snp.5.15 Suttanipata

The Question of Posāla

“To the one who reveals the past,”
said Venerable Posāla,
“who is imperturbable, with doubts cut off,
and who has gone beyond all things,
I have come seeking with a question.
Consider one who perceives the disappearance of form,
who has entirely given up the body,
and who sees nothing at all
internally and externally.
I ask the Sakyan about knowledge for them;
how should one like that be guided?”
“The Realized One directly knows,”
said the Buddha,
“all the planes of consciousness.
And he knows this one who remains,
committed to that as their final goal.
Understanding that desire for rebirth
in the dimension of nothingness is a fetter,
and directly knowing what this really means,
one then sees that matter clearly.
That is the knowledge of reality for them,
the brahmin who has lived the life.”