Anattānupassīsutta — Anusayavagga — the second chapter of the Sevens
Setting
None stated in the source
Speakers
The Buddha alone, addressing the mendicants
Form
The identical sevenfold structure as AN 7.16, compressed to a single elided line
Length
under 15 seconds to read
Northern parallel
The extension of a liberation-classification structure across the three characteristics recurs across the Chinese Āgamas' abbreviation series; this reading guide does not assert a specific matching sutra number
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — the single most compressed discourse in this collection to date, one elided line and an ordinal
Why this discourse
AN 7.18 compresses even further than AN 7.17: a single line, “meditates observing not-self in all things,” followed immediately by “…pe….” and the source's own ordinal marker. This is the briefest discourse in this collection so far, shorter even than AN 6.90 within the previous nipāta.
Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
The same seven outcomes already detailed at AN 7.16 apply identically to not-self meditation: full awakening in this life, ending simultaneous with death, or one of five manners of non-return.
The briefest discourse in this collection to date
AN 6.90, within the previous nipāta, held the record for this collection's shortest discourse: one sentence beyond title and setting. This discourse is shorter still — a single clause naming its meditation object, followed by the ellipsis marking everything else as already given.
Not-self, completing the three characteristics
With impermanence (AN 7.16) and suffering (AN 7.17) already applied to this sevenfold structure, this discourse completes the standard three characteristics with not-self — the same trio already treated together in the previous nipāta at AN 6.98–101 and individually at AN 6.142, now each given their own discourse within this chapter's tetrad.
One object remains
AN 7.19, immediately following, will complete this tetrad with a fourth object beyond the three characteristics: the happiness of extinguishment itself, applied to the identical sevenfold structure one final time.
Key terms
anattānupassī — “observing not-self” — this discourse's own title and meditation object, completing the three characteristics within this tetrad.
…pe… — the Pāli ellipsis mark, here standing in for nearly this entire discourse's content beyond its single opening clause.
aṭṭhamaṁ — “the eighth” — the source colophon's ordinal, this discourse's own entire second line.
anicca, dukkha, anatta — “impermanent, suffering, not-self” — the three characteristics, now individually applied across AN 7.16, 7.17, and this discourse.
āhuneyyā... anuttaraṁ puññakkhettaṁ lokassa — the same closing formula shared across this entire tetrad and AN 7.14, assumed here without being spelled out at all.
The text
The formula exactly as the source compresses it: the same sevenfold structure as AN 7.16, applied to not-self, in a single elided line. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
The compressed formula
§1“First, take an individual who meditates observing not-self in all things. They perceive not-self and experience not-self. Constantly, continually, and without interruption, they apply the mind and fathom with wisdom. …”
· · ·
Self-check quiz
6 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 6
How does this discourse's length compare to the rest of this collection, according to the guide?
Correct: B. A new record for brevity within this series.
Question 2 of 6
What does this discourse's content represent?
Correct: B. The same seven outcomes, compressed to a single elided line.
Question 3 of 6
What does this discourse complete, according to the guide?
Correct: B. The third of three characteristics already treated together in the previous nipāta.
Question 4 of 6
What comes next in this tetrad, according to the guide?
Correct: B. One further discourse completes this four-part tetrad.
Question 5 of 6
Is a setting stated for AN 7.18?
Correct: B. A bare formula, as compressed as the rest of this discourse.
Question 6 of 6
What does anattānupassī mean?
Correct: C. This discourse's own title and meditation object.
