Buddha on Two Views

“Monks, there are these two views: the view of being and the view of non-being. Any recluses or priests who rely on the view of being, adopt the view of being, accept the view of being, are opposed to the view of non-being. Any recluses or priests who rely on the view of non-being, adopt the view of non-being, accept the view of non-being, are opposed to the view of being.

 "Any recluses or priests who do not understand as they actually are the origin, the disappearance, the gratification, the danger and the escape in the case of these two views are affected by lust, affected by hate, affected by delusion, affected by craving, affected by clinging, without vision, given to favoring and opposing, and they delight in and enjoy proliferation. They are not freed from birth, aging and death, from sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair; they are not freed from suffering, I say.

 "Any recluses or priests who understand as they actually are the origin, the disappearance, the gratification, the danger and the escape in the case of these two views are without lust, without hate, without delusion, without craving, without clinging, with vision, not given to favoring and opposing, and they do not delight in and enjoy proliferation. They are freed from birth, aging and death, from sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair; they are freed from suffering, I say.”

 (Buddha, taken from the Cula-sihanada Sutta, Majjhima Nikaya 11, Tipitaka. Notes: although addressed to Buddhist monks & talking about recluses and priests, the above is applicable to anyone; being and non-being can also be translated as existence and non-existence; the crucial point here is that clinging to views is an obstacle to enlightenment, which involves the complete letting go of all views or beliefs.)