In Buddhism, acinteyya (Pali), "imponderable" or "incomprehensible," avyākṛta (Sanskrit: अव्याकृत, Pali: avyākata, "unfathomable, unexpounded,"[1]), and atakkāvacara,[2] "beyond the sphere of reason,"[2] are unanswerable questions or undeclared questions. They are sets of questions that should not be thought about, and which the Buddha refused to answer, since this distracts from practice, and hinders the attainment of liberation. Various sets can be found within the Pali and Sanskrit texts, with four, and ten (Pali texts) or fourteen (Sanskrit texts) unaswerable questions.
The Sanskrit word acintya means "incomprehensible, surpassing thought, unthinkable, beyond thought."[web 1] In Indian philosophy, acinteyya is
[T]hat which is to be unavoidably accepted for explaining facts, but which cannot stand the scrutiny of logic.[3]
It is also defined as
That which cannot or should not be thought, the unthinkable, incomprehensible, impenetrable, that which transcends the limits of thinking and over which therefore one should not ponder.[web 2]
The term is used to describe the ultimate reality that is beyond all conceptualization.[4] Thoughts here-about should not be pursued, because they are not conducive to the attainment of liberation.[4]
Synonymous terms are avyākṛta[4] "indeterminate questions,"[5] and atakkāvacara,[2] "beyond the sphere of reason."[2]
Atakkāvacara
Nirvana is atakkāvacara, "beyond logical reasoning".[6] It is difficult to comprehend with logic or reason, since it is not a concrete "thing."[6] It cannot be explained with logic or reason to someone who has not attained it by themselves.[7]
Acinteyya - four imponderables
The four imponderables are identified in the Acintita Sutta, Anguttara Nikaya 4.77, as follows:[8]
The Buddha-range of the Buddhas [i.e., the range of powers a Buddha develops as a result of becoming a Buddha];
The jhana-range of one absorbed in jhana [i.e., the range of powers that one may obtain while absorbed in jhana];
The [precise working out of the] results of kamma (Karma in Sanskrit);
Speculation about [the origin, etc., of] the cosmos is an imponderable that is not to be speculated about (SN 56.41 develops this speculation as the ten indeterminate).
Avyākṛta
Ten indeterminate questions
The Cula-Malunkyovada Sutta, MN 63[9] and 72[10] contains a list of ten unanswered questions about certain views (ditthi):
The world is eternal.
The world is not eternal.
The world is (spatially) infinite.
The world is not (spatially) infinite.
The being imbued with a life force is identical with the body.
The being imbued with a life force is not identical with the body.
The Tathagata (a perfectly enlightened being) exists after death.
The Tathagata does not exist after death.
The Tathagata both exists and does not exist after death.
The Tathagata neither exists nor does not exist after death.
In the Aggi-Vacchagotta Sutta,[6] "Discourse to Vatsagotra on the [Simile of] Fire," Majjhima Nikaya 72,[web 3] the Buddha is questioned by Vatsagotra on the "ten indeterminate question:"[5]avyākrta[4]
Is the cosmos eternal, non-eternal, finite, infinite?
Are the soul and the body (jīvam & sarīram) similar or different?
After death, a Tathagata exists, does not exist, both exists and does not exist, neither exists nor does not exist?
The Buddha refuses to answer the questions, avoiding getting entangled in debate, but answers with a simile:[5]
"And suppose someone were to ask you, 'This fire that has gone out in front of you, in which direction from here has it gone? East? West? North? Or south?' Thus asked, how would you reply?" "That doesn't apply, Master Gotama. Any fire burning dependent on a sustenance of grass and timber, being unnourished — from having consumed that sustenance and not being offered any other — is classified simply as 'out' (unbound)." "Even so, Vaccha, any physical form by which one describing the Tathagata would describe him: That the Tathagata has abandoned, its root destroyed, made like a palmyra stump, deprived of the conditions of development, not destined for future arising. Freed from the classification of form, Vaccha, the Tathagata is deep, boundless, hard to fathom, like the sea. 'Reappears' doesn't apply. 'Does not reappear' doesn't apply. 'Both does & does not reappear' doesn't apply. 'Neither reappears nor does not reappear' doesn't apply.[web 3]
Fourteen questions
1. Is the world eternal? 2. ...or not? 3. ...or both? 4. ...or neither? (Pali texts omit "both" and "neither")
5. Is the world finite? 6. ...or not? 7. ...or both? 8. ...or neither? (Pali texts omit "both" and "neither")
9. Is the self identical with the body? 10. ...or is it different from the body?
11. Does the Tathagata (Buddha) exist after death? 12. ...or not? 13. ...or both? 14. ...or neither?
Sixteen questions - Sabbasava-Sutta
The Sabbasava Sutta (Majjhima Nikaya 2[11]) also mentions 16 questions which are seen as "unwise reflection" and lead to attachment to views relating to a self.[12]
What am I?
How am I?
Am I?
Am I not?
Did I exist in the past?
Did I not exist in the past?
What was I in the past?
How was I in the past?
Having been what, did I become what in the past?
Shall I exist in future?
Shall I not exist in future?
What shall I be in future?
How shall I be in future?
Having been what, shall I become what in future?
Whence came this person?
Whither will he go?
The Buddha states that it is unwise to be attached to both views of having and perceiving a self and views about not having a self. Any view which sees the self as "permanent, stable, everlasting, unchanging, remaining the same for ever and ever" is "becoming enmeshed in views, a jungle of views, a wilderness of views; scuffling in views, the agitation (struggle) of views, the fetter of views."[12]
Hindrance to liberation
Pondering over the four acinteyya is a hindrance to the attainment of liberation. Sacca-samyutta, "The Four Noble Truths", Samyutta Nikaya 56:[web 4]
Therefore, o monks, do not brood over [any of these views] Such brooding, O monks, is senseless, has nothing to do with genuine pure conduct (s. ādibrahmacariyaka-sīla), does not lead to aversion, detachment, extinction, nor to peace, to full comprehension, enlightenment and Nibbāna, etc.[13]
And the Aggi-Vacchagotta Sutta, "Discourse to Vatsagotra on the [Simile of] Fire," Majjhima Nikaya 72:
Vaccha, [any of these views] is a thicket of views, a wilderness of views, a contortion of views, a writhing of views, a fetter of views. It is accompanied by suffering, distress, despair, & fever, and it does not lead to disenchantment, dispassion, cessation; to calm, direct knowledge, full Awakening, Unbinding.[web 3]
The Buddha further warns that
Whoever speculates about these things would go mad & experience vexation.[web 5]
^"Cula-Malunkyovada Sutta, Translation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu". Retrieved 2014-06-26.
^"Aggi-Vacchagotta Sutta, Translation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu". Retrieved 2014-06-26.
^"Sabbasava Sutta, Translation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu". Retrieved 2013-06-26.
^ abShrader, Douglas W. (PDF). Presented at the annual meeting of ASPAC (Asian Studies on the Pacific Coast), hosted by the East-West Center, Honolulu, HI, June 15–17, 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-11.
Bhikkhu Thanissaro (2010), Wings to Awakening: Part I(PDF), Metta Forest Monastery, Valley Center, CA
Bodhi, Bhikkhu (2000), The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A New Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya, Boston: Wisdom Publications, ISBN0-86171-331-1
Buswell, Robert E.; Lopez, Donald S., Jr., eds. (2013), The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, Princeton University Press
Dasgupta, Surendranath (1991), A History of Indian Philosophy, Volume 4, Motilal Banarsidass Publ.
Kalupahanna, David J. (1976), Buddhist Philosophy: A Historical Analysis, University of Hawaii Press
nath, Samir (1998), Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Buddhism. Volume 3, Sarup 7 Sons
^ abcaccesstoinsight, Aggi-Vacchagotta Sutta: To Vacchagotta on Fire, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
^suttacentral, Samyutta Nikaya 56, Reflection about the World
^accesstoinsight, Acintita Sutta: Unconjecturable, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
External links
Cula-Malunkyovada Sutta: The Shorter Instructions to Malunkya
Aggi-Vacchagotta Sutta: To Vacchagotta on Fire
Peter Della Santina, The Tree of Enlightenment: An Introduction to the Major Traditions of Buddhism, Philosophy and Psychology in the Abhidharma
Text of the Cula Malunkyaputta Sutta
Further reading
Karunadasa, Yakupitiyage (2007). The Unanswered Questions: Why were They Unanswered? A Re-examination of the Textual Data, Pacific World: Third Series 9, 3-31
Nicholson, Hugh (2012). Unanswered Questions and the Limits of Knowledge, Journal of Indian Philosophy 40 (5), 533-552
February 19, 2023
unanswerable, questions, supreme, balinese, hinduism, acintya, also, lists, unsolved, problems, buddhism, acinteyya, pali, imponderable, incomprehensible, avyākṛta, sanskrit, अव, pali, avyākata, unfathomable, unexpounded, atakkāvacara, beyond, sphere, reason, . For the supreme god in Balinese Hinduism see Acintya See also Lists of unsolved problems In Buddhism acinteyya Pali imponderable or incomprehensible avyakṛta Sanskrit अव य क त Pali avyakata unfathomable unexpounded 1 and atakkavacara 2 beyond the sphere of reason 2 are unanswerable questions or undeclared questions They are sets of questions that should not be thought about and which the Buddha refused to answer since this distracts from practice and hinders the attainment of liberation Various sets can be found within the Pali and Sanskrit texts with four and ten Pali texts or fourteen Sanskrit texts unaswerable questions Translations ofacinteyyaEnglishimponderable incomprehensibleSanskritacintyaPaliacinteyyaChinesebukesiyiJapanesefukashigiKoreanpulgasauiSinhalaඅච න ත යයTibetanbsam gyis mi khyab paThaixcinityGlossary of Buddhism Contents 1 Etymology 2 Atakkavacara 3 Acinteyya four imponderables 4 Avyakṛta 4 1 Ten indeterminate questions 4 2 Fourteen questions 5 Sixteen questions Sabbasava Sutta 6 Hindrance to liberation 7 See also 8 References 9 Sources 10 External links 11 Further readingEtymology EditThe Sanskrit word acintya means incomprehensible surpassing thought unthinkable beyond thought web 1 In Indian philosophy acinteyya is T hat which is to be unavoidably accepted for explaining facts but which cannot stand the scrutiny of logic 3 It is also defined as That which cannot or should not be thought the unthinkable incomprehensible impenetrable that which transcends the limits of thinking and over which therefore one should not ponder web 2 The term is used to describe the ultimate reality that is beyond all conceptualization 4 Thoughts here about should not be pursued because they are not conducive to the attainment of liberation 4 Synonymous terms are avyakṛta 4 indeterminate questions 5 and atakkavacara 2 beyond the sphere of reason 2 Atakkavacara EditNirvana is atakkavacara beyond logical reasoning 6 It is difficult to comprehend with logic or reason since it is not a concrete thing 6 It cannot be explained with logic or reason to someone who has not attained it by themselves 7 Acinteyya four imponderables EditThe four imponderables are identified in the Acintita Sutta Anguttara Nikaya 4 77 as follows 8 The Buddha range of the Buddhas i e the range of powers a Buddha develops as a result of becoming a Buddha The jhana range of one absorbed in jhana i e the range of powers that one may obtain while absorbed in jhana The precise working out of the results of kamma Karma in Sanskrit Speculation about the origin etc of the cosmos is an imponderable that is not to be speculated about SN 56 41 develops this speculation as the ten indeterminate Avyakṛta EditTen indeterminate questions Edit The Cula Malunkyovada Sutta MN 63 9 and 72 10 contains a list of ten unanswered questions about certain views ditthi The world is eternal The world is not eternal The world is spatially infinite The world is not spatially infinite The being imbued with a life force is identical with the body The being imbued with a life force is not identical with the body The Tathagata a perfectly enlightened being exists after death The Tathagata does not exist after death The Tathagata both exists and does not exist after death The Tathagata neither exists nor does not exist after death In the Aggi Vacchagotta Sutta 6 Discourse to Vatsagotra on the Simile of Fire Majjhima Nikaya 72 web 3 the Buddha is questioned by Vatsagotra on the ten indeterminate question 5 avyakrta 4 Is the cosmos eternal non eternal finite infinite Are the soul and the body jivam amp sariram similar or different After death a Tathagata exists does not exist both exists and does not exist neither exists nor does not exist The Buddha refuses to answer the questions avoiding getting entangled in debate but answers with a simile 5 And suppose someone were to ask you This fire that has gone out in front of you in which direction from here has it gone East West North Or south Thus asked how would you reply That doesn t apply Master Gotama Any fire burning dependent on a sustenance of grass and timber being unnourished from having consumed that sustenance and not being offered any other is classified simply as out unbound Even so Vaccha any physical form by which one describing the Tathagata would describe him That the Tathagata has abandoned its root destroyed made like a palmyra stump deprived of the conditions of development not destined for future arising Freed from the classification of form Vaccha the Tathagata is deep boundless hard to fathom like the sea Reappears doesn t apply Does not reappear doesn t apply Both does amp does not reappear doesn t apply Neither reappears nor does not reappear doesn t apply web 3 Fourteen questions Edit 1 Is the world eternal 2 or not 3 or both 4 or neither Pali texts omit both and neither 5 Is the world finite 6 or not 7 or both 8 or neither Pali texts omit both and neither 9 Is the self identical with the body 10 or is it different from the body 11 Does the Tathagata Buddha exist after death 12 or not 13 or both 14 or neither Sixteen questions Sabbasava Sutta EditThe Sabbasava Sutta Majjhima Nikaya 2 11 also mentions 16 questions which are seen as unwise reflection and lead to attachment to views relating to a self 12 What am I How am I Am I Am I not Did I exist in the past Did I not exist in the past What was I in the past How was I in the past Having been what did I become what in the past Shall I exist in future Shall I not exist in future What shall I be in future How shall I be in future Having been what shall I become what in future Whence came this person Whither will he go The Buddha states that it is unwise to be attached to both views of having and perceiving a self and views about not having a self Any view which sees the self as permanent stable everlasting unchanging remaining the same for ever and ever is becoming enmeshed in views a jungle of views a wilderness of views scuffling in views the agitation struggle of views the fetter of views 12 Hindrance to liberation EditPondering over the four acinteyya is a hindrance to the attainment of liberation Sacca samyutta The Four Noble Truths Samyutta Nikaya 56 web 4 Therefore o monks do not brood over any of these views Such brooding O monks is senseless has nothing to do with genuine pure conduct s adibrahmacariyaka sila does not lead to aversion detachment extinction nor to peace to full comprehension enlightenment and Nibbana etc 13 And the Aggi Vacchagotta Sutta Discourse to Vatsagotra on the Simile of Fire Majjhima Nikaya 72 Vaccha any of these views is a thicket of views a wilderness of views a contortion of views a writhing of views a fetter of views It is accompanied by suffering distress despair amp fever and it does not lead to disenchantment dispassion cessation to calm direct knowledge full Awakening Unbinding web 3 The Buddha further warns that Whoever speculates about these things would go mad amp experience vexation web 5 See also EditNoble Silence Similarities between Pyrrhonism and Buddhism Kant s antinomies AcatalepsyReferences Edit Sanskrit avyakrta vedabase net Archived from the original on 2012 08 27 a b c d Sujato 2012 p 291 Dasgupta 1991 p 16 a b c d Buswell amp Lopez 2013 p 14 a b c Buswell amp Lopez 2013 p 852 a b c Kalupahanna 1976 p 79 nath 1998 p 622 Bhikkhu Thanissaro 2010 p 58 Cula Malunkyovada Sutta Translation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu Retrieved 2014 06 26 Aggi Vacchagotta Sutta Translation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu Retrieved 2014 06 26 Sabbasava Sutta Translation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu Retrieved 2013 06 26 a b Shrader Douglas W Between Self and No Self Lessons from the Majjhima Nikaya PDF Presented at the annual meeting of ASPAC Asian Studies on the Pacific Coast hosted by the East West Center Honolulu HI June 15 17 2007 Archived from the original PDF on 2015 09 11 Samyutta Nikaya 56 41Sources EditPrinted sourcesSujato Bhikkhu 2012 A History of Mindfulness Santipada Bhikkhu Thanissaro 2010 Wings to Awakening Part I PDF Metta Forest Monastery Valley Center CA Bodhi Bhikkhu 2000 The Connected Discourses of the Buddha A New Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya Boston Wisdom Publications ISBN 0 86171 331 1 Buswell Robert E Lopez Donald S Jr eds 2013 The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism Princeton University Press Dasgupta Surendranath 1991 A History of Indian Philosophy Volume 4 Motilal Banarsidass Publ Kalupahanna David J 1976 Buddhist Philosophy A Historical Analysis University of Hawaii Press nath Samir 1998 Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Buddhism Volume 3 Sarup 7 Sons Web sources spokensanskrit de acintya Acinteyya definition a b c accesstoinsight Aggi Vacchagotta Sutta To Vacchagotta on Fire translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu suttacentral Samyutta Nikaya 56 Reflection about the World accesstoinsight Acintita Sutta Unconjecturable translated by Thanissaro BhikkhuExternal links EditKaccayanagotta Sutta To Kaccayana Gotta on Right View Cula Malunkyovada Sutta The Shorter Instructions to Malunkya Aggi Vacchagotta Sutta To Vacchagotta on Fire Peter Della Santina The Tree of Enlightenment An Introduction to the Major Traditions of Buddhism Philosophy and Psychology in the Abhidharma Text of the Cula Malunkyaputta SuttaFurther reading EditKarunadasa Yakupitiyage 2007 The Unanswered Questions Why were They Unanswered A Re examination of the Textual Data Pacific World Third Series 9 3 31 Nicholson Hugh 2012 Unanswered Questions and the Limits of Knowledge Journal of Indian Philosophy 40 5 533 552 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The unanswerable questions amp oldid 1132032430, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
