dn9:33.1 “All those wanderers, Poṭṭhapāda, are blind and sightless.
dn9:33.2 You are the only one whose eyes are clear.
dn9:33.3 For I have taught and pointed out teachings that are categorical
dn9:33.4 and also teachings that are not categorical.
dn9:33.5 And what teachings have I taught and pointed out as not categorical?
dn9:33.6 ‘The cosmos is eternal’ …
dn9:33.7 ‘The cosmos is not eternal’ …
dn9:33.8 ‘The cosmos is finite’ …
dn9:33.9 ‘The cosmos is infinite’ …
dn9:33.10 ‘The soul is the same thing as the body’ …
dn9:33.11 ‘The soul is one thing, the body another’ …
dn9:33.12 ‘A realized one still exists after death’ …
dn9:33.13 ‘A realized one no longer exists after death’ …
dn9:33.14 ‘A realized one both still exists and no longer exists after death’ …
dn9:33.15 ‘A realized one neither still exists nor no longer exists after death.’
dn9:33.16 And why have I taught and pointed out such teachings as not categorical?
dn9:33.17 Because those things aren’t beneficial or relevant to the fundamentals of the spiritual life. They don’t lead to disillusionment, dispassion, cessation, peace, insight, awakening, and extinguishment.
dn9:33.18 That’s why I have taught and pointed out such teachings as not categorical.
dn9:33.19.0 2.1. Teachings That Are Categorical
dn9:33.20 And what teachings have I taught and pointed out as categorical?
dn9:33.21 ‘This is suffering’ … ‘This is the origin of suffering’ … ‘This is the cessation of suffering’ … ‘This is the practice that leads to the cessation of suffering’.
dn9:33.25 And why have I taught and pointed out such teachings as categorical?
dn9:33.26 Because they are beneficial and relevant to the fundamentals of the spiritual life. They lead to disillusionment, dispassion, cessation, peace, insight, awakening, and extinguishment.
dn9:33.27 That’s why I have taught and pointed out such teachings as categorical.


