Thus have I heard: at one time the Lord was staying near Vesālī in the Great Grove in the hall of the Gabled House Now at that time the wanderer Vacchagotta was living in Ekapuṇḍarīka, the wanderers' park. Then the Lord, having dressed in the morning, taking his bowl and robe, entered Vesālī for almsfood. But it occurred to the Lord: “It is still too early to walk for almsfood in Vesālī. Suppose I were to approach Ekapuṇḍarīka, the wanderers' park and Vacchagotta the wanderer?” Then the Lord approached Ekapuṇḍarīka, the wanderers' park and Vacchagotta the wanderer. The wanderer Vacchagotta saw the Lord coming in the distance and seeing him, he spoke thus to the Lord: “Revered sir, let the Lord come; revered sir, there is a welcome for the Lord; revered sir, it is long since the Lord made the opportunity to come here; revered sir, let the Lord sit down, this is the appointed seat.” The Lord sat down on the appointed seat, and Vacchagotta the wanderer, having taken a low seat, sat down at a respectful distance.

As he was sitting down at a respectful distance, the wanderer Vacchagotta spoke thus to the Lord: “Revered sir, I have heard: ‘The recluse Gotama is all knowing, all seeing; he claims all-embracing knowledge-and-vision, saying: “Whether I am walking, or standing still, or asleep, or awake, knowledge-and-vision is permanently and continuously before me.”’ Revered sir, those who speak thus: ‘The recluse Gotama is all knowing, all seeing; he claims all-embracing knowledge-and-vision, saying: “Whether I am walking, or standing still, or asleep, or awake, knowledge-and-vision is permanently and continuously before me.”’ Revered sir, I hope that these are speaking of the Lord in accordance with what has been said and are not misrepresenting the Lord with what is not fact, but are explaining in accordance with Dhamma and that no one of his fellow Dhamma-men, of this way of speaking, gives grounds for reproach?”

“Vaccha, those who speak thus: ‘The recluse Gotama is all knowing, all seeing; he claims all-embracing knowledge-and-vision, saying: “Whether I am walking, or standing still, or asleep, or awake, knowledge-and-vision is permanently and continuously before me.”’, these are not speaking of me in accordance with what has been said, but they are misrepresenting me with what is untrue, not fact.” “Expounding in what way, revered sir, would we be speaking in accordance with what has been said and would not be misrepresenting the Lord with what is not fact, but would be explaining in accordance with Dhamma so that no fellow Dhamma-man, of the same way of speaking, could give grounds for reproach?” “Vaccha, expounding: ‘The recluse Gotama is a threefold-knowledge man,’ you would be one who speaks in accordance with what has been said by me, you would not be misrepresenting me with what is not fact, you would be explaining in accordance with Dhamma, and no fellow Dhamma-man of this way of speaking could give grounds for reproach.

[1] For I, Vaccha, whenever I please recollect a variety of former habitations, that is to say: one birth, two births, three births, four births, five births, ten births, twenty births, thirty births, forty births, fifty births, a hundred births, a thousand births, a hundred thousand births, and many an eon of integration and many an eon of disintegration and many an eon of integration-disintegration: ‘Such a one was I by name, having such and such a clan, such and such a colour, so I was nourished, such and such pleasant and painful experiences were mine, so did the span of life end. Passing from this, I came to be in another state where I was such a one by name, having such and such a clan, such and such a colour, so I was nourished, such and such pleasant and painful experiences were mine, so did the span of life end. Passing from this, I arose here.’ Thus I recollect divers former habitations in all their modes and detail.

[2] And I, Vaccha, whenever I please, with the purified deva-vision surpassing that of men, see beings as they pass hence or come to be; I comprehend that beings are mean, excellent, comely, ugly, well-going, ill-going, according to the consequences of deeds, and think: ‘Indeed these worthy beings who were possessed of wrong conduct in body, speech and thought, scoffers at the ariyans, holding a wrong view, incurring deeds consequent on a wrong view, these, at the breaking up of the body after dying, have arisen in a sorrowful state, a bad bourn, the abyss, Niraya Hell. But these worthy beings who were possessed of good conduct in body, speech and thought, who did not scoff at the ariyans, holding a right view, incurring deeds consequent on a right view, these at the breaking up of the body after dying, have arisen in a good bourn, a heaven world.’ Thus with the purified deva-vision surpassing that of men, I see beings as they pass hence, as they arise; I comprehends that beings are mean, excellent, comely, ugly, well-going, ill-going according to the consequences of deeds.

[3] And I, Vaccha, by the destruction of the cankers, having realised here and now by my own super-knowledge, the freedom of mind and the freedom through wisdom that are cankerless, entering thereon, abide therein.

Vaccha, expounding that the recluse Gotama is a threefold-knowledge man, you would be one who speaks in accordance with what has been said by me, you would not be misrepresenting me with what is not fact, you would be explaining in accordance with Dhamma, and no fellow Dhamma-man of this way of speaking, could give grounds for reproach.”

When this had been said, Vacchagotta the wanderer spoke thus to the Lord: “Good Gotama, is there any householder who, not getting rid of the householder's fetter(s), at the breaking up of the body is an end-maker of ill?” “There is not any householder, Vaccha, who, not getting rid of the householder's fetter(s), at the breaking up of the body is an end-maker of ill.” “But is there, good Gotama, any householder who, not getting rid of the householder's fetter(s), at the breaking up of the body attains heaven?” “Not just one hundred, Vaccha, nor two hundred, nor three, four, or five hundred, but far more are those householders who, not getting-rid of the householder's fetter(s), at the breaking up of the body, attain heaven.”

“Now, good Gotama, is there any Naked Ascetic who at the breaking up of the body is an end-maker of ill?” “There is not, Vaccha, any Naked Ascetic who at the breaking up of the body is an end-maker of ill.” “But is there then, good Gotama, any Naked Ascetic who at the breaking up of the body attained heaven?” “Although I, Vaccha, recollect ninety-one eons, I do not know of any Naked Ascetic who attained heaven, except one; and he professed kamma, he professed operative kamma.” “This being so, good Gotama, that fold of the sects is empty even in regard to attaining heaven.” “This being so, Vaccha, that fold of the sects is empty even in regard to attaining heaven.”

Thus spoke the Lord. Delighted, the wanderer Vacchagotta rejoiced in what the Lord had said.

Discourse to Vacchagotta on the Threefold Knowledge: The First