Not narrated in this discourse's source text; no discourse in this vagga carries a narrative frame at all
Speakers
Not named explicitly; a four-part riddle answered point by point
Form
A four-line question, sharing three lines exactly with SN 1.55, varying only its fourth
Length
~30 seconds to read
Difficulty
★★☆☆☆ — direct in form
The middle of a three-part sequence
This discourse's fourth line shifts from SN 1.55's fear of suffering to not being free from it
Why this discourse
This discourse repeats SN 1.55's first three lines and answers exactly: craving gives birth to a person, their mind runs about, and a sentient being enters transmigration. Only the fourth question changes — rather than asking what a person fears most, it asks what a person is not free from — and the answer shifts to match: not fear of suffering, but freedom from suffering itself, still unattained.
Reading guide
From fear to bondage
SN 1.55 asked what a person fears most and answered ‘suffering’; this discourse asks instead what a person is ‘not free from,’ and answers with the same word, ‘suffering,’ but in a different grammatical relationship — not an object of dread but a condition not yet escaped.
The same three causes, a different consequence named
Craving still gives birth to a person, the mind still runs about, a being still enters transmigration — the mechanics described in SN 1.55 remain unchanged. What shifts is only which aspect of suffering's relationship to a person the final line asks about: being afraid of it, versus being bound by it.
A meaningful, not merely cosmetic, variation
Fear and lack of freedom are related but distinct claims: fear describes an anticipatory attitude toward something, while lack of freedom describes an ongoing condition regardless of attitude. This discourse's single changed line asks about the second, having already had the first addressed by SN 1.55 immediately before it.
Key terms
taṇhā janeti purisaṁ — “craving gives birth to a person” — unchanged from SN 1.55, the first of three lines shared exactly between the two discourses.
cittamassa vidhāvati — “their mind is what runs about” — the second shared line, again unchanged.
satto saṁsāramāpādi — “a sentient being enters transmigration” — the third shared line, completing the identical opening three-quarters of both discourses.
dukkhā na parimuccati — “from suffering they are not free” — this discourse's own unique fourth answer, distinct from SN 1.55's naming of fear.
parimuccati — “is freed, is released” — the verb this discourse's closing claim negates, describing a freedom not yet attained.
The text
The discourse in full: the same three causes as SN 1.55, closing on a different consequence. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1“What gives birth to a person? What do they have that runs about? What enters transmigration? From what are they not free?”
§2“Craving gives birth to a person. Their mind is what runs about. A sentient being enters transmigration. From suffering they are not free.”
· · ·
Self-check quiz
Ten questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 10
How many of this discourse's four lines are shared exactly with SN 1.55?
Correct: A. The same pattern as SN 1.55's own opening three lines.
Question 2 of 10
What does this discourse's fourth question ask, distinct from SN 1.55's?
Correct: A. A shift from fear to an ongoing condition of bondage.
Question 3 of 10
What does this discourse's answer name as what a person is not free from?
Correct: A. Dukkhā na parimuccati — the same underlying condition, differently framed.
Question 4 of 10
Do the first three answers change between SN 1.55 and this discourse?
Correct: A. The mechanics of rebirth remain unchanged; only the final question and answer shift.
Question 5 of 10
How does 'fear of suffering' differ from 'not being free from suffering'?
Correct: A. Related but distinct claims, each addressed by a different discourse in this sequence.
Question 6 of 10
What does 'parimuccati' mean?
Correct: A. The verb negated in this discourse's closing claim.
Question 7 of 10
What is this discourse's position in the three-part sequence it belongs to?
Correct: A. The middle discourse of this collection's first three-part matched sequence.
Question 8 of 10
What does 'satto saṁsāramāpādi' mean?
Correct: A. The third of three lines shared exactly with SN 1.55.
Question 9 of 10
What is the setting of this discourse?
Correct: A. Like every discourse in this vagga, no setting is given directly.
Question 10 of 10
Is this variation between SN 1.55 and SN 1.56 merely cosmetic?
Correct: A. Two related but genuinely different aspects of suffering's relationship to a person.
