The Buddha alone, addressing the assembled mendicants
Form
The exact structural repetition of SN 15.14, with the relationship swapped
Length
under 1 minute to read
Northern parallel
A rough counterpart may exist in the Chinese Saṃyukta-āgama (T99), though this reading guide does not assert a specific matching sutra number
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — a direct companion to SN 15.14, best read immediately alongside it
Why this discourse
This discourse repeats SN 15.14's exact claim with fathers in place of mothers: it's not easy to find a being who hasn't previously been your father, across this long time. Together, the two discourses complete the parental pair this saṃyutta's family-relationship set opens with, mirroring how SN 15.1 and 15.2 opened Paṭhamavagga with exactly the same maternal-then-paternal sequence, though using measurement there instead of this discourse's direct universal claim.
Reading guide
An exact repetition, one word changed
Every element of this discourse matches SN 15.14 precisely; only mātā, mother, becomes pitā, father, throughout.
Completing a pair this saṃyutta has drawn twice now
SN 15.1 and 15.2 opened Paṭhamavagga with grass-and-wood for mothers, then earth-for-fathers; this discourse and SN 15.14 open a comparable pair here, using a different rhetorical form for the same relationship pairing.
The parental relationships given first, deliberately
Of the six family relationships this set addresses, mother and father come first — the two relationships from which every other family bond in the set (brother, sister, son, daughter) ultimately extends.
A universal claim requiring no further argument
As with SN 15.14, this discourse offers its claim directly and moves on, trusting the mother discourse's logic to transfer without needing to be restated in different terms.
The pattern about to shift to lateral relationships
Having addressed both parents, this saṃyutta's next pair turns to siblings — brother and sister — before finally addressing children in the set's final two discourses.
Key terms
na … sulabharūpo — “not easy to find” — the same framing phrase as SN 15.14, unchanged.
napitābhūtapubbo — “has not previously been your father” — this discourse's claim, differing from SN 15.14 only in the relationship named.
mātā, pitā — “mother, father” — the two parental relationships this pair of discourses addresses, opening the set of six.
iminā dīghena addhunā — “in all this long time” — the same temporal frame as every discourse in this saṃyutta.
pañcamaṁ — “the fifth” — the closing numbering tag, marking this discourse's place in the vagga.
The text
The discourse in full, including the source's own elision of the standard refrain. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, this transmigration has no known beginning. … It’s not easy to find a sentient being who in all this long time has not previously been your father. … This is quite enough for you to become disillusioned, dispassionate, and freed regarding all conditions.”
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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 claim does this discourse make, mirroring SN 15.14?
Correct: A. The identical structure as SN 15.14, with father replacing mother.
Question 2 of 10
How does this discourse's relationship to SN 15.14 compare to SN 15.1 and 15.2's relationship?
Correct: A. The same relationship sequence, expressed through a different teaching style.
Question 3 of 10
Why are mother and father addressed first in this six-discourse set?
Correct: A. A deliberate ordering, not a random sequence.
Question 4 of 10
What relationship pair does this saṃyutta turn to immediately after mother and father?
Correct: A. SN 15.16-17 address brother and sister next, before children in SN 15.18-19.
Question 5 of 10
Does this discourse restate SN 15.14's logic in different terms?
Correct: A. A direct repetition rather than a fresh argument.
Question 6 of 10
What word changes between SN 15.14 and this discourse, with everything else held constant?
Correct: A. A single substitution, otherwise an exact match.
Question 7 of 10
What temporal frame grounds this discourse's claim?
Correct: A. The same beginningless span as SN 15.14 and every discourse in this saṃyutta.
Question 8 of 10
Who is the sole speaker in this discourse?
Correct: A. No interlocutor or visitor appears; the Buddha teaches directly.
Question 9 of 10
Where does the Buddha deliver this teaching?
Correct: A. The setting shared with most discourses in this collection.
