Sandiṭṭhikanibbānasutta — Sāmaññavagga — the fifth chapter of the Nines
Setting
Not restated; understood to continue from AN 9.46
Speakers
Venerable Udāyī questioning Venerable Ānanda
Form
The same bare template, now naming extinguishment itself as what is qualifiedly or definitively apparent
Length
~30 seconds to read
The first of four extinguishment-named discourses
AN 9.47 through AN 9.51 each pair a different qualifier with ‘extinguishment,’ and three of the four remaining ones are reduced in the source to a single elided line
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — brief, the compound term worth noting for what follows
Why this discourse
Udāyī asks in what way the Buddha said ‘extinguishment is apparent in the present life,’ and Ānanda answers with the same bare nine-stage formula once more, joining AN 9.46's phrase directly to extinguishment itself — each of the first eight attainments qualifiedly, the ninth definitively.
Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
Reaching any of the nine progressive attainments is what the Buddha meant by ‘extinguishment is apparent in the present life’ — in a qualified sense at each of the first eight stages, and in a definitive sense only at the ninth, the cessation of perception and feeling.
A compound term, built from the previous discourse
This discourse doesn't introduce an unrelated new phrase; it takes AN 9.46's ‘apparent in the present life’ and joins it directly to ‘extinguishment,’ nibbāna, producing the compound term this title names — the same bare formula, now applied to the chapter's most central and weighty concept.
Opening a run of four extinguishment-named discourses
This discourse opens a distinct sequence within the chapter: AN 9.47 through AN 9.51 all define some form of ‘extinguishment,’ each with a different qualifier — apparent in the present life, bare extinguishment, full extinguishment, extinguishment in a certain respect, and extinguishment in this life.
A run that becomes almost entirely elided
Of the four discourses following this one, three — AN 9.48, AN 9.49, and AN 9.50 — are reduced in the source to a single line each, no more than the opening question and an ellipsis, relying entirely on this discourse and its neighbors to supply the full nine-stage content by implication. Only the run's final discourse, AN 9.51, is given in full again, closing not just this chapter but the entire First Fifty.
Key terms
sandiṭṭhikaṁ nibbānaṁ — “extinguishment is apparent in the present life” — this discourse's own title compound, joining AN 9.46's phrase to extinguishment itself.
ettāvatāpi kho... vuttaṁ bhagavatā pariyāyena — “to this extent the Buddha said... in a qualified sense” — the bare formula, unchanged from AN 9.46 apart from its new compound title term.
nippariyāyena — “in a definitive sense” — reserved for the ninth attainment, as throughout this chapter.
nibbānaṁ — “extinguishment” — the term this discourse introduces into this chapter's compound titles, developed further across AN 9.48 through AN 9.51.
saññāvedayitanirodhaṁ upasampajja viharati, paññāya cassa disvā āsavā parikkhīṇā honti — “enters and remains in the cessation of perception and feeling... their defilements come to an end” — the shared closing formula for the definitive ninth stage.
The text
The discourse in full: the same bare nine-stage template, now applied to extinguishment itself. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Extinguishment apparent in the present life
§1“Reverend, they say that ‘extinguishment is apparent in the present life’. In what way did the Buddha say extinguishment is apparent in the present life?” “First, take a mendicant who, quite secluded from sensual pleasures … enters and remains in the first absorption. To this extent the Buddha said that extinguishment is apparent in the present life in a qualified sense. …
§2Furthermore, take a mendicant who, going totally beyond the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, enters and remains in the cessation of perception and feeling. And, having seen with wisdom, their defilements come to an end. To this extent the Buddha said that extinguishment is apparent in the present life in a definitive sense.”
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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 compound term does this discourse introduce?
Correct: B. The same bare formula from AN 9.46, now naming extinguishment specifically.
Question 2 of 6
What sequence of discourses does this one open within the chapter?
Correct: B. Apparent in the present life, bare extinguishment, full extinguishment, in a certain respect, and in this life.
Question 3 of 6
How are three of the four discourses following this one presented in the source?
Correct: B. AN 9.48, 9.49, and 9.50 rely on this discourse's template to supply their full content by implication.
Question 4 of 6
Which discourse in this run is given in full again, and what does it close?
Correct: B. The run's final discourse, given full treatment again for this significant closing role.
Question 5 of 6
At which stage alone is extinguishment apparent in the present life in a definitive sense?
Correct: C. The consistent ninth-stage pattern held throughout this chapter.
Question 6 of 6
Who speaks in this discourse?
Correct: B. The same two speakers continuing through this chapter.
