{"collection":"Anguttara Nikaya","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/suttacentral_an10.93/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/suttacentral_an10.93","id":"suttacentral_an10.93","license":"CC0","rights_basis":"suttacentral_bilara_data_cc0","source":"suttacentral","source_url":"https://suttacentral.net/an10.93/en/sujato","summary":null,"tags":["Anguttara Nikaya","Early Buddhist Texts"],"text":"At one time the Buddha was staying near S\u0101vatth\u012b in Jeta\u2019s Grove, An\u0101thapi\u1e47\u1e0dika\u2019s monastery. Then the householder An\u0101thapi\u1e47\u1e0dika left S\u0101vatth\u012b in the middle of the day to see the Buddha. Then it occurred to him, \u201cIt\u2019s the wrong time to see the Buddha, as he\u2019s in retreat. And it\u2019s the wrong time to see the esteemed mendicants, as they\u2019re in retreat. Why don\u2019t I visit the monastery for the wanderers of other religions?\u201d Then he went to the monastery for the wanderers of other religions. Now at that time, the wanderers of other religions had come together, making an uproar, a colossal racket as they sat and talked about all kinds of low topics. They saw An\u0101thapi\u1e47\u1e0dika coming off in the distance, and stopped each other, saying, \u201cBe quiet, good fellows, don\u2019t make a sound. The householder An\u0101thapi\u1e47\u1e0dika, a disciple of the ascetic Gotama, is coming into our monastery. He is included among the white-clothed lay disciples of the ascetic Gotama, who is residing in S\u0101vatth\u012b. Such venerables like the quiet, are educated to be quiet, and praise the quiet. Hopefully if he sees that our assembly is quiet he\u2019ll see fit to approach.\u201d Then those wanderers of other religions fell silent. Then An\u0101thapi\u1e47\u1e0dika went up to them, and exchanged greetings with those wanderers. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side. The wanderers said to him, \u201cTell us, householder, what is the view of the ascetic Gotama?\u201d \u201cSirs, I don\u2019t know all his views.\u201d \u201cWell then, since it seems you don\u2019t know all the views of the ascetic Gotama, tell us, what are the views of the mendicants?\u201d \u201cSirs, I don\u2019t know all the mendicants\u2019 views.\u201d \u201cWell then, since it seems you don\u2019t know all the views of the ascetic Gotama or of the mendicants, tell us, householder, what is your view?\u201d \u201cSirs, it\u2019s not hard for me to explain what my views are. But please, let the venerables explain their own convictions first. Afterwards it won\u2019t be hard for me to explain my views.\u201d When he said this, one of the wanderers said to him, \u201cThe cosmos is eternal. This is the only truth, anything else is futile. That\u2019s my view, householder.\u201d Another wanderer said, \u201cThe cosmos is not eternal. This is the only truth, anything else is futile. That\u2019s my view, householder.\u201d Another wanderer said, \u201cThe cosmos is finite \u2026\u201d \u2026 \u201cThe cosmos is infinite \u2026\u201d \u2026 \u201cThe soul and the body are one and the same \u2026\u201d \u2026 \u201cThe soul is one thing, the body another \u2026\u201d \u2026 \u201cA realized one still exists after death \u2026\u201d \u2026 \u201cA realized one no longer exists after death \u2026\u201d \u2026 \u201cA realized one both still exists and no longer exists after death \u2026\u201d \u2026 \u201cA Realized One neither still exists nor no longer exists after death. This is the only truth, anything else is futile. That\u2019s my view, householder.\u201d When this was said, An\u0101thapi\u1e47\u1e0dika said this, \u201cSirs, regarding the venerable who said this: \u2018The cosmos is eternal. This is the only truth, anything else is futile. That\u2019s my view, householder.\u2019 This view of his has either arisen from his own irrational application of mind, or is conditioned by what someone else says. But that view is created, conditioned, chosen, dependently originated. Whatever is created, conditioned, chosen, and dependently originated is impermanent. And what\u2019s impermanent is suffering. What he clings to and holds to is just suffering. Regarding the venerable who said this: \u2018The cosmos is not eternal. This is the only truth, anything else is futile. That\u2019s my view, householder.\u2019 This view of his has either arisen from his own irrational application of mind, or is conditioned by what someone else says. But that view is created, conditioned, chosen, dependently originated. Whatever is created, conditioned, chosen, and dependently originated is impermanent. And what\u2019s impermanent is suffering. What he clings to and holds to is just suffering. Regarding the venerable who said this: \u2018The cosmos is finite \u2026\u2019 \u2026 \u2018The cosmos is infinite \u2026\u2019 \u2026 \u2018The soul and the body are one and the same \u2026\u2019 \u2026 \u2018The soul is one thing, the body another \u2026\u2019 \u2026 \u2018A realized one still exists after death \u2026\u2019 \u2026 \u2018A realized one no longer exists after death \u2026\u2019 \u2026 \u2018A realized one both still exists and no longer exists after death \u2026\u2019 \u2026 \u2018A Realized One neither still exists nor no longer exists after death. This is the only truth, anything else is futile. That\u2019s my view, householder.\u2019 This view of his has either arisen from his own irrational application of mind, or is conditioned by what someone else says. But that view is created, conditioned, chosen, dependently originated. Whatever is created, conditioned, chosen, and dependently originated is impermanent. And what\u2019s impermanent is suffering. What he clings to and holds to is just suffering.\u201d When he said this the wanderers said to him, \u201cHouseholder, we\u2019ve each explained our own convictions. Tell us, householder, what is your view?\u201d \u201cSirs, whatever is created, conditioned, chosen, and dependently originated is impermanent. And what\u2019s impermanent is suffering. And what\u2019s suffering is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self. That\u2019s my view, sirs.\u201d \u201cHouseholder, whatever is created, conditioned, chosen, and dependently originated is impermanent. And what\u2019s impermanent is suffering. What you cling to and hold to is just suffering.\u201d \u201cSirs, whatever is created, conditioned, chosen, and dependently originated is impermanent. And what\u2019s impermanent is suffering. And I\u2019ve truly seen clearly with right wisdom that what\u2019s suffering is not mine, I am not this, it\u2019s not my self. And I truly understand the escape beyond that.\u201d When this was said, those wanderers sat silent, dismayed, shoulders drooping, downcast, depressed, with nothing to say. Seeing this, An\u0101thapi\u1e47\u1e0dika rose from his seat. He went to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and informed the Buddha of all they had discussed. \u201cGood, good, householder! That\u2019s how you should legitimately and completely refute those futile men from time to time.\u201d Then the Buddha educated, encouraged, fired up, and inspired the householder An\u0101thapi\u1e47\u1e0dika with a Dhamma talk, after which An\u0101thapi\u1e47\u1e0dika got up from his seat, bowed, and respectfully circled the Buddha, keeping him on his right, before leaving. Then, not long after An\u0101thapi\u1e47\u1e0dika had left, the Buddha addressed the mendicants: \u201cMendicants, even a mendicant who has ordained for a hundred years in this teaching and training would legitimately and completely refute those wanderers of other religions just as the householder An\u0101thapi\u1e47\u1e0dika did.\u201d","title":"What is Your View?","tradition":"Anguttara Nikaya","translated_text":null,"word_count":1080}