Reading guide
No wrong in punishment, torture, or theft
"The one who acts does nothing wrong when they punish, mutilate, torture, aggrieve, oppress, intimidate..." — extending through killing, theft, burglary, highway robbery, adultery, and lying, each declared to produce "no evil... and no outcome of evil."
An escalation into the grotesque
The view intensifies through two vivid images: reducing every living creature on earth to "one heap and mass of flesh with a razor-edged chakram" produces no evil outcome, and going along the Ganges killing and torturing while encouraging others to do the same likewise produces nothing — matched by an equally stark claim that going along the opposite bank giving and sacrificing produces "no merit... and no outcome of merit" either.
This double-sided symmetry is the view's real force: it is not merely permissive toward atrocity, it denies that generosity accomplishes anything either — action of any kind, in either moral direction, is declared entirely inert.
A view closely tracking Pūraṇa Kassapa's doctrine
The Sāmaññaphala Sutta attributes strikingly similar language, including comparable imagery of the Ganges' two banks, to Pūraṇa Kassapa, another of the six teachers King Ajātasattu consults — a doctrine traditionally labeled akiriyavāda, "the doctrine of non-doing" or amoralism, distinct from SN 24.5's annihilationism though the two overlap in denying moral consequence.
The same six grounds, applied once more
As with every discourse in this vagga, the view is traced to grasping the aggregates and the sixth cognitive ground, each shown impermanent, and a noble disciple who gives up doubt on these grounds and the four truths declared a stream-enterer.
Key terms
The text
§1At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, when what exists, because of grasping what and insisting on what, does the view arise: ‘The one who acts does nothing wrong when they punish, mutilate, torture, aggrieve, oppress, intimidate, or when they encourage others to do the same. Nothing bad is done when they kill, steal, break into houses, plunder wealth, steal from isolated buildings, commit highway robbery, commit adultery, and lie. If you were to reduce all the living creatures of this earth to one heap and mass of flesh with a razor-edged chakram, no evil comes of that, and no outcome of evil. If you were to go along the south bank of the Ganges killing, mutilating, and torturing, and encouraging others to do the same, no evil comes of that, and no outcome of evil. If you were to go along the north bank of the Ganges giving and sacrificing and encouraging others to do the same, no merit comes of that, and no outcome of merit. In giving, self-control, restraint, and truthfulness there is no merit or outcome of merit’?” “Our teachings are rooted in the Buddha. …”
§2“When form exists, because of grasping form and insisting on form, the view arises: ‘The one who acts does nothing wrong … there is no merit or outcome of merit.’ When feeling … perception … choices … consciousness exists, because of grasping consciousness and insisting on consciousness, the view arises: ‘The one who acts does nothing wrong … there is no merit or outcome of merit.’ What do you think, mendicants? Is form permanent or impermanent?” “Impermanent, sir.” … “Is feeling … perception … choices … consciousness permanent or impermanent?” “Impermanent, sir.” … “That which is seen, heard, thought, known, attained, sought, and explored by the mind: is that permanent or impermanent?” “Impermanent, sir.” … “But by not grasping what’s impermanent, suffering, and perishable, would such a view arise?” “No, sir.”
§3“When a noble disciple has given up doubt regarding these six grounds, and has given up doubt in suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the practice that leads to its cessation, they’re called a noble disciple who is a stream-enterer, not liable to be reborn in the underworld, assured, destined for awakening.”
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