12.48. A Cosmologist (SN12.48)

At Savatthī. Then a brahmin who was a cosmologist approached the Blessed One … and said to him:

“How is it, Master Gotama: does all exist?”

“‘All exists’: this, brahmin, is the oldest cosmology.”

“Then, Master Gotama, does all not exist?”

“‘All does not exist’: this, brahmin, is the second cosmology.”

“How is it, Master Gotama: is all a unity?”

“‘All is a unity’: this, brahmin, is the third cosmology.”

“Then, Master Gotama, is all a plurality?”

“‘All is a plurality’: this, brahmin, is the fourth cosmology. Without veering towards either of these extremes, the Tathagata teaches the Dhamma by the middle….”

When this was said, that brahmin said to the Blessed One: “Magnificent, Master Gotama!… From today let Master Gotama remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge for life.”

© Bhikkhu Bodhi, The Connected Discourses of the Buddha (Wisdom Publications, 2000)

This excerpt from The Connected Discourses of the Buddha by Bhikkhu Bodhi is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

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