The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha - Bhikkhu Nanamoli [507]
12. “But here, Ānanda, [212] by means of ardour…some recluse or brahmin attains such a concentration of mind that, when his mind is concentrated, with the divine eye, which is purified and surpasses the human, he sees that person here who abstains from killing living beings…and holds right view, and he sees that on the dissolution of the body, after death, he reappears in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, even in hell. He says thus: ‘Indeed, there are no good actions, there is no result of good conduct; for I saw a person here who abstained from killing living beings…and held right view, and I see that on the dissolution of the body, after death, he has reappeared in a state of deprivation…even in hell.’ He says thus: ‘On the dissolution of the body, after death, everyone who abstains from killing living beings…and holds right view reappears in a state of deprivation…even in hell. Those who know thus know rightly; those who think otherwise are mistaken. ’ Thus he obstinately adheres to what he himself has known, seen, and discovered, insisting: ‘Only this is true, anything else is wrong.’
13. “Therein, Ānanda,1229 when a recluse or brahmin says: ‘Indeed, there are evil actions, there is result of misconduct,’ I grant him this. When he says: ‘I saw a person here who killed living beings…and held wrong view, and I see that on the dissolution of the body, after death, he has reappeared in a state of deprivation…even in hell,’ I also grant him this. But when he says: ‘On the dissolution of the body, after death, everyone who kills living beings…and holds wrong view reappears in a state of deprivation…even in hell,’ I do not grant him this. And when he says: ‘Those who know thus know rightly; those who think otherwise are mistaken,’ I also do not grant him this. And when he obstinately adheres to what he himself has known, seen, and discovered, insisting: ‘Only this is true, anything else is wrong,’ I also do not grant him this. Why is that? Because, Ānanda, the Tathāgata’s knowledge of the great exposition of action is otherwise.
14. “Therein, Ānanda, when a recluse or brahmin says: ‘Indeed, there are no evil actions, there is no result of misconduct, ’ I do not grant him this. When he says: ‘I saw a person here who killed living beings…and held wrong view, and I see that on the dissolution of the body, after death, he has reappeared in a happy destination, even in the heavenly world,’ I grant him this. But when he says: “On the dissolution of the body, after death, everyone who kills living beings…and holds wrong view reappears in a happy destination, even in the heavenly world,’ [213] I do not grant him this. And when he says: ‘Those who know thus know rightly; those who think otherwise are mistaken,’ I also do not grant him this. And when he obstinately adheres to what he himself has known, seen, and discovered, insisting: ‘Only this is true, anything else is wrong,’ I also do not grant him this. Why is that? Because, Ānanda, the Tathāgata’s knowledge of the great exposition of action is otherwise.
15. “Therein, Ānanda, when a recluse or brahmin says: ‘Indeed, there are good actions, there is result of good conduct,’ I grant him this. And when he says: ‘I saw a person here who abstained from killing living beings…and held right view, and I see that on the dissolution of the body, after death, he has reappeared in a happy destination, even in the heavenly world,’ I also grant him this. But when he says: ‘On the dissolution of the body, after death, everyone who abstains from killing living beings