17.5 Of “save only the Ariyan Path” (KV17.5)

Controverted Point: That save only the Ariyan Path, all other conditioned things may be called “Ill”.

Theravādin: Then you call the Cause of Ill also Ill? If you deny, you cannot maintain your proposition. If you assent, do you mean that there are but three Truths? If you deny, your proposition falls. If you assent, do you not contradict the words of the Exalted One, that the Truths are four—Ill, Cause of Ill, Cessation of Ill, Way going to the Cessation of Ill?

If now you admit that the Cause of Ill is also Ill, in what sense do you judge it to be so?

Hetuvādin: In the sense of impermanence.

Theravādin: But the Ariyan Path, is that impermanent?

Hetuvādin: Yes.

Theravādin: Then is not that also Ill? … .

You say then that the Path is impermanent but not Ill, while the Cause of Ill is both impermanent and Ill. It is impossible for you to maintain such a position… .

Hetuvādin: But if the Path be “a way going to the cessation of Ill”, I maintain that, when we speak of all other conditioned things as Ill, this Ariyan Path is excepted.

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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