11.4 Of the Utterance, “This is Pain and Sorrow!” (KV11.4)

Controverted Point: That from utterance of the word, “This is Ill!” insight into the nature of Ill is set working.

Theravādin: But you deny that a similar result ensues on the utterance of the other three Truths: This is the Cause, this the Cessation, this the Path leading to the Cessation of Ill. Why is this? Why deny for these what you affirm for the first Truth?

Or why deny, as you do, that insight into the impermanence of each of the five aggregates (body-mind) follows from statement of the fact? Or, once more, that insight into the soullessness of each aggregate follows from a statement of the fact? On what grounds can you defend the sequence in one case only out of the three sets of five propositions?

Now do you mean to tell me that insight issues from every syllable of this formula: This–is–pain–and–sor–row?

Andhaka: Nay, that cannot truly be said … .

The Points of Controversy, an English translation of the Pali Abhidhamma Kathāvatthu. Translated by Shwe Zan Aung and C.A.F. Rhys Davids. First published by Pali Text Society, 1915.

This SuttaCentral edition was prepared by Manfred Wierich and Ven. Vimala and proofread by Josephine Tobin. Some changes were introduced:

Abbreviations, i.e., those of cited works and the participants in the controversies, were expanded.

Cross-references were linked.

Some typographic changes were introduced, among others, i.e.: the phonetic symbol “ŋ” was changed to the Pāli diacritical letter “ṃ”, “ô” to “o”, single quotes to double quotes, and “:—” to “:”.

Letter-spacing with fixed spaces was replaced with bold font.

The corrigenda were merged into the text. Some could not be resolved, though.

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