Samaṇasutta — Samaṇavagga — the ninth chapter of the Sevens
Setting
None stated in the source
Speakers
The Buddha alone, addressing the mendicants
Form
A single elided sentence, the shortest possible form this chapter's wordplay pattern takes
Length
a few seconds to read
Genuinely one segment
Unlike AN 7.85, this discourse's source text itself elides everything after the opening formula with an ellipsis, trusting the reader to supply AN 7.85's full seven-item list
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — as brief as this chapter's wordplay device gets
Why this discourse
AN 7.86 gives the second discourse in this chapter's set of eight, deriving “ascetic” (samaṇa) from samita, “quelled” — the same seven defilements AN 7.85 named in full, now simply described as quelled rather than broken.
Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
It is specifically because of quelling seven things — the same substantialist view, doubt, misapprehension of precepts and observances, greed, hate, delusion, and conceit AN 7.85 named — that one becomes a samaṇa, an ascetic.
A different verb, the identical seven things
Where AN 7.85 spoke of breaking (bhinna) these seven, this discourse speaks of quelling (samita) them — a subtly different image, of pacifying or stilling rather than shattering, applied to the identical list of defilements.
Elided by the source text itself
This discourse's own text states only the opening formula before trailing off into an ellipsis, exactly as it appears here: no restatement of the seven items, no closing summary sentence. The reader is expected to supply AN 7.85's full list from memory of the immediately preceding discourse.
Samaṇa and bhikkhu, two titles for the same path
Ascetic (samaṇa) is one of the most general titles for a renunciant across multiple Indian religious traditions, while bhikkhu is specific to the Buddhist community; pairing them as the first two discourses in this set suggests a movement from a title shared broadly across renunciant traditions toward increasingly specific and exalted ones as the set continues.
Key terms
samaṇa, samita — “ascetic”, “quelled” — the sound-linked pair this discourse's wordplay turns on.
sakkāyadiṭṭhi, vicikicchā, sīlabbataparāmāso — “substantialist view, doubt, misapprehension of precepts and observances” — the first three of the seven items, given in full at AN 7.85 and elided here.
rāgo, doso, moho, māno — “greed, hate, delusion, conceit” — the remaining four items, likewise elided in this discourse's own text.
…pe… — the peyyāla ellipsis marking this discourse's own elision, trusting the reader to supply AN 7.85's full list from memory.
dutiyaṁ — “the second” — this discourse's own closing ordinal marker in the source text, confirming its place as the second in this set of eight.
The text
The discourse in full, a single elided sentence. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Why one is called an ascetic
§1“Mendicants, it’s because of quelling seven things that you become an ascetic …”
· · ·
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
What verb does this discourse connect to “ascetic” (samaṇa)?
Correct: B. A different image — pacifying rather than shattering — applied to the same seven defilements.
Question 2 of 6
Does this discourse restate the seven-item list in full?
Correct: B. A genuine single-segment discourse, the most extreme compression in this set.
Question 3 of 6
According to the guide, what is the reader expected to supply for this discourse's elided content?
Correct: B. The same list already given in full at AN 7.85.
Question 4 of 6
According to the guide, what does pairing “ascetic” and “mendicant” as the first two discourses in this set suggest?
Correct: B. Samaṇa as a general renunciant title, bhikkhu as specifically Buddhist, opening a graded sequence.
Question 5 of 6
What is this discourse's own closing marker in the source text?
Correct: B. Confirming its place as the second discourse in this set of eight.
Question 6 of 6
How long does this discourse take to read?
Correct: B. A single elided sentence, among the briefest discourses in this entire project.
