[47] Bhikkhus, there are some ascetics and brahmins who speculate about the state after death (uddhamāghātanika), holding the doctrine of a non-percipient self (asaññīvāda), who declare the self (attā) to be non-percipient after death on eight grounds. And owing to what, with reference to what, do those honorable ascetics and brahmins, speculating about the state after death, holding the doctrine of a non-percipient self, declare the self to be non-percipient after death on eight grounds?
They declare of it: 'The self is formed (rūpī), unimpaired (aroga) after death, non-percipient.' They declare of it: 'The self is formless, unimpaired after death, non-percipient.' 'The self is both formed and formless …' 'The self is neither formed nor formless.' 'The self is finite.' 'The self is infinite.' 'The self is both finite and infinite.' They declare of it: 'The self is neither finite nor infinite, unimpaired after death, non-percipient.'
It is on these eight grounds, bhikkhus, that those ascetics and brahmins, speculating about the state after death, holding the doctrine of a non-percipient self, declare the self to be non-percipient after death. For whatever ascetics or brahmins, bhikkhus, speculating about the state after death, holding the doctrine of a non-percipient self, declare the self to be non-percipient after death, all of them do so on these very eight grounds, or on one or another of them; outside of this there is none. … whereby those speaking rightly would speak the praise of the Tathāgata in accordance with fact (yathābhuccaṃ).
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.