22.2 Of Moral Consciousness (KV22.2)

Controverted Point: That the Arahant is ethically conscious when completing existence at final death.

Theravādin: You are implying that an Arahant is achieving karma of merit, or karma of imperturbable character; that he is working karma affecting destiny, and rebirth, conducive to worldly authority and influence, to wealth and reputation, to beauty celestial or human … .

You are implying that the Arahant, when he is passing away, is accumulating or pulling down, is eliminating or grasping, is scattering or binding, is dispersing or collecting. Is it not true of him that he stands, as Arahant, neither heaping up nor pulling down, as one who has pulled down? That he stands, as Arahant, neither putting off nor grasping at, as one who has put off? As neither scattering nor binding, as one who has scattered? As neither dispersing nor collecting, as one who has dispersed?

Andhaka: But does not an Arahant pass utterly away with lucid presence of mind, mindful and aware? You agree. Then is this not “good” consciousness?

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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