A single opening line, elided exactly as SN 22.140-141
Length
Among the shortest discourses in this vagga
Northern parallel
Shares its structure with SN 22.139, now applied to suffering
Difficulty
Approachable — best read as the close of this vagga's middle set
Why this discourse
Closes this vagga's middle three-discourse set: combines desire and greed (chandarāga) reasoning from suffering, exactly mirroring SN 22.139's own closing role for the impermanence set, completing the second of three parallel 3-discourse sequences.
Reading guide
The combined term, closing this set
"You should give up desire and greed for what is suffering..." — the single elided opening clause, matching SN 22.139's own combined chandarāga, now applied to suffering rather than impermanence.
Two three-discourse sets, now both complete
With this discourse, Kukkuḷavagga has now run the identical desire/greed/both structure twice in full — once for impermanence (SN 22.137-139), once for suffering (SN 22.140-142) — each closing on the same combined chandarāga term already familiar from SN 22.111-112.
Suffering and impermanence, treated as parallel grounds
That the exact same three-part reasoning applies equally well starting from either impermanence or suffering reflects this book's broader treatment of the three marks (impermanent, suffering, not-self) as mutually implicating — any one of them, taken seriously, supports the identical conclusion about what should be given up.
One set remaining
Kukkuḷavagga's third and final three-discourse set, reasoning from not-self, begins immediately at SN 22.143, completing this vagga's opening nine discourses as a full 3×3 matrix before SN 22.146 introduces an entirely different structure.
Key terms
chandarāga — desire and greed together — this discourse's own combined term, closing this set as SN 22.139 closed the previous one
dukkha — suffering — the quality this discourse reasons from
anicca — impermanent — the parallel quality reasoned from in the earlier three-discourse set
anattā — not-self — the quality the vagga's next three-discourse set will reason from
tilakkhaṇa — the three marks — impermanent, suffering, not-self, treated here as mutually implicating grounds for the same conclusion
The text
The complete discourse as given in the source, a single opening line with the remainder elided. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, you should give up desire and greed for what is suffering. …”
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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 suffering set?
Correct: A. Mirroring SN 22.139's own combined term for the impermanence set.
Question 2 of 10
How many three-discourse sets has Kukkuḷavagga now completed in full by this discourse?
Correct: A. SN 22.137-139 for impermanence, SN 22.140-142 for suffering.
Question 3 of 10
What does the identical structure working equally for both impermanence and suffering suggest?
Correct: A. Reflecting this book's broader treatment of impermanent, suffering, and not-self as connected.
Question 4 of 10
What quality will the vagga's next three-discourse set reason from?
Correct: A. Beginning immediately at SN 22.143.
Question 5 of 10
What structural pattern will Kukkuḷavagga's opening nine discourses form once this set closes?
Correct: A. Impermanence, suffering, and not-self, each receiving the identical three-part treatment.
Question 6 of 10
How much text does the source give for this discourse?
Correct: A. Matching SN 22.140-141's own extreme compression.
Question 7 of 10
What comes immediately after this three-discourse set within Kukkuḷavagga?
Correct: A. Completing the vagga's opening nine-discourse structure.
Question 8 of 10
How many aggregates does this instruction (by inference) apply to?
Correct: A. Following the established pattern from SN 22.137-141.
Question 9 of 10
Where is this discourse set?
Correct: A. Matching SN 22.140-141's own setting.
Question 10 of 10
What term names the three marks this vagga's opening sets systematically work through?
Correct: A. Impermanent, suffering, not-self — the Canon's standard three-marks vocabulary.
