The Discourse to Kaccānagotta Sutta (Kaccānagotta Sutta)
First published: February 15, 2026
What you learn
You will learn the Buddha's teaching on right view and the middle way between eternalism and annihilationism. This discourse clarifies how dependent origination provides a path that avoids metaphysical extremes, showing that the wise person neither believes in permanent existence nor complete non-existence, but instead sees how things arise dependently and pass away.
Where it sits
This is essential wisdom teaching that is foundational for understanding non-self and emptiness in Buddhist philosophy. It represents a core teaching on right view within the canon's presentation of the Middle Way.
Suggested use
Study this sutta when struggling with philosophical extremes, investigating the nature of existence, or seeking to understand right view at a deeper level. It provides practical guidance for moving beyond dualistic thinking about being and non-being.
Guidance
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SN 12.15 — The Discourse to Kaccānagotta Sutta (Kaccānagotta Sutta)
sn12.15:gu:0001Guidance (not part of the sutta)
sn12.15:gu:0002The Buddha explains that right view means avoiding two philosophical extremes: believing things exist permanently and believing nothing exists at all. Instead, wisdom comes from directly observing how phenomena arise and cease through dependent conditions, without getting trapped in abstract debates about existence and non-existence.
sn12.15:gu:0004- Right view transcends the duality of existence versus non-existence by observing the actual processes of arising and cessation
- Seeing arising clearly eliminates the notion that nothing exists; seeing cessation clearly eliminates the notion of permanent existence
- Liberation comes from not clinging to mental positions, standpoints, or underlying tendencies about the nature of reality
- The Middle Way operates through direct investigation of conditioned phenomena rather than philosophical speculation
- This teaching doesn't mean "everything is relative" or that conventional reality doesn't matter—it establishes a precise method for understanding how things actually function
- The Middle Way isn't a compromise between two positions but a complete transcendence of the entire framework of absolute existence versus non-existence
- This isn't about avoiding all views, but about developing the specific right view that sees dependent origination
- When you notice strong opinions arising, observe whether they're based on assumptions about things being permanent or completely non-existent
- Practice watching phenomena arise and pass away in your direct experience without immediately categorizing them as "real" or "unreal"
- Notice when you're clinging to mental positions about how things "should be" and investigate the underlying assumptions
- The Discourse on Dependent Origination - explores the twelve-link chain that explains how phenomena arise interdependently
- The Discourse to Koṭṭhita - further develops the theme of transcending philosophical extremes
- The Greater Discourse on Emptiness - provides practical methods for investigating the non-self nature of phenomena