[851] [Sakavādin:] "Among non-percipient beings (asaññasattā), does perception (saññā) exist at some time and not exist at some time?"
[Paravādin:] "Yes."
[Sakavādin:] "At what time does it exist, at what time does it not exist?"
[Paravādin:] "At the time of decease (cuti) and at the time of rebirth (upapatti) it exists; at the time of persistence (ṭhiti) it does not exist."
[Sakavādin:] "Then at the time of decease and at the time of rebirth they are percipient beings (saññasattā), and at the time of persistence non-percipient beings; at the time of decease and at the time of rebirth it is percipient existence (saññabhava), and at the time of persistence non-percipient existence (asaññabhava); at the time of decease and at the time of rebirth it is five-constituent existence (pañcavokārabhava), and at the time of persistence one-constituent existence (ekavokārabhava)?"
[Paravādin:] "It should not be said thus. …"
Asaññakathā — the Discussion of Non-Percipient Beings.
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Nevasaññānāsaññāyatanakathā — the Discussion of the Sphere of Neither Perception Nor Non-Perception
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.