1Now on that occasion Nigaṇṭha Nataputa had arrived at Macchikasaṇḍa sn.iv.298 together with a large retinue of nigạ̣has. [n.318] Nigaṇṭha Nataputta is identical with Mahavīra, the historical progenitor of Jainism. Though he makes several personal appearances in the Pali Canon (see particularly MN No. 56), there is no report of him meeting the Buddha. His followers were called nigaṇṭhas, "knotless ones." Citta the householder heard about this and, together with a number of lay followers, approached Nigaṇṭha Nataputta. [n.319] Spk: Why did this noble disciple, a nonreturner, approach a wretched, misguided, naked ascetic? To free (the Buddhists) from blame and to refute his doctrine. For the nigaṇṭhas held that the Buddha’s followers do not show hospitality to anyone else, and he wanted to free his coreligionists from this criticism. He also approached with the idea of refuting Nataputta's doctrine. He exchanged greetings with Nigaṇṭha Nataputta and, when they had concluded their greetings and cordial talk, sat down to one side. Nigaṇṭha Nataputta then said to him: "Householder, do you have faith in the ascetic Gotama when he says: ‘There is a concentration without thought and examination, there is a cessation of thought and examination’?" [n.320] Atthi avitakko avicāro samādhi, atthi vitakkavicārānaṃ nirodho. As will be shown, this refers to the second jhāna.

2"In this matter, venerable sir, I do not go by faith in the Blessed One [n.321] Na khvāhaṃ ettha bhante bhagavato saddhāya gacchāmi. Citta is here laying a verbal trap, which will be sprung just below. While he appears to be disclaiming allegiance to the Buddha, he is actually asserting that he has realized the truth of the Buddha’s statement by personal experience and thus need not rely on mere faith in his word. The pun recurs at 48:44. when he says: ‘There is a concentration without thought and examination, there is a cessation of thought and examination.’"

When this was said, Nigaṇṭha Nataputta looked up proudly [n.322] All three eds. read ulloketvā here, though SS read apaloketvā and Spk (Se) oloketvā. The explanation in Spk supports ulloketvā: "He swelled his chest, drew in his belly, stretched forth his neck, surveyed all directions, and then looked up." Below I follow Be and Ee in reading apaloketvā (Se repeats ulloketvā), which provides a meaningful contrast: he looks askance because he is too embarrassed to look his followers in the eye. towards his own retinue and said: "See this, sirs! How straightforward is this Citta the householder! How honest and open! One who thinks that thought and examination can be stopped might imagine he could catch the wind in a net or arrest the current of the river Ganges with his own fist."

3"What do you think, venerable sir, which is superior: knowledge or faith?"

"Knowledge, householder, is superior to faith."

"Well, venerable sir, to whatever extent I wish, secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, I enter and dwell in the first jhāna, which is accompanied by thought and examination, with rapture and happiness born of seclusion. sn.iv.299 Then, to whatever extent I wish, with the subsiding of thought and examination, I enter and dwell in the second jhāna … . Then, to whatever extent I wish, with the fading away as well of rapture … I enter and dwell in the third jhāna … . Then, to whatever extent I wish, with the abandoning of pleasure and pain … I enter and dwell in the fourth jhāna.

"Since I know and see thus, venerable sir, in what other ascetic or brahmin need I place faith regarding the claim that there is a concentration without thought and examination, a cessation of thought and examination?"

4When this was said, Nigaṇṭha Nataputta looked askance at his own retinue and said: "See this, sirs! How crooked is this Citta the householder! How fraudulent and deceptive!"

5"Just now, venerable sir, we understood you to say: ‘See this, sirs! How straightforward is this Citta the householder! How honest and open!’—yet now we understand you to say: ‘See this, sirs! How crooked is this Citta the householder! How fraudulent and deceptive!’ If your former statement is true, venerable sir, then your latter statement is false, while if your former statement is false, then your latter statement is true.

"Further, venerable sir, these ten reasonable questions come up. When you understand their meaning, then you might respond to me along with your retinue. [n.323] Atha maṃ paṭihareyyāsi saddhiṃ nigaṇṭhaparisāya. Spk paraphrases: "When the meaning of these (questions) is known, then you might come up to me (abhigaccheyyāasi) along with your retinue of nigaṇṭhas; having come into my doorkeeper's presence (patiharassa me santikaṁ ̄gantvā), you might inform me of your arrival." Spk thus glosses the verb paṭiharati with abhigacchati and connects it with patīhīra as doorkeeper (a sense confirmed by MW, s.v. prati-hṛ > pratihara). At MN II 220,8, however, we find the expression sahadhammikaṁ vādapaṭihāraṃ, which in context seems to mean "a reasonable defense of (their) doctrine." Thus here paṭiharati could mean "to respond, to offer a rejoinder," a meaning that appears more relevant than the one proposed by Spk.
The exact import of the following sentences is obscure in the Pali. Spk identifies the ten questions with the catechism at AN V 50–54 (see too Khp 2). The questions begin, "What is one?" with the answer, "All beings subsist on nutriment," "What is two?"—"Name and form," etc. According to Spk-pṭ the "question" (pañha) means the inquiry (vīmaṁsā); the synopsis (uddesa), a brief statement of the meaning; and the answer (veyyākaraṇa), a detailed explanation of the meaning. One might have translated, "The question about one … the question about ten," but the numbers are clearly distributive and the expressions dve pañhā and so forth are plurals. It is unclear whether Citta actually posed the questions (which were then abbreviated by the redactors) or merely indicated the format of the questions without filling it in. See the following note. One question, one synopsis, one answer. Two questions, two synopses, two answers. Three … four … five … six … seven … sn.iv.300 eight … nine … ten questions, ten synopses, ten answers."

Then Citta the householder rose from his seat and departed without having asked Nigaṇṭha Nataputta these ten reasonable questions. [n.324] I follow Ee here in reading pañhe āpucchitvā. Both Be and Se read pañhe āpucchitvā, which is problematic, as the latter verb generally means "to take leave" and is not typically used in relation to asking questions. The point seems to be that because Nataputta did not accept Citta's challenge, Citta left without actually posing his ten questions.

1Tena kho pana samayena nigaṇṭho nāṭaputto macchikāsaṇḍaṁ anuppatto hoti mahatiyā nigaṇṭhaparisāya saddhiṁ. Assosi kho citto gahapati: "nigaṇṭho kira nāṭaputto macchikāsaṇḍaṁ anuppatto mahatiyā nigaṇṭhaparisāya saddhin"ti. Atha kho citto gahapati sambahulehi upāsakehi saddhiṁ yena nigaṇṭho nāṭaputto tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā nigaṇṭhena nāṭaputtena saddhiṁ sammodi. Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho cittaṁ gahapatiṁ nigaṇṭho nāṭaputto etadavoca: "saddahasi tvaṁ, gahapati, samaṇassa gotamassa – atthi avitakko avicāro samādhi, atthi vitakkavicārānaṁ nirodho"ti?

2"Na khvāhaṁ ettha, bhante, bhagavato saddhāya gacchāmi. Atthi avitakko avicāro samādhi, atthi vitakkavicārānaṁ nirodho"ti.

Evaṁ vutte, nigaṇṭho nāṭaputto ulloketvā etadavoca: "Idaṁ bhavanto passantu, yāva ujuko cāyaṁ citto gahapati, yāva asaṭho cāyaṁ citto gahapati, yāva amāyāvī cāyaṁ citto gahapati, vātaṁ vā so jālena bādhetabbaṁ maññeyya, yo vitakkavicāre nirodhetabbaṁ maññeyya, sakamuṭṭhinā vā so gaṅgāya sotaṁ āvāretabbaṁ maññeyya, yo vitakkavicāre nirodhetabbaṁ maññeyyā"ti.

3"Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, bhante, katamaṁ nu kho paṇītataraṁ – ñāṇaṁ vā saddhā vā"ti?

"Saddhāya kho, gahapati, ñāṇaṁyeva paṇītataran"ti.

"Ahaṁ kho, bhante, yāvadeva ākaṅkhāmi, vivicceva kāmehi vivicca akusalehi dhammehi savitakkaṁ savicāraṁ vivekajaṁ pītisukhaṁ paṭhamaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharāmi. Ahaṁ kho, bhante, yāvadeva ākaṅkhāmi, vitakkavicārānaṁ vūpasamā … pe … dutiyaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharāmi. Ahaṁ kho, bhante, yāvadeva ākaṅkhāmi, pītiyā ca virāgā … pe … tatiyaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharāmi. Ahaṁ kho, bhante, yāvadeva ākaṅkhāmi, sukhassa ca pahānā … pe … catutthaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharāmi.

Na so khvāhaṁ, bhante, evaṁ jānanto evaṁ passanto kassa aññassa samaṇassa vā brāhmaṇassa vā saddhāya gamissāmi? Atthi avitakko avicāro samādhi, atthi vitakkavicārānaṁ nirodho"ti.

4Evaṁ vutte, nigaṇṭho nāṭaputto sakaṁ parisaṁ apaloketvā etadavoca: "Idaṁ bhavanto passantu, yāva anujuko cāyaṁ citto gahapati, yāva saṭho cāyaṁ citto gahapati, yāva māyāvī cāyaṁ citto gahapatī"ti.

5"Idāneva kho te mayaṁ, bhante, bhāsitaṁ: ‘evaṁ ājānāma idaṁ bhavanto passantu, yāva ujuko cāyaṁ citto gahapati, yāva asaṭho cāyaṁ citto gahapati, yāva amāyāvī cāyaṁ citto gahapatī’ti. Idāneva ca pana mayaṁ, bhante, bhāsitaṁ: ‘evaṁ ājānāma idaṁ bhavanto passantu, yāva anujuko cāyaṁ citto gahapati, yāva saṭho cāyaṁ citto gahapati, yāva māyāvī cāyaṁ citto gahapatī’ti. Sace te, bhante, purimaṁ saccaṁ, pacchimaṁ te micchā. Sace pana te, bhante, purimaṁ micchā, pacchimaṁ te saccaṁ.

Ime kho pana, bhante, dasa sahadhammikā pañhā āgacchanti. Yadā nesaṁ atthaṁ ājāneyyāsi, atha maṁ paṭihareyyāsi saddhiṁ nigaṇṭhaparisāya. Eko pañho, eko uddeso, ekaṁ veyyākaraṇaṁ. Dve pañhā, dve uddesā, dve veyyākaraṇāni. Tayo pañhā, tayo uddesā, tīṇi veyyākaraṇāni. Cattāro pañhā, cattāro uddesā, cattāri veyyākaraṇāni. Pañca pañhā, pañca uddesā, pañca veyyākaraṇāni. Cha pañhā, cha uddesā, cha veyyākaraṇāni. Satta pañhā, satta uddesā, satta veyyākaraṇāni. Aṭṭha pañhā, aṭṭha uddesā, aṭṭha veyyākaraṇāni. Nava pañhā, nava uddesā, nava veyyākaraṇāni. Dasa pañhā, dasa uddesā, dasa veyyākaraṇānī"ti.

Atha kho citto gahapati nigaṇṭhaṁ nāṭaputtaṁ ime dasa sahadhammike pañhe āpucchitvā uṭṭhāyāsanā pakkāmīti.

Aṭṭhamaṁ.