The identical structure as SN 22.120, with "grasping" replacing "fetters"
Length
Short — matching SN 22.120's own length exactly
Northern parallel
Shares its structure with SN 22.120 and the broader Canon's upādāna vocabulary
Difficulty
Moderate — best read directly alongside SN 22.120
Why this discourse
The direct companion to SN 22.120, drawing the identical object/attachment distinction for a second technical term: grasping (upādāna) rather than the fetter (saṁyojana) — showing the same precise structure applies to more than one word for what binds a mind to the aggregates.
Reading guide
The same distinction, a different technical term
"Form is something that fuels grasping. The desire and greed for it is the grasping" — matching SN 22.120's structure clause for clause, with upādāniyā dhammā ("things that fuel grasping") and upādāna ("grasping") replacing saṁyojaniyā dhammā and saṁyojana.
Why this matters beyond mere repetition
Grasping (upādāna) is not simply a synonym for the fetter (saṁyojana) elsewhere in the Canon — it is upādāna specifically that gives the "grasping aggregates" (upādānakkhandhā) their name, the very term used throughout this entire book to describe the five aggregates as objects of clinging.
This discourse therefore clarifies something implicit in that pervasive compound term itself: the aggregates are called "grasping aggregates" not because they are themselves grasping, but because desire and greed for them constitutes the grasping — the aggregates "fuel" it (upādāniya) without being it.
Two technical terms, one underlying structure
Reading SN 22.120 and SN 22.121 together demonstrates that this object/attachment distinction is not a one-off clarification about fetters specifically, but a general principle applicable wherever this book speaks of the aggregates being bound to, grasped, or fettered — the structure, not the particular word, is what matters.
Closing this vagga's pair of precise distinctions
With SN 22.120 and SN 22.121 both complete, Dhammakathikavagga turns to its final material: the extended Sāriputta-Koṭṭhita dialogues of SN 22.122-123, and the two discourses addressed to Venerable Kappa that close the vagga.
Key terms
upādāniyā dhammā — "things that fuel grasping" — the aggregates themselves, echoing this discourse's own title
upādāna — grasping — specifically the desire and greed for an aggregate, distinguished from the aggregate itself
upādānakkhandhā — the "grasping aggregates" — the pervasive compound term this discourse quietly clarifies, used throughout this entire book
chandarāga — desire and greed — the identical pair named as the fetter in SN 22.120, here named as the grasping
saṁyojana — the fetter — SN 22.120's own parallel term, replaced here by upādāna
The text
The complete discourse, mirroring SN 22.120's structure exactly with "grasping" replacing "fetters." Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, I will teach you the things that fuel grasping, and the grasping. Listen … What are the things that fuel grasping? And what is the grasping?
§2Form is something that fuels grasping. The desire and greed for it is the grasping.
§3Feeling … Perception … Choices … Consciousness is something that fuels grasping. The desire and greed for it is the grasping. These are called the things that fuel grasping, and this is the grasping.”
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Self-check quiz
Nine questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 9
How does this discourse relate to SN 22.120?
Correct: A. The identical object/attachment distinction applied to a second technical term.
Question 2 of 9
What, according to this discourse, is grasping (upādāna) itself?
Correct: A. The identical pair of factors named as the fetter in SN 22.120, now named as the grasping.
Question 3 of 9
What pervasive term elsewhere in this book does this discourse quietly clarify?
Correct: A. Explaining why the aggregates are called "grasping aggregates" without themselves being the grasping.
Question 4 of 9
Why are the aggregates called "grasping aggregates" according to this discourse's logic?
Correct: A. The aggregates "fuel" (upādāniya) grasping without themselves being the grasping.
Question 5 of 9
What does reading SN 22.120 and SN 22.121 together demonstrate?
Correct: A. The underlying structure, not the particular word, is what matters across both discourses.
Question 6 of 9
How many aggregates does this distinction apply to?
Correct: A. Matching SN 22.120's own coverage of all five aggregates.
Question 7 of 9
What comes next in Dhammakathikavagga after this pair of discourses?
Correct: A. Moving to the vagga's extended dialogue material.
Question 8 of 9
What two factors together constitute the grasping, according to this discourse?
Correct: A. The identical pair named in SN 22.120 for the fetter.
