna):
This generation is intent upon "I-making" (ahaṅkāra),
attached to "other-making" (paraṅkāra);
some have not fully understood this;
they have not seen it as a dart (salla).
But for one who sees this dart beforehand,
the thought "I make" does not occur to him;
the thought "another makes" does not occur to him.
This generation is possessed of con
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.