[99] "On one occasion, venerable sir, I approached Sañjaya Velaṭṭhaputta; and having approached, I exchanged greetings with Sañjaya Velaṭṭhaputta, and when the courteous and amiable talk was concluded, I sat down to one side. Sitting to one side, venerable sir, I said to Sañjaya Velaṭṭhaputta: 'Good Sañjaya, just as these many fields of craft … is it possible, good Sañjaya, in the same way, to point out a fruit of the ascetic life (sāmaññaphala) that is visible in this very life?'
"When this was said, venerable sir, Sañjaya Velaṭṭhaputta said this to me: 'If you ask me, "Is there another world?" — if it were my view that there is another world, I would then answer you, "There is another world." Yet I do not say "it is thus"; I do not say "it is so"; I do not say "it is otherwise"; I do not say "it is not"; and I do not say "it is not not." "There is no other world" … "There both is and is not another world" … "There neither is nor is not another world" … "There are beings spontaneously reborn (opapātika)" … "There are no beings spontaneously reborn" … "There both are and are not beings spontaneously reborn" … "There neither are nor are not beings spontaneously reborn" … If you ask me, "Is there fruit and result of deeds well done and ill done?" — if it were my view that there is fruit and result of deeds well done and ill done, I would then answer you, "There is fruit and result of deeds well done and ill done." "There is no fruit and result of deeds well done and ill done" … "There both is and is not fruit and result of deeds well done and ill done" … "There neither is nor is not fruit and result of deeds well done and ill done" … "The Tathāgata exists after death" … "The Tathāgata does not exist after death" … "The Tathāgata both exists and does not exist after death" … If you ask me, "Does the Tathāgata neither exist nor not exist after death?" — if it were my view that the Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist after death, I would then answer you, "The Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist after death." Yet I do not say "it is thus"; I do not say "it is so"; I do not say "it is otherwise"; I do not say "it is not"; and I do not say "it is not not."'
"Thus, venerable sir, when asked about the fruit of the ascetic life visible in this very life, Sañjaya Velaṭṭhaputta answered with equivocation (vikkhepa). Just as if, venerable sir, one asked about a mango were to answer about a breadfruit, or one asked about a breadfruit were to answer about a mango — even so, venerable sir, when asked about the fruit of the ascetic life visible in this very life, Sañjaya Velaṭṭhaputta answered with equivocation. Then, venerable sir, it occurred to me: 'Of all these ascetics and brahmins, this one is the most foolish of all, the most confused of all. How indeed, when asked about the fruit of the ascetic life visible in this very life, can he answer with equivocation?' Then, venerable sir, it occurred to me: 'How indeed could one such as I think it fit to disparage an ascetic or a brahmin dwelling in my realm?' So, venerable sir, I neither delighted in nor rejected the statement of Sañjaya Velaṭṭhaputta; neither delighting in it nor rejecting it, though displeased, without uttering a word of displeasure, neither taking up that statement nor overturning it, I rose from my seat and departed."
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.