The same frame and chain as SN 22.146-147, with "observing suffering" substituted
Length
Short — largely elided, following the established chain
Northern parallel
Shares its structure with SN 22.147 and the widely attested dukkhānupassī formula
Difficulty
Approachable — best read directly after SN 22.147
Why this discourse
The second of three closing variations: SN 22.146's chain, with "observing suffering" replacing SN 22.147's "observing impermanence" as the specific meditative practice a gentleman gone forth out of faith should undertake.
Reading guide
The second observation, the same structure
"They should meditate observing suffering in form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness" — the identical frame and chain as SN 22.147, with dukkha replacing anicca as the object of observation.
Completing a smaller echo of the earlier nine-discourse pattern
This three-discourse closing sequence (SN 22.147-149) revisits the same three marks already worked through exhaustively at SN 22.137-145, but in a more compact form: rather than crossing three marks with three attitudes (nine discourses), this sequence pairs three marks with a single practice — observing — producing only three discourses for the same three-mark material.
Why observing suffering matters as its own practice
Distinguishing "observing suffering" from "observing impermanence" as separate meditative objects (rather than assuming one automatically reveals the other) mirrors the same insistence on treating related marks independently already seen in the earlier nine-discourse matrix — consistent with this vagga's overall method of thoroughness through explicit enumeration rather than assumed inference.
One variation remaining
SN 22.149, this vagga's final discourse, will substitute "observing not-self" to complete this three-part closing sequence and the whole of Kukkuḷavagga.
Key terms
dukkhānupassī — observing suffering — the specific meditation this discourse names, giving it its title
aniccānupassī — observing impermanence — SN 22.147's own parallel practice
anattānupassī — observing not-self — the practice SN 22.149 will name to close this sequence
saddhā pabbajita — gone forth out of faith — the same figure addressed throughout this closing sequence
sabbadukkhā pamuccati — "freed from suffering" — the shared closing destination across all three variations
The text
The complete discourse as given in the source, mirroring SN 22.147's structure with "suffering" replacing "impermanence." Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, when a gentleman has gone forth out of faith, this is what’s in line with the teaching.
§2They should meditate observing suffering in form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness. …
§3They’re freed from suffering, I say.”
· · ·
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 specific practice does this discourse name, replacing SN 22.147's "observing impermanence"?
Correct: A. The second of three closing variations on SN 22.146's own chain.
Question 2 of 10
How does this three-discourse closing sequence (147-149) compare to the earlier nine-discourse matrix (137-145)?
Correct: A. Producing three discourses rather than nine for the same three-mark material.
Question 3 of 10
Why might "observing suffering" be treated as a separate practice from "observing impermanence"?
Correct: A. Mirroring the same insistence on independent treatment seen in the earlier nine-discourse matrix.
Question 4 of 10
What discourse will close this three-part sequence with "observing not-self"?
Correct: A. This vagga's own final discourse.
Question 5 of 10
Who is this discourse addressed to?
Correct: A. The identical figure addressed throughout SN 22.146-149.
Question 6 of 10
What is the shared closing destination across this whole three-part sequence?
Correct: A. The same chain's final step, shared across SN 22.146-149.
Question 7 of 10
How many aggregates does this practice apply to?
Correct: A. Form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness.
Question 8 of 10
How does the source text present the remainder of this discourse beyond the opening and named practice?
Correct: A. Resuming at the closing line, trusting the established chain.
Question 9 of 10
Where is this discourse set?
Correct: A. Matching SN 22.146-147's own setting.
Question 10 of 10
What quality does this discourse's named practice observe?
Correct: A. The second of the three marks in this closing sequence.
