The Buddha, questioning the assembled mendicants directly
Form
A direct question-and-response dialogue with the whole assembly, not a single questioner
Length
Short — a brisk exchange, closing with the standard formula
Northern parallel
The negated three-clause formula ("not mine, not I, not my self") is among the Canon's most standard technical formulas
Difficulty
Approachable — direct and conversational in tone
Why this discourse
Unlike the preceding discourses' single questioner, the Buddha here addresses the whole assembly directly: "do you regard form like this: 'this is mine, I am this, this is my self'?" — and their unanimous "No, sir" becomes the springboard for stating the correct alternative explicitly, praised with a warm "Good, mendicants!"
Reading guide
A direct question to the whole assembly
"What do you think, mendicants? Do you regard form like this: 'This is mine, I am this, this is my self'?" — a question posed not to one mendicant seeking clarification, but to the gathered community, testing their own actual view rather than delivering an abstract teaching.
A negative answer, warmly confirmed
"No, sir" — the mendicants' unanimous response, met with "Good, mendicants!" (sādhu, sādhu) — an unusually direct expression of approval, rare in this book's more typically measured, expository tone.
Stating the positive alternative explicitly
"Form should be truly seen with right understanding like this: 'This is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self'" — the negated three-clause formula, already familiar from earlier in this book, now stated as a positive prescription rather than merely implied by a negative answer.
The discourse's structure makes an important point about how this understanding works: knowing what NOT to regard the aggregates as (already confirmed by the mendicants' "No") is not yet the same as actively seeing them the right way — the Buddha supplies the missing positive formulation rather than treating the negative answer as sufficient on its own.
Repeated across all five aggregates, closing into the standard formula
The identical question-answer-confirmation sequence repeats for feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness (elided in the source), before closing with Khandhavagga's familiar formula: "seeing this... they understand: 'there is nothing further for this place.'"
Key terms
kiṁ maññatha — "what do you think" — the Buddha's direct address to the assembled mendicants
etaṁ mama esohamasmi eso me attā — "this is mine, I am this, this is my self" — the positive self-identification formula the mendicants are asked about
netaṁ mama nesohamasmi na meso attā — "this is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self" — the negated formula given as right understanding
sādhu — good, excellent — the Buddha's direct expression of approval at the mendicants' answer
yathābhūtaṁ sammappaññāya daṭṭhabbaṁ — "should be truly seen with right understanding" — the discourse's prescriptive formula
The text
The complete discourse: the question to the assembly, their answer and its confirmation, and the standard closing formula. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1At Sāvatthī. “What do you think, mendicants? Do you regard form like this: ‘This is mine, I am this, this is my self’?” “No, sir.” “Good, mendicants! Form should be truly seen with right understanding like this: ‘This is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self.’
§2Do you regard feeling … perception … choices … consciousness like this: ‘This is mine, I am this, this is my self’?” “No, sir.” “Good, mendicants! Consciousness should be truly seen with right understanding like this: ‘This is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self.’
§3Seeing this … They understand: ‘… there is nothing further for this place.’”
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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
Who does the Buddha address in this discourse, unlike the preceding discourses in this vagga?
Correct: A. Testing their own actual view rather than delivering an abstract teaching to one questioner.
Question 2 of 10
What question does the Buddha ask about form?
Correct: A. Testing the mendicants' own view directly.
Question 3 of 10
How do the mendicants respond?
Correct: A. A unanimous negative response, confirming they do not hold this view.
Question 4 of 10
How does the Buddha respond to their answer?
Correct: A. A rare, warm confirmation in this book's typically measured tone.
Question 5 of 10
What positive formula does the Buddha then supply?
Correct: A. The negated three-clause formula, stated as a positive prescription.
Question 6 of 10
What point does the discourse's structure make about understanding?
Correct: A. The Buddha supplies the missing positive formulation rather than treating "No" as sufficient on its own.
Question 7 of 10
How many aggregates does this question-and-answer sequence cover?
Correct: A. Repeated identically for feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness.
Question 8 of 10
How does the discourse close?
Correct: A. One of Khandhavagga's most familiar recurring closing sequences.
Question 9 of 10
Where is this discourse set?
Correct: A. Continuing the setting of the surrounding discourses.
Question 10 of 10
What comes next in Dhammakathikavagga after this discourse?
Correct: A. Completing the Questioning pair with the opposite starting question.
