Knowing and seeing in this way, mendicants, would you turn back to the first beginning, thinking, ‘Did we exist in the past? Did we not exist in the past? What were we in the past? How were we in the past? After being what, what did we become in the past?’?” “No, sir.” “Knowing and seeing in this way, mendicants, would you turn forward to the final end, thinking, ‘Will we exist in the future? Will we not exist in the future? What will we be in the future? How will we be in the future? After being what, what will we become in the future?’?” “No, sir.”

“Knowing and seeing in this way, mendicants, would you be undecided about the present, thinking, ‘Am I? Am I not? What am I? How am I? This sentient being—where did it come from? And where will it go?’?” “No, sir.” “Knowing and seeing in this way, would you say, ‘Our teacher is respected. We speak like this out of esteem for our teacher’?” “No, sir.” “Knowing and seeing in this way, would you say, ‘Our ascetic says this. We speak like this because it is what he says’?” “No, sir.”