Not narrated in this discourse's source text; no discourse in this vagga carries a narrative frame at all
Speakers
Not named explicitly; a three-part riddle answered point by point
Form
A four-line question, answered by a matching four-line reply, naming the same term throughout
Length
~20 seconds to read
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — direct in form, the most single-mindedly focused riddle in this vagga
A single term, three times
Unlike SN 1.64 and SN 1.65's three distinct terms, this discourse's question and answer both use the same word throughout
Why this discourse
This discourse asks three related questions, all pointing at the same underlying concern: what binds the world, by removing what is it freed, and with the giving up of what are all bonds severed? Unlike SN 1.64 and SN 1.65, which named delight as the fetter and craving as what must be relinquished, this discourse answers all three questions with a single term: desire (icchā).
Reading guide
One term, not a chain of related concepts
Where SN 1.64 and SN 1.65 distinguished delight (what fetters) from craving (what must be given up), this discourse collapses the whole sequence into a single term. Desire both binds the world and is what must be removed for it to be freed — cause and cure named identically rather than through two related but distinct concepts.
A term already met earlier in this vagga
Icchā already appeared at SN 1.66, describing the world as ‘always fuming’ with desire. This discourse returns to the same term and makes it the sole subject of an entire riddle, rather than one item among several afflictions.
The simplest possible answer to this vagga's governing question
Across SN 1.61 through SN 1.68, this vagga has proposed name, mind, craving, delight, and combinations of mortality, old age, and suffering as what binds or governs the world. This discourse's single, unadorned answer — desire, named three times without variation — is the most economical formulation the vagga has offered so far.
Key terms
icchā — “desire, wish” — this discourse's title, and its sole answer across all three of its questions.
icchā loke bandhati — “desire is what binds the world” — the verse's first answer, using the same verb already met at SN 1.65.
icchāvinayena muccati — “by the removing of desire it's freed” — the second answer, naming removal of the exact same term as the cause of freedom.
icchāya vippahānena — “with the giving up of desire” — the third answer, again using the identical term for what severs all bonds.
icchādhūpāyito — “fuming with desire” — the earlier appearance of this same term at SN 1.66, describing the world's ongoing affliction.
The text
The discourse in full: a single term, named three times, as both the world's bondage and its release. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1“What is it that binds the world? By removing what is it freed? With the giving up of what are all bonds severed?”
§2“Desire is what binds the world. By the removing of desire it’s freed. With the giving up of desire, all bonds are severed.”
· · ·
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
What single term does this discourse's reply use across all three of its answers?
Correct: A. One term, not a chain of related but distinct concepts.
Question 2 of 10
How does this discourse differ from SN 1.64 and SN 1.65 in its use of terms?
Correct: A. Cause and cure named identically here, unlike SN 1.64 and SN 1.65's delight-and-craving distinction.
Question 3 of 10
Where did this discourse's central term already appear earlier in this vagga?
Correct: A. One item among several afflictions there; the sole subject of an entire riddle here.
Question 4 of 10
What does the reply say happens when desire is removed?
Correct: A. Icchāvinayena muccati — removal of the same term named as the cause of binding.
Question 5 of 10
How does this discourse compare to this vagga's earlier candidates for what governs the world?
Correct: A. Named three times without variation, the simplest formulation offered so far.
Question 6 of 10
What does 'icchā loke bandhati' mean?
Correct: A. This discourse's opening answer.
Question 7 of 10
What three questions does this discourse's riddle ask, all pointing at one concern?
Correct: A. Three angles on the same underlying question, all answered with 'desire.'
Question 8 of 10
What does 'icchāvinayena muccati' mean?
Correct: A. The second of this discourse's three parallel answers.
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
How many distinct terms appear in this discourse's answer, compared to SN 1.64's three?
Correct: A. The most single-minded riddle in this vagga's whole sequence.
