In the Buddha's Words - Bhikkhu Bodhi [195]
“And what, monks, is the Nibbāna element without residue remaining? Here, a monk is an arahant, … one completely liberated through final knowledge. For him, here in this very life, all that is felt, not being delighted in, will become cool right here. That, monks, is called the Nibbāna element without residue remaining.
“These, monks, are the two Nibbāna elements.”
(It 44; 38)
(6) The Fire and the Ocean
15. [The wanderer Vacchagotta asked the Blessed One:] “Then does Master Gotama hold any speculative view at all?” “Vaccha, ‘speculative view’ is something that the Tathāgata has put away. For the Tathāgata, Vaccha, has seen58 this: ‘Such is form, such its origin, such its passing away; such is feeling, such its origin, such its passing away; such is perception, such its origin, such its passing away; such are volitional formations, such their origin, such their passing away; such is consciousness, such its origin, such its passing away.’ Therefore, I say, with the destruction, fading away, cessation, giving up, and relinquishing of all conceiving, all rumination, all I-making, mine-making, and the underlying tendency to conceit, the Tathāgata is liberated through not clinging.”
16. “When a monk’s mind is liberated thus, Master Gotama, where is he reborn [after death]?”
“‘Is reborn’ does not apply, Vaccha.”
“Then he is not reborn, Master Gotama?”
“‘Is not reborn’ does not apply, Vaccha.”
“Then he both is reborn and is not reborn, Master Gotama?”
“‘Both is reborn and is not reborn’ does not apply, Vaccha.”
“Then he neither is reborn nor is not reborn, Master Gotama?”
“‘Neither is reborn nor is not reborn’ does not apply, Vaccha.”
17. “When Master Gotama is asked these four questions, he replies: ‘“Is reborn” does not apply, Vaccha; “is not reborn” does not apply, Vaccha; “both is reborn and is not reborn” does not apply, Vaccha; “neither is reborn nor is not reborn” does not apply, Vaccha.’ Here I have fallen into bewilderment, Master Gotama, here I have fallen into confusion, and the measure of confidence I had gained through previous conversation with Master Gotama has now disappeared.”
18. “It is enough to cause you bewilderment, Vaccha, enough to cause you confusion. For this Dhamma, Vaccha, is profound, hard to see and hard to understand, peaceful and sublime, unattainable by mere reasoning, subtle, to be experienced by the wise. It is hard for you to understand it when you hold another view, accept another teaching, approve of another teaching, pursue a different training, and follow a different teacher. So I shall question you about this in return, Vaccha. Answer as you choose.
19. “What do you think, Vaccha? Suppose a fire were burning before you. Would you know: ‘This fire is burning before me’?”
“I would, Master Gotama.”
“If someone were to ask you, Vaccha: ‘What does this fire burning before you burn in dependence on?’—being asked thus, what would you answer?”
“Being asked thus, Master Gotama, I would answer: ‘This fire burning before me burns in dependence on grass and sticks.’”
“If that fire before you were to be extinguished, would you know: ‘This fire before me has been extinguished’?”
“I would, Master Gotama.”
“If someone were to ask you, Vaccha: ‘When that fire before you was extinguished, to which direction did it go: to the east, the west, the north, or the south?’—being asked thus, what would you answer?”
“That does not apply, Master Gotama. The fire burned in dependence on its fuel of grass and sticks. When that is used up, if it does not get any more fuel, being without fuel, it is reckoned as extinguished.”
20. “So too, Vaccha, the Tathāgata has abandoned that form by which one describing the Tathāgata might describe him; he has cut it off at the root, made it like a palm stump, done away with it so that it is no longer subject to future arising. Liberated from reckoning in terms of form,