Numbered Discourses 4.24

3. At Uruvelā

At Kāḷaka’s Monastery

At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāketa, in Kāḷaka’s monastery. There the Buddha addressed the bhikkhus, “Bhikkhus!”

“Venerable sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:

“In this world—with its gods, Māras and Brahmās, this population with its ascetics and brahmins, its gods and humans—whatever is seen, heard, thought, known, attained, sought, and explored by the mind: that I know.

In this world—with its gods, Māras, and Brahmās, this population with its ascetics and brahmins, its gods and humans—whatever is seen, heard, thought, known, attained, sought, and explored by the mind: that I have insight into. That has been known by a Realized One, but a Realized One is not subject to it.

If I were to say that ‘I do not know … the world with its gods’, I would be lying.

If I were to say that ‘I both know and do not know … the world with its gods’, that would be just the same.

If I were to say that ‘I neither know nor do not know … the world with its gods’, that would be my fault.

So a Realized One sees what is to be seen, but does not conceive what is seen, does not conceive what is unseen, does not conceive what is to be seen, and does not conceive a seer. He hears what is to be heard, but does not conceive what is heard, does not conceive what is unheard, does not conceive what is to be heard, and does not conceive a hearer. He thinks what is to be thought, but does not conceive what is thought, does not conceive what is not thought, does not conceive what is to be thought, and does not conceive a thinker. He knows what is to be known, but does not conceive what is known, does not conceive what is unknown, does not conceive what is to be known, and does not conceive a knower.

Since a Realized One is poised in the midst of things seen, heard, thought, and known, he is the poised one. And I say that there is no better or finer poise than this.

Such a one does not take anything seen, heard, or thought to be ultimately true or false. But others get attached, thinking it’s the truth, limited by their preconceptions.

Since they’ve seen this dart to which people are attached and cling, saying, ‘I know, I see, that’s how it is’, the Realized Ones have no attachments.”