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The Discourse to Poṭṭhapāda: Questions Left Undeclared, and a Teaching That Can Be Verified
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The Discourse to Poṭṭhapāda: Questions Left Undeclared, and a Teaching That Can Be Verified

Poṭṭhapādasuttaṃ

Poṭṭhapāda asks about the self and ten big questions, such as whether the world is eternal. The Buddha does not declare them, since they do not lead to Nibbāna, and declares the four noble truths instead. He compares unverifiable claims to a ladder built for a mansion no one can locate, and teaches that names are just the world's usages, used without grasping.

8 points

In the later part of the Poṭṭhapāda Sutta of the Dīgha Nikāya (Sīlakkhandha Vagga), the wanderer Poṭṭhapāda asks whether perception is a person's self or different from it. The Buddha asks what kind of self he has in mind, then shows that whatever self is assumed, perception still arises as one thing and ceases as another.

Poṭṭhapāda goes on to the ten questions, such as whether the world is eternal, whether the soul and the body are the same, and whether a Realised One exists after death. The Buddha says he has not declared these, since they are not beneficial and do not lead to Nibbāna; what he has declared are the four noble truths. After he leaves, the other wanderers berate Poṭṭhapāda.

A few days later Poṭṭhapāda returns with Citta Hatthisāriputta. The Buddha speaks about claims without evidence, the three kinds of acquired self (attapaṭilābha), and the simile of milk, curds, butter and ghee. At the end Poṭṭhapāda declares himself a lay follower, while Citta goes forth and soon becomes an arahant.

  1. 1

    What kind of self do you mean? Aññā ca saññā bhavissati añño attā

    Poṭṭhapāda proposes three kinds of self in turn: a coarse self with form that eats food, a mind-made self, and a formless self made of perception. Each time the Buddha says that even so, perception would be one thing and the self another, because a person's perceptions arise as one thing and cease as another. This point is for overall understanding.

    Applying it in daily life

    Thoughts and feelings keep changing throughout the day. Notice that you don't have to treat a passing mood as the whole of who you are.

  2. 2

    Hard to know with a different framework Aññadiṭṭhikena

    Poṭṭhapāda asks whether he can know if perception is a person's self. The Buddha says that for one with a different view, different preferences, different inclinations, a different practice and a different teacher, this is hard to know.

    Applying it in daily life

    Before debating deep matters, ask yourself whether you are really listening or just looking for support for what you already believe. If the latter, it may not yet be time to understand it.

  3. 3

    Questions the Buddha left undeclared Na hetaṃ poṭṭhapāda atthasañhitaṃ

    Whether the world is eternal or not, finite or infinite, whether the soul and the body are the same, and what becomes of a Realised One after death: the Buddha does not declare these, because they are not beneficial, not connected with the Dhamma, not the basis of the spiritual life, and do not lead to disillusionment, dispassion, cessation, peace, direct knowledge, awakening and Nibbāna.

    Applying it in daily life

    Use a simple filter before getting absorbed in an online argument: "Does this help my mind grow calmer or help me act better?" If not, you can set it down.

  4. 4

    What he declared: the four noble truths Idaṃ dukkhanti kho poṭṭhapāda mayā byākataṃ

    Poṭṭhapāda asks what the Buddha has declared. He says he has declared: this is suffering, this is the origin of suffering, this is the cessation of suffering, this is the way leading to the cessation of suffering, because these are beneficial and lead to Nibbāna.

    Applying it in daily life

    When you face a problem, write four lines following the noble truths: what the suffering is, what causes it, what it would be like if it ended, and what to do first.

  5. 5

    Berated by his peers, yet standing by what he saw as true Bhūtaṃ tacchaṃ tathaṃ paṭipadaṃ

    The other wanderers mock Poṭṭhapāda for agreeing with everything the ascetic Gotama said, though he got no definite answer on any question. Poṭṭhapāda replies that he too got no such answer, but the ascetic Gotama describes a practice that is real, true and certain, so how could a sensible person not approve? The Buddha says those wanderers are all blind and Poṭṭhapāda alone among them has eyes, and explains that he has taught some matters as not definitive, which he leaves undeclared, while the noble truths are taught as definitive.

    Applying it in daily life

    When people around you ridicule something you see as truly beneficial, explain your reasons politely without anger, and don't abandon what is good just because of the majority.

  6. 6

    Claims without evidence Appāṭihirikataṃ bhāsitaṃ

    Some ascetics and brahmins say that after death the self is exclusively happy, yet when questioned they do not know or see such a happy world, have never known the self to be purely happy even for half a day, do not know the path to that world, and have never heard its deities confirm it. The Buddha compares them to a man who desires the most beautiful woman in the land without ever having seen her, and a man building a ladder to a mansion without knowing where it is. Such talk has no evidence behind it.

    Applying it in daily life

    When you meet an advertisement or promise that sounds too good to be true, ask: has the speaker seen the result, do they know how to get there, and can anyone who has arrived confirm it?

  7. 7

    A teaching you can verify yourself Sappāṭihirikataṃ bhāsitaṃ

    The Buddha says he teaches the Dhamma for giving up all three kinds of acquired self. Practising it, defiling qualities are given up, cleansing qualities grow, wisdom is fulfilled, and there will be gladness, rapture, tranquillity, mindfulness and clear comprehension, and a pleasant abiding, not a painful one. It is like a man building a ladder right beneath a mansion he can point to. Such talk has evidence behind it.

    Applying it in daily life

    Choose a way of self-training that gives clear steps and shows results in this life, such as fifteen minutes of mindfulness a day for a month, and judge for yourself whether your mind feels lighter.

  8. 8

    Milk, curds, butter and ghee Lokasamaññā lokaniruttiyo lokavohārā lokapaññattiyo

    Citta Hatthisāriputta asks about the kinds of acquired self. The Buddha compares it to milk: while it is milk it is called milk, not curds or butter; while it is curds it is called curds. In the same way, whichever kind of acquired self is present, it is reckoned as that kind only. He says these are the world's names, expressions, usages and designations, which the Realised One uses without grasping.

    Applying it in daily life

    Use words like "I", "mine" or your job title normally, but when roles change, let the old label go without feeling that your self has disappeared.

Try it in daily life

Today there are endless big questions to argue over: life after death, the universe, all kinds of theories. This discourse doesn't say such questions are wrong, but invites us to ask whether the answer would reduce suffering.

Another lesson is to separate claims that can be checked from claims that cannot. A good teaching can say how to practise, and the practitioner can see its results, such as gladness, calm and mindfulness, for themselves in this life.

The milk and butter simile reminds us that words like "I" and "myself" are language that works for communicating, but need not be clung to as an unchanging essence.

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