[292] "But, venerable sir, is it possible for me to know whether perception (saññā) is a person's self (attā), or whether perception is one thing and the self another?"
"This is hard for you to know, Poṭṭhapāda — you who hold a different view, who accept a different teaching, who approve of a different teaching, who exert yourself in a different way, and who follow the doctrine of a different teacher — whether perception is a person's self, or whether perception is one thing and the self another."
"Venerable sir, if this is hard for me to know — I who hold a different view, who accept a different teaching, who approve of a different teaching, who exert myself in a different way, and who follow the doctrine of a different teacher — whether perception is a person's self, or whether perception is one thing and the self another, then what, venerable sir: 'The world is eternal; this alone is true, anything else is vain'?"
"This too, Poṭṭhapāda, has not been declared (abyākata) by me: 'The world is eternal; this alone is true, anything else is vain.'"
"Then what, venerable sir: 'The world is not eternal; this alone is true, anything else is vain'?"
"This too, Poṭṭhapāda, has not been declared by me: 'The world is not eternal; this alone is true, anything else is vain.'"
"Then what, venerable sir: 'The world is finite' … 'The world is infinite.' 'The soul (jīva) is the same as the body.' 'The soul is one thing, the body another.' 'The Tathāgata exists after death.' 'The Tathāgata does not exist after death.' 'The Tathāgata both exists and does not exist after death.' 'The Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist after death; this alone is true, anything else is vain'?"
"This too, Poṭṭhapāda, has not been declared by me: 'The Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist after death; this alone is true, anything else is vain.'"
"But why, venerable sir, has this not been declared by the Blessed One?"
"Because, Poṭṭhapāda, this is not connected with the goal, not connected with the Dhamma, not fundamental to the holy life; it does not lead to disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation (nirodha), to peace, to direct knowledge, to awakening, to Nibbāna. Therefore it has not been declared by me."
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.