Phagguna’s QuestionPhaggunapañhāsutta

And then Venerable Phagguna went up to the Buddha … and said to him:Atha kho āyasmā phagguno …pe… ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā phagguno bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

“Sir, suppose someone were to describe the Buddhas of the past who have become fully quenched, cut off proliferation, cut off the course, finished off the cycle, and passed beyond all suffering. Does the eye exist by which they could be described?“Atthi nu kho, bhante, taṁ cakkhu, yena cakkhunā atīte buddhe parinibbute chinnapapañce chinnavaṭume pariyādinnavaṭṭe sabbadukkhavītivaṭṭe paññāpayamāno paññāpeyya …pe…

Does the ear … nose … tongue … body exist …?atthi nu kho, bhante, sā jivhā, yāya jivhāya atīte buddhe parinibbute chinnapapañce chinnavaṭume pariyādinnavaṭṭe sabbadukkhavītivaṭṭe paññāpayamāno paññāpeyya …pe… Does the mind exist by which they could be described?”atthi nu kho so, bhante, mano, yena manena atīte buddhe parinibbute chinnapapañce chinnavaṭume pariyādinnavaṭṭe sabbadukkhavītivaṭṭe paññāpayamāno paññāpeyyā”ti?

“Phagguna, suppose someone were to describe the Buddhas of the past who have become fully quenched, cut off proliferation, cut off the course, finished off the cycle, and passed beyond all suffering. The eye does not exist by which they could be described.“Natthi kho taṁ, phagguna, cakkhu, yena cakkhunā atīte buddhe parinibbute chinnapapañce chinnavaṭume pariyādinnavaṭṭe sabbadukkhavītivaṭṭe paññāpayamāno paññāpeyya …pe…

The ear … nose … tongue … body does not exist …natthi kho sā, phagguna, jivhā, yāya jivhāya atīte buddhe parinibbute chinnapapañce chinnavaṭume pariyādinnavaṭṭe sabbadukkhavītivaṭṭe paññāpayamāno paññāpeyya …pe… The mind does not exist by which they could be described.”natthi kho so, phagguna, mano, yena manena atīte buddhe parinibbute chinnapapañce chinnavaṭume pariyādinnavaṭṭe sabbadukkhavītivaṭṭe paññāpayamāno paññāpeyyā”ti.