The Long Āgama Sūtra 17.26

17.26

「或有外道梵志作是說言：『沙門釋子有不住法。』應報彼言：『諸賢！莫作是說：沙門釋子有不住法。所以者何？沙門釋子，其法常住，不可動轉，譬如門閫常住不動，沙門釋子亦復如是，其法常住，無有移動。』或有外道梵志作是說言：『沙門瞿曇盡知過去世事，不知未來事。』『彼比丘、彼異學梵志智異，智觀亦異，所言虛妄。如來於彼過去事，若在目前，無不知見；於未來世，生於道智。過去世事虛妄不實，不足喜樂，無所利益，佛則不記；或過去事有實，無可喜樂，無所利益，佛亦不記；若過去事有實、可樂，而無利益，佛亦不記；若過去事有實、可樂，有所利益，如來盡知然後記之；未來、現在，亦復如是。如來於過去、未來、現在，應時語、實語、義語、利語、法語、律語，無有虛也。佛於初夜成最正覺，及末後夜，於其中間有所言說，盡皆如實，故名如來。復次，如來所說如事，事如所說，故名如來。以何等義，名等正覺？佛所知見、所滅、所覺，佛盡覺知，故名等正覺。』

“Some wanderers of other religions make the statement, ‘The ascetic Śākyans have an unsteady teaching.’

“You should respond to them, ‘Good men, don’t say that the ascetic Śākyans have a teaching that’s unsteady. Why is that? The teaching of ascetic Śākyans is always steady and immovable. It’s like a gate’s threshold that’s always steady and unmoved. The ascetic Śākyans are likewise. Their teaching is always steady without any movement.’

“Some wanderers of other religions make the statement, ‘The ascetic Gautama entirely knows about past lives, but he doesn’t know the future.’

“Monks, the knowledge of those wanderers of different trainings is different, and their examination of knowledge is also different. That statement is false. There’s nothing in the past that the Tathāgata doesn’t know and see like seeing it with his own eyes. His knowledge about future lives arose with the knowledge of awakening.

“When past lives are false, unreal, not worth enjoying, or aren’t beneficial, the Buddha doesn’t relate them. If past lives are real but aren’t worth enjoying or beneficial, the Buddha doesn’t relate them. If past lives are real and worth enjoying but aren’t beneficial, the Buddha doesn’t relate them, either. If past lives are real, worth enjoying, and beneficial, the Tathāgata entirely knows them and relates them afterward. The future and present are likewise.

“The Tathāgata’s discourses about the past, future, and present are timely, truthful, meaningful, profitable, about Dharma, about discipline, and without any falsehood. From the first night after the Buddha achieved complete awakening to the last night, everything he says in the meantime is true. That’s why he’s called the Tathāgata.

“Furthermore, what the Tathāgata says is according to the subject, and the subject is as he describes it. Therefore, he’s called the Tathāgata. What’s the meaning of his being called the Completely Awakened One? The Buddha entirely comprehends what he knows and sees, what he ceased, and what he realized. Therefore, he’s called the Completely Awakened One.