Taught to a gathering of brahmins in Sālā. On informing the Buddha that they had no favourite teacher in whom they had confidence, they were told that they should embrace and fulfil the Incontrovertible Teaching (apaṇṇaka-dhamma), and the Buddha proceeded to explain it. In the course of this elucidation reference is made to the teachings of several other schools of thought, particularly those of the Jainas and the Ājīvakas, including the six Environments of life (abhijāti). For a discussion of some of these see Further Dial. i.293, n.1.

The sutta concludes with the Arahant ideal as the pinnacle to be attained by the being who tortures neither himself nor others, and who is given to torturing neither himself nor others, but lives here and now beyond all appetites, blissful and perfected.

M.i.400-13. For a derivation of the name see Weber: Ind. Str. iii.150, and Kuhn: Beitr., where the word is derived from a-prasna-ka. Buddhaghosa defines it as “aviruddha advejjhagāmi ekasangāhiko” (MA.ii.630).