The identical structure as SN 22.137-138, with the combined term "desire and greed"
Length
Short — matching the previous two discourses' own length
Northern parallel
Shares its structure with SN 22.137-138; the combined term chandarāga was already seen at SN 22.111-112
Difficulty
Approachable — best read as the close of a three-discourse set
Why this discourse
Closes the opening three-discourse set on impermanence: having addressed desire alone (SN 22.137) and greed alone (SN 22.138), this discourse combines them into chandarāga, "desire and greed" together — the same compound term already used at SN 22.111-112 to describe what must be given up for each aggregate.
Reading guide
The combined term, closing the escalation
"You should give up desire and greed for what is impermanent. And what is impermanent? Form is impermanent; you should give up desire and greed for it" — the identical structure once more, now with chandarāga replacing both SN 22.137's chanda and SN 22.138's rāga.
A three-discourse arc, now complete
Reading SN 22.137, 138, and 139 in sequence traces a clear progression: desire named alone, then greed named alone, then both combined — not because either alone was insufficient reasoning, but because the collection systematically addresses each related attitude both separately and together, leaving no gap in which some reader might imagine one term applies while the other does not.
A term already established earlier in this book
Chandarāga was already used at SN 22.111-112 to describe exactly what must be cut off "at the root, like a palm stump" from each aggregate — this discourse's closing instruction reuses that same established vocabulary rather than introducing anything new.
Setting the template for the vagga's next two three-discourse sets
This same desire/greed/both progression will now repeat twice more: at SN 22.140-142, applying the identical three-part structure to "suffering" instead of "impermanent," and again at SN 22.143-145, applying it to "not-self" — completing this vagga's opening nine discourses as a full 3×3 matrix.
Key terms
chandarāga — desire and greed together — this discourse's own combined term, already established at SN 22.111-112
chanda — desire — SN 22.137's own term
rāga — greed — SN 22.138's own term
anicca — impermanent — the shared quality across all three discourses in this set
tālāvatthukata — cut off at the root, like a palm stump — the image chandarāga was paired with at SN 22.111-112, recalled here by the same term's reuse
The text
The complete discourse, mirroring SN 22.137-138's structure with the combined term chandarāga, closing this opening set. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, you should give up desire and greed for what is impermanent. And what is impermanent? Form is impermanent; you should give up desire and greed for it.
§2Feeling … Perception … Choices … Consciousness is impermanent; you should give up desire and greed for it. You should give up desire and greed for what is impermanent.”
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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 combined term does this discourse use, closing the three-discourse set?
Correct: A. Combining SN 22.137's chanda and SN 22.138's rāga into one term.
Question 2 of 10
What progression do SN 22.137, 138, and 139 trace together?
Correct: A. Systematically addressing each related attitude both separately and together.
Question 3 of 10
Where else in this book has the term chandarāga already appeared?
Correct: A. This discourse reuses that same established vocabulary rather than introducing anything new.
Question 4 of 10
Why does the collection address desire and greed both separately and combined?
Correct: A. A systematic, thorough approach to closing off any possible partial reading.
Question 5 of 10
What quality do all three discourses in this set reason from?
Correct: A. Shared across SN 22.137, 138, and 139.
Question 6 of 10
What two objects will this same three-part structure be applied to next in this vagga?
Correct: A. At SN 22.140-142 and SN 22.143-145, completing a full 3×3 structure.
Question 7 of 10
How many aggregates does this instruction apply to?
Correct: A. Form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness, as in the previous two discourses.
Question 8 of 10
Where is this discourse set?
Correct: A. Matching SN 22.137-138's own setting.
Question 9 of 10
What does this discourse's closing complete, within Kukkuḷavagga's overall structure?
Correct: A. The template this same progression will follow twice more, for suffering and not-self.
Question 10 of 10
What is the significance of chandarāga being an already-established term rather than a new one?
Correct: A. The same compound term applied consistently across different contexts in this book.
