The Long Āgama Sūtra 28.41

28.41

時，布吒婆樓梵志又於異時，共象首舍利弗詣世尊所，問訊已，一面坐。象首舍利弗禮佛而坐，梵志白佛言：「佛先在我所，時，去未久，其後諸餘梵志語我言：『汝何故聽沙門瞿曇所說，語語印可？瞿曇言：「我、世間常，乃至如來非終非不終，不合義，故不記。」汝何故印可是言？我等不可沙門瞿曇如是所說。』我報彼言：『沙門瞿曇所說：「我、世間有常，乃至如來非終非不終，不與義合，故我不記。」我亦不印可此言。但彼沙門瞿曇依法住法，以法而言，以法出離，我等何由違此智言？沙門瞿曇微妙法言，不可違也。』」

Not long after the Buddha departed, some other wanderers said to the wanderer [Poṭṭhapāda], “Why were you listening to the teaching of that ascetic Gautama and approving of what he said? Gautama says, ‘“Self and the world is permanent … the Tathāgata neither dies nor doesn’t die” are incompatible with meaning … so I don’t explain them.’ Why did you approve of those words? We cannot have such discussions with the ascetic Gautama.”

[Poṭṭhapāda] replied to the wanderers, “The ascetic Gautama taught, ‘“Self and the world are permanent … the Tathāgata neither dies nor doesn’t die” aren’t compatible with the meaning … so I don’t explain them.’ I don’t approve of his words, either. It’s just that the ascetic Gautama lives relying on a teaching, so he speaks using that teaching. The escape uses this teaching, so why would I contradict his wise statement? A subtle Dharma statement like the ascetic Gautama’s can’t be contradicted.”

At a different time, the wanderer [Poṭṭhapāda] visited the Bhagavān with Hastikaśīrṣa Śāriputra. After exchanging greetings, he sat to one side. Hastikaśīrṣa Śāriputra bowed to the Buddha and sat, too.

The wanderer said to the Buddha, “When the Buddha paid us a visit before, the other wanderers said to me not long after you departed, ‘Why were you listening to what the ascetic Gautama teaches and approving of what he said? Gautama says, “‘Self and the world are permanent … the Tathāgata neither dies nor doesn’t die’ aren’t compatible with meaning … so I don’t explain them.” Why did you approve of those words? We cannot have such discussions with the ascetic Gautama.’

“I replied to them, ‘The ascetic Gautama does teach, “‘Self and the world are permanent … the Tathāgata neither dies nor doesn’t die’ aren’t compatible with the meaning … so I don’t explain them.’ I don’t approve of what he said, either. It’s just that the ascetic Gautama lives relying on a teaching, so he explains that teaching, and the escape uses this teaching, so why would I contradict his wise statement? A subtle Dharma statement like the ascetic Gautama’s can’t be contradicted.’”