Then after two or three days had passed, Citta Hatthisāriputta and Poṭṭhapāda went to see the Buddha. Citta Hatthisāriputta bowed and sat down to one side. But the wanderer Poṭṭhapāda exchanged greetings with the Buddha, and when the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side. Poṭṭhapāda told the Buddha what had happened after he left. The Buddha said:

“All those wanderers, Poṭṭhapāda, are blind and sightless. You are the only one who sees. For I have taught and pointed out both things that are definitive and things that are not definitive.

And what things have I taught and pointed out that are not definitive? ‘The cosmos is eternal’ … ‘The cosmos is not eternal’ … ‘The cosmos is finite’ … ‘The cosmos is infinite’ … ‘The soul is the same thing as the body’ … ‘The soul and the body are different things’ … ‘A Realized One exists after death’ … ‘A Realized One doesn’t exist after death’ … ‘A Realized One both exists and doesn’t exist after death’ … ‘A Realized One neither exists nor doesn’t exist after death.’

And why haven’t I taught and pointed out such things that are not definitive? Because those things aren’t beneficial or relevant to the fundamentals of the spiritual life. They don’t lead to disillusionment, dispassion, cessation, peace, insight, awakening, and extinguishment. That’s why I haven’t taught and pointed them out.