hilation, eradication, and obliteration of an existing being on seven grounds.
Santi, bhikkhave, eke samaṇabrāhmaṇā ucchedavādā sato sattassa ucchedaṁ vināsaṁ vibhavaṁ paññapenti sattahi vatthūhi.
And what are the seven grounds on which they rely?
Te ca bhonto samaṇabrāhmaṇā kimāgamma kimārabbha ucchedavādā sato sattassa ucchedaṁ vināsaṁ vibhavaṁ paññapenti sattahi vatthūhi?
There are some ascetics and brahmins who have this doctrine and view:
Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco samaṇo vā brāhmaṇo vā evaṁvādī hoti evaṁdiṭṭhi: Variant: evaṁdiṭṭhi → evaṁdiṭṭhī (bj, pts1ed, mr)
‘This self is physical, made up of the four primary elements, and produced by mother and father. Since it’s annihilated and destroyed when the body breaks up, and doesn’t exist after death, that’s how this self becomes rightly annihilated.’
‘yato kho, bho, ayaṁ attā rūpī cātumahābhūtiko mātāpettikasambhavo kāyassa bhedā ucchijjati vinassati, na hoti paraṁ maraṇā, ettāvatā kho, bho, ayaṁ attā sammā samucchinno hotī’ti.
That is how some assert the annihilation of an existing being.
Ittheke sato sattassa ucchedaṁ vināsaṁ vibhavaṁ paññapenti.
But someone else says to them:
Tamañño evamāha:
‘That self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it.
‘atthi kho, bho, eso attā, yaṁ tvaṁ vadesi, neso natthīti vadāmi;
But that’s not how this self becomes rightly annihilated.
no ca kho, bho, ayaṁ attā ettāvatā sammā samucchinno hoti.
There is another self that is divine, physical, sensual, consuming solid food.
Atthi kho, bho, añño attā dibbo rūpī kāmāvacaro kabaḷīkārāhārabhakkho.
You don’t know or see that.
Taṁ tvaṁ na jānāsi na passasi.
But I know it and see it.
Tamahaṁ jānāmi passāmi.
Since this self is annihilated and destroyed when the body breaks up, and doesn’t exist after death, that’s how this self becomes rightly annihilated.’
So kho, bho, attā yato kāyassa bhedā ucchijjati vinassati, na hoti paraṁ maraṇā, ettāvatā kho, bho, ayaṁ attā sammā samucchinno hotī’ti.
That is how some assert the annihilation of an existing being.
Ittheke sato sattassa ucchedaṁ vināsaṁ vibhavaṁ paññapenti.
But someone else says to them:
Tamañño evamāha:
‘That self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it.
‘atthi kho, bho, eso attā, yaṁ tvaṁ vadesi, neso natthīti vadāmi;
But that’s not how this self becomes rightly annihilated.
no ca kho, bho, ayaṁ attā ettāvatā sammā samucchinno hoti.
There is another self that is divine, physical, mind-made, complete in all its various parts, not deficient in any faculty.
Atthi kho, bho, añño attā dibbo rūpī manomayo sabbaṅgapaccaṅgī ahīnindriyo.
You don’t know or see that.
Taṁ tvaṁ na jānāsi na passasi.
But I know it and see it.
Tamahaṁ jānāmi passāmi.
Since this self is annihilated and destroyed when the body breaks up, and doesn’t exist after death, that’s how this self becomes rightly annihilated.’
So kho, bho, attā yato kāyassa bhedā ucchijjati vinassati, na hoti paraṁ maraṇā, ettāvatā kho, bho, ayaṁ attā sammā samucchinno hotī’ti.
That is how some assert the annihilation of an existing being.
Ittheke sato sattassa ucchedaṁ vināsaṁ vibhavaṁ paññapenti.
But someone else says to them:
Tamañño evamāha:
‘That self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it.
‘atthi kho, bho, eso attā, yaṁ tvaṁ vadesi, neso natthīti vadāmi;
But that’s not how this self becomes rightly annihilated.
no ca kho, bho, ayaṁ attā ettāvatā sammā samucchinno hoti.
There is another self which has gone totally beyond perceptions of form. With the ending of perceptions of impingement, not focusing on perceptions of diversity, aware that “space is infinite”, it’s reborn in the dimension of infinite space.
Atthi kho, bho, añño attā sabbaso rūpasaññānaṁ samatikkamā paṭighasaññānaṁ atthaṅgamā nānattasaññānaṁ amanasikārā “ananto ākāso”ti ākāsānañcāyatanūpago. Variant: atthaṅgamā → atthagamā (bj, pts1ed)
You don’t know or see that.
Taṁ tvaṁ na jānāsi na passasi.
But I know it and see it.
Tamahaṁ jānāmi passāmi.
Since this self is annihilated and destroyed when the body breaks up, and doesn’t exist after death, that’s how this self becomes rightly annihilated.’
So kho, bho, attā yato kāyassa bhedā ucchijjati vinassati, na hoti paraṁ maraṇā, ettāvatā kho, bho, ayaṁ attā sammā samucchinno hotī’ti.
That is how some assert the annihilation of an existing being.
Ittheke sato sattassa ucchedaṁ vināsaṁ vibhavaṁ paññapenti.
But someone else says to them:
Tamañño evamāha:
‘That self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it.
‘atthi kho, bho, eso attā yaṁ tvaṁ vadesi, neso natthīti vadāmi;
But that’s not how this self becomes rightly annihilated.
no ca kho, bho, ayaṁ attā ettāvatā sammā samucchinno hoti.
There is another self which has gone totally beyond the dimension of infinite space. Aware that “consciousness is infinite”, it’s reborn in the dimension of infinite consciousness.
Atthi kho, bho, añño attā sabbaso ākāsānañcāyatanaṁ samatikkamma “anantaṁ viññāṇan”ti viññāṇañcāyatanūpago.
You don’t know or see that.
Taṁ tvaṁ na jānāsi na passasi.
But I know it and see it.
Tamahaṁ jānāmi passāmi.
Since this self is annihilated and destroyed when the body breaks up, and doesn’t exist after death, that’s how this self becomes rightly annihilated.’
So kho, bho, attā yato kāyassa bhedā ucchijjati vinassati, na hoti paraṁ maraṇā, ettāvatā kho, bho, ayaṁ attā sammā samucchinno hotī’ti.
That is how some assert the annihilation of an existing being.
Ittheke sato sattassa ucchedaṁ vināsaṁ vibhavaṁ paññapenti.
But someone else says to them:
Tamañño evamāha:
‘That self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it.
‘atthi kho, bho, so attā, yaṁ tvaṁ vadesi, neso natthīti vadāmi;
But that’s not how this self becomes rightly annihilated.
no ca kho, bho, ayaṁ attā ettāvatā sammā samucchinno hoti.
There is another self that has gone totally beyond the dimension of infinite consciousness. Aware that “there is nothing at all”, it’s been reborn in the dimension of nothingness.
Atthi kho, bho, añño attā sabbaso viññāṇañcāyatanaṁ samatikkamma “natthi kiñcī”ti ākiñcaññāyatanūpago.
You don’t know or see that.
Taṁ tvaṁ na jānāsi na passasi.
But I know it and see it.
Tamahaṁ jānāmi passāmi.
Since this self is annihilated and destroyed when the body breaks up, and doesn’t exist after death, that’s how this self becomes rightly annihilated.’
So kho, bho, attā yato kāyassa bhedā ucchijjati vinassati, na hoti paraṁ maraṇā, ettāvatā kho, bho, ayaṁ attā sammā samucchinno hotī’ti.
That is how some assert the annihilation of an existing being.
Ittheke sato sattassa ucchedaṁ vināsaṁ vibhavaṁ paññapenti.
But someone else says to them:
Tamañño evamāha:
‘That self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it.
‘atthi kho, bho, eso attā, yaṁ tvaṁ vadesi, neso natthīti vadāmi;
But that’s not how this self becomes rightly annihilated.
no ca kho, bho, ayaṁ attā ettāvatā sammā samucchinno hoti.
There is another self that has gone totally beyond the dimension of nothingness. Aware that “this is peaceful, this is sublime”, it’s been reborn in the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception.
Atthi kho, bho, añño attā sabbaso ākiñcaññāyatanaṁ samatikkamma “santametaṁ paṇītametan”ti nevasaññānāsaññāyatanūpago.
You don’t know or see that.
Taṁ tvaṁ na jānāsi na passasi.
But I know it and see it.
Tamahaṁ jānāmi passāmi.
Since this self is annihilated and destroyed when the body breaks up, and doesn’t exist after death, that’s how this self becomes rightly annihilated.’
So kho, bho, attā yato kāyassa bhedā ucchijjati vinassati, na hoti paraṁ maraṇā, ettāvatā kho, bho, ayaṁ attā sammā samucchinno hotī’ti.
That is how some assert the annihilation of an existing being.
Ittheke sato sattassa ucchedaṁ vināsaṁ vibhavaṁ paññapenti.
These are the seven grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins assert the annihilation, eradication, and obliteration of an existing being.
Imehi kho te, bhikkhave, samaṇabrāhmaṇā ucchedavādā sato sattassa ucchedaṁ vināsaṁ vibhavaṁ paññapenti sattahi vatthūhi.
The third body in the above list appears to be the “mind made” body.
Its quite intersting that all these selves, even the infinite consciousness one are said to be annhilated at death, so “rebirth” into them doesnt seem to mean a “next life” in them, just a kind of dissapearence from ones own body and reappearance in a sphere.
Oh and also there is a kind of formal sequence in it:
- Physical
- Sensual
- Mental
- Spatial
- Consciousness
- Nothingness
- Neither P nor not P