6.3 Of the Four Truths (KV6.3)

Controverted Point: That the Four Truths are unconditioned.

Theravādin: Do you then also admit not one, but four Nibbānas? For if you do, is there among these four a boundary, division, line or interstice, different degrees as to loftiness, excellence or sublimity? … .

You affirm, do you not, that each Truth is unconditioned. Take the first Truth on the fact and nature of Ill: is Ill itself unconditioned? You deny—that is, you mean that bodily ill, mental ill, grief, lamentation, melancholy or despair is conditioned? Or the second Truth on the cause of Ill—is that cause unconditioned? You deny … Then you must equally deny that desires of sense, desire for after- life, or desire to end life, is unconditioned? Or the fourth Truth of the Path to Cessation of Ill—is the Path itself unconditioned? You deny … Then you do not mean that right views, right intentions … right concentration are unconditioned?

You admit then that Ill, its Cause, the Path are conditioned, and all the factors of those facts are conditioned, but deny that the abstract statement of each fact as a “Truth” is conditioned—which cannot be … .

Take now the Third Truth on the Cessation of Ill—is Cessation unconditioned? “Yes”, you say? Why then, if the First Truth is unconditioned, is not Ill unconditioned? Or the Cause? Or the Path? In all but the Third Truth, you maintain that the true thing is conditioned—why not in the Third?

Pubbaseliyas: But if I am wrong, why was it said by the Exalted One:

“These four things, bhikkhus, are stable, constant, immutable. Which are the four? `This is Ill!'—this, bhikkhus, is stable, constant, immutable. `This is the cause of Ill … the Cessation of Ill … the course leading to the Cessation of Ill!'—this, bhikkhus, is stable, constant, immutable. These are the four”?

Surely then the Four Truths are unconditioned.

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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