Kala–Vivāda Sutta (No. 11)
The Causes of Conflict, Attachment, and Dispute
The Buddha’s phantom-appearance (Buddha-nimitta) asked:
[418] “From what cause arise quarrels, disputes, lamentation, sorrow, along with stinginess, conceit, contempt, and harsh or divisive speech? From what do these defiling states arise? May the Blessed One please explain their origin.”
The Buddha replied:
“Quarrels, disputes, lamentation, sorrow; stinginess, conceit, contempt, and divisive speech — all these arise from what is dear, from what is loved.
Where there is what is dear, there stinginess grows; from stinginess comes dispute; and when dispute has arisen, divisive speech appears.”
The Buddha-nimitta asked further:
“But what is the cause of ‘the dear’ in the world? And for those kings and others who roam the world with greed — what is the cause of their greed? And the hopes and attainments that humans long for in the next world — what is their cause?”
The Buddha replied:
“What is dear in the world arises from delight (nandī). Likewise, the greed of kings and others arises from delight.
And the hopes and attainments that humans yearn for concerning the world beyond — these also arise from delight.”
The Buddha-nimitta asked:
“And what is the cause of delight in the world? Also — craving, view-taking, anger, the fault of false speech, and doubt — from what do these arise?”
The Buddha replied:
“The wise say that pleasant feeling and painful feeling are the basis for delight and non-delight.
Delight arises dependent on pleasant and painful feeling.
Seeing the rise and fall of forms, beings engage in judgment (vinicchaya).
Anger, the fault of false speech, and doubt about the Dhamma — these arise when delight and non-delight exist.
One who has doubt should train in the path leading to knowledge.
A sage, knowing this, explains the Dhamma.”
The Buddha-nimitta asked:
“What is the cause of delight and non-delight? When what is absent are they absent? Please tell me the cause of their arising and their passing away.”
The Buddha replied:
“Delight and non-delight arise from contact (phassa). When contact is absent, these states do not arise.
And the arising and ceasing of these states has contact as its cause.”
The Buddha-nimitta asked:
“And what is the cause of contact in the world? From what does possessiveness arise? When what is absent is the thought ‘This is mine’ absent? And when what is absent is contact not established?”
The Buddha replied:
“Contact arises dependent on name-and-form (nāma-rūpa). Possessiveness arises from desire (chanda).
When desire is absent, the notion ‘This is mine’ does not occur. When form is absent, contact does not strike.”
The Buddha-nimitta asked:
“When one trains in what way does form cease? And how do pleasure and pain not arise? Please explain the mode by which form and feeling are not found.”
The Buddha replied:
“One is not characterized by ordinary perception, nor by distorted perception; not without perception, nor perceiving ‘nothingness.’
When one trains thus, form does not exist.
For the slow-produced phenomena have perception as their root.”
The Buddha-nimitta asked again:
“What I asked, the Blessed One has explained. Now I ask further — do the ascetics and brahmins who claim to be wise declare purity of beings solely on the basis of this attainment, or do they declare a purity beyond even these form-attainments?”
The Buddha replied:
“Ascetics and brahmins who uphold eternalism (sassata-diṭṭhi) claim that the formless attainments (arūpa-samāpatti) are purity.
But those ascetics and brahmins who uphold annihilationism (uccheda-diṭṭhi), claim that Nibbāna without residue (anupādisesa) is purity, and they dispute with the eternalists.
But the sage — the muni — understands these view-holders as relying on eternalism and annihilationism.
He examines the clinging to views, sees phenomena as impermanent, stressful, and not-self, and is liberated.
He does not argue with anyone, and does not return to any realm of existence, great or small.”
End of the Kala–Vivāda Sutta (No. 11)
Short Pāli Glossary (concise · intensive)
- kalahā — quarrels; open conflict.
- vivādā — disputes; argumentative contention.
- nandi — delight; emotional enjoyment that causes “the dear.”
- piya — the dear; what is loved, clung to.
- phassa — contact; meeting of sense-base, object, and consciousness.
- nāma-rūpa — name-and-form; mentality-materiality; basis for contact.
- chanda — desire; wanting; root of possessiveness.
- vinicchaya — judgment, discrimination; conceptual taking-sides.
- arūpa-samāpatti — formless attainments; four immaterial jhānas.
- anupādisesa-nibbāna — Nibbāna without residue at an arahant’s passing.
- sassata-diṭṭhi — eternalism; belief in an everlasting self.
- uccheda-diṭṭhi — annihilationism; belief that the self ends completely at death.
- muni — sage; one who is silent from views, liberated.