Tatiyasāriputtakoṭṭhikasutta
Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā ca sāriputto, āyasmā ca mahākoṭṭhiko bārāṇasiyaṁ viharanti isipatane migadāye …pe… (sāyeva pucchā.) “Ko nu kho, āvuso, hetu ko paccayo, yenetaṁ abyākataṁ bhagavatā”ti? “Rūpe kho, āvuso, avigatarāgassa avigatacchandassa avigatapemassa avigatapipāsassa avigatapariḷāhassa avigatataṇhassa ‘hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’tipissa hoti …pe… ‘neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’tipissa hoti. Vedanāya …pe… saññāya …pe… saṅkhāresu …pe… viññāṇe avigatarāgassa avigatacchandassa avigatapemassa avigatapipāsassa avigatapariḷāhassa avigatataṇhassa ‘hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’tipissa hoti …pe… ‘neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’tipissa hoti. Rūpe ca kho, āvuso, vigatarāgassa …pe… vedanāya …pe… saññāya …pe… saṅkhāresu …pe… viññāṇe vigatarāgassa vigatacchandassa vigatapemassa vigatapipāsassa vigatapariḷāhassa vigatataṇhassa ‘hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’tipissa na hoti …pe… ‘neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’tipissa na hoti. Ayaṁ kho, āvuso, hetu, ayaṁ paccayo, yenetaṁ abyākataṁ bhagavatā”ti.
With Sāriputta and Koṭṭhita (3rd)
At one time Venerable Sāriputta and Venerable Mahākoṭṭhita were staying near Varanasi in the deer park at Isipatana. … (The same down as far as:) “What’s the cause, reverend, what’s the reason why this has not been declared by the Buddha?” “Reverend, if you’re not rid of greed, desire, fondness, thirst, passion, and craving for form … feeling … perception … choices … consciousness, you think ‘a realized one still exists after death’ … ‘a realized one neither still exists nor no longer exists after death.’ If you are rid of greed for form … feeling … perception … choices … consciousness, you don’t think ‘a realized one still exists after death’ … ‘a realized one neither still exists nor no longer exists after death.’ This is the cause, this is the reason why this has not been declared by the Buddha.”