“No, Ariṭṭha, don’t misrepresent the Buddha, for it’s not good to misrepresent him. The Buddha would never say such a thing. The Buddha has given many discourses about the obstacles being obstructive and how they obstruct one who indulges in them. The Buddha has said that the enjoyment provided by worldly pleasures is small, whereas the suffering and trouble with them are huge, and so their drawbacks are greater. The Buddha has said that worldly pleasures are similar to a skeleton, similar to a piece of meat, similar to a grass torch, similar to a pit of coals, similar to a dream, similar to borrowed goods, similar to fruits on a tree, similar to a knife and chopping block, similar to swords and stakes, and similar to a snake’s head. The suffering and trouble with them are huge, and so their drawbacks are greater.” But even though the monks corrected Ariṭṭha in this way, he stubbornly held on to that bad and erroneous view, and continued to insist on it.

And since they were unable to make him give up that view, they went to the Buddha and told him what had happened.