“This is peace, this is exquisite — the resolution of all fabrications, the relinquishment of all acquisitions, the ending of craving; dispassion; cessation; Nibbana.”

— AN 3.32

“There is that dimension where there is neither earth, nor water, nor
fire, nor wind; neither dimension of the infinitude of space, nor
dimension of the infinitude of consciousness, nor dimension of
nothingness, nor dimension of neither perception nor non-perception;
neither this world, nor the next world, nor sun, nor moon. And there, I
say, there is neither coming, nor going, nor stasis; neither passing
away nor arising: without stance, without foundation, without support
[mental object]. This, just this, is the end of stress.”

— Ud 8.1

“There is, monks, an unborn — unbecome — unmade — unfabricated. If
there were not that unborn — unbecome — unmade — unfabricated, there
would not be the case that emancipation from the born — become — made —
fabricated would be discerned. But precisely because there is an unborn —
unbecome — unmade — unfabricated, emancipation from the born — become —
made — fabricated is discerned.”

— Ud 8.3

Then the Blessed One, picking up a little bit of dust with the tip of
his fingernail, said to the monks, “What do you think, monks? Which is
greater: the little bit of dust I have picked up with the tip of my
fingernail, or the great earth?”

“The great earth is far greater, lord. The little bit of dust the
Blessed One has picked up with the tip of his fingernail is next to
nothing. It’s not a hundredth, a thousandth, a one hundred-thousandth —
this little bit of dust the Blessed One has picked up with the tip of
his fingernail — when compared with the great earth.”

“In the same way, monks, for a disciple of the noble ones who is consummate in view, an individual who has broken through [to stream-entry],
the suffering & stress that is totally ended & extinguished is
far greater. That which remains in the state of having at most seven
remaining lifetimes is next to nothing: it’s not a hundredth, a
thousandth, a one hundred-thousandth, when compared with the previous
mass of suffering. That’s how great the benefit is of breaking through
to the Dhamma, monks. That’s how great the benefit is of obtaining the
Dhamma eye.”

— SN 13.1

[Aggivessana Vacchagotta:] “But, Master Gotama, the monk whose mind is thus released: Where does he reappear?”

[The Buddha:] “‘Reappear,’ Vaccha, doesn’t apply.”

“In that case, Master Gotama, he does not reappear.”

“‘Does not reappear,’ Vaccha, doesn’t apply.”

“…both does & does not reappear.”

“…doesn’t apply.”

“…neither does nor does not reappear.”

“…doesn’t apply.”

“How is it, Master Gotama, when Master Gotama is asked if the monk
reappears… does not reappear… both does & does not reappear…
neither does nor does not reappear, he says, ‘…doesn’t apply’ in each
case. At this point, Master Gotama, I am befuddled; at this point,
confused. The modicum of clarity coming to me from your earlier
conversation is now obscured.”

“Of course you’re befuddled, Vaccha. Of course you’re confused. Deep,
Vaccha, is this phenomenon, hard to see, hard to realize, tranquil,
refined, beyond the scope of conjecture, subtle, to-be-experienced by
the wise. For those with other views, other practices, other
satisfactions, other aims, other teachers, it is difficult to know. That
being the case, I will now put some questions to you. Answer as you see
fit. What do you think, Vaccha: If a fire were burning in front of you, would you know that, ‘This fire is burning in front of me’?”

“…yes…”

“And suppose someone were to ask you, Vaccha, ‘This fire burning in
front of you, dependent on what is it burning?’ Thus asked, how would
you reply?”

“…I would reply, ‘This fire burning in front of me is burning dependent on grass & timber as its sustenance.’”

“If the fire burning in front of you were to go out, would you know that, ‘This fire burning in front of me has gone out’?”

“…yes…”

“And suppose someone were to ask you, ‘This fire that has gone out in
front of you, in which direction from here has it gone? East? West?
North? Or south?’ Thus asked, how would you reply?”

“That doesn’t apply, Master Gotama. Any fire burning dependent on a
sustenance of grass and timber, being unnourished — from having consumed
that sustenance and not being offered any other — is classified simply
as ‘out’ (unbound).”

“Even so, Vaccha, any physical form by which one describing the
Tathagata would describe him: That the Tathagata has abandoned, its root
destroyed, made like a palmyra stump, deprived of the conditions of
development, not destined for future arising. Freed from the
classification of form, Vaccha, the Tathagata is deep, boundless, hard
to fathom, like the sea. ‘Reappears’ doesn’t apply. ‘Does not reappear’
doesn’t apply. ‘Both does & does not reappear’ doesn’t apply.
‘Neither reappears nor does not reappear’ doesn’t apply.

“Any feeling… Any perception… Any mental fabrication…

“Any consciousness by which one describing the Tathagata would
describe him: That the Tathagata has abandoned, its root destroyed, made
like a palmyra stump, deprived of the conditions of development, not
destined for future arising. Freed from the classification of
consciousness, Vaccha, the Tathagata is deep, boundless, hard to fathom,
like the sea.”

— MN 72