The Buddha alone, addressing the assembled mendicants
Form
SN 22.51's claim restated, opening with rational application of the mind rather than simply seeing impermanence
Length
~2 minutes to read
Northern parallel
A rough counterpart may exist in the Chinese Saṃyukta-āgama (T99), though this reading guide does not assert a specific matching sutra number
Difficulty
★★☆☆☆ — closes both the vagga and, confirmed by the source's own colophon, the entire first fifty discourses of Khandhasaṃyutta
Why this discourse
This discourse closes Attadīpavagga with the same mutual relishing-and-greed formula SN 22.51 stated immediately before it, but frames its opening act differently: rather than simply “seeing” impermanence, mendicants are instructed to “rationally apply the mind to form” (yoniso manasi karotha) and then truly see its impermanence — two distinct acts rather than one. What makes this discourse especially significant, though, is not translated into English at all: the source's own untranslated Pali colophon, closing with “Mūlapaṇṇāsako samatto” (“the Root Fifty is complete”), confirms in the text itself that this discourse closes not only Attadīpavagga but the entire first fifty discourses of Khandhasaṃyutta — and a further meta-uddāna names all five vaggas that make up that fifty, matching exactly the structure this project confirmed independently through SuttaCentral's own menu API before beginning Book III.
Reading guide
Two acts instead of one, opening the same chain
SN 22.51 opened with a single observation — a mendicant sees that form is impermanent. This discourse instead names two distinct steps: rationally apply the mind (yoniso manasi karotha) to form, and truly see its impermanence. The rest of the chain that follows — disillusionment, the mutual ending of relishing and greed, and the mind becoming well freed — is identical in wording to SN 22.51's.
The identical mutual-ending formula, unchanged from SN 22.51
As in SN 22.51, this discourse states the relationship between relishing and greed as fully bidirectional: when relishing ends, greed ends; when greed ends, relishing ends. When both end together, the mind is freed and is said to be well freed — the same distinctive phrasing that distinguishes this pair from the mostly one-directional chains used elsewhere in the book.
An untranslated colophon confirming the vagga's own contents
The source's Pali (though left untranslated in Sujato's English) closes with a formal count and summary verse: “Dasamaṁ” (“tenth”), “Attadīpavaggo pañcamo” (“Attadīpavagga is the fifth”), followed by an uddāna listing all ten discourse names in verse — Attadīpa, Paṭipadā, the two Impermanence discourses, Ways of Regarding, Aggregates, the two With Soṇa discourses, and the two End of Relishing discourses — confirming precisely the ten titles this project independently verified from bilara-data before writing a single page.
A second colophon confirming the whole first fifty
Beyond the vagga's own uddāna, the source adds a further, larger-scale colophon: “Mūlapaṇṇāsako samatto” (“the Root Fifty is complete”), followed by a meta-uddāna naming all five vaggas that make up this first fifty — Nakulapitā (Nakulapituvagga), anicca (Aniccavagga), bhāra (Bhāravagga), natumhāka (Natumhākavagga), and attadīpa (Attadīpavagga) — matching exactly the structure this project confirmed independently through SuttaCentral's own menu API at Book III's outset. The text's own internal accounting and this project's external verification agree precisely.
Key terms
yoniso manasi karotha — “rationally apply the mind” — this discourse's opening act, distinct from SN 22.51's simpler "sees that it is impermanent."
nandikkhayā rāgakkhayo, rāgakkhayā nandikkhayo — “when relishing ends, greed ends; when greed ends, relishing ends” — the mutual-ending formula shared unchanged with SN 22.51.
dasamaṁ — “tenth” — the untranslated Pali count confirming this discourse's position as Attadīpavagga's tenth and final discourse.
mūlapaṇṇāsako samatto — “the Root Fifty is complete” — the untranslated colophon confirming this discourse closes the first fifty discourses of Khandhasaṃyutta.
vagguddāna — “vagga-summary” — the meta-level mnemonic verse naming all five vaggas of the completed Mūlapaṇṇāsaka, confirming this project's independently verified structure.
The text
The discourse in full. Three elided repetitions (feeling, perception, and choices, each following the same chain spelled out in full for form and consciousness) are given exactly as bilara-data preserves them. The source's closing Pali colophon and double uddāna (count, vagga-summary, and Mūlapaṇṇāsaka-summary verses) are left untranslated in Sujato's English and are described above rather than quoted in this section. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1“Mendicants, rationally apply the mind to form. Truly see the impermanence of form. When a mendicant does this, they grow disillusioned with form. When relishing ends, greed ends. When greed ends, relishing ends. When relishing and greed end, the mind is freed, and is said to be well freed.
§2consciousness. Truly see the impermanence of consciousness. When a mendicant does this, they grow disillusioned with consciousness. When relishing ends, greed ends. When greed ends, relishing ends. When relishing and greed end, the mind is freed, and is said to be well freed.”
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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 two distinct acts does this discourse's opening name, instead of SN 22.51's single act of "seeing"?
Correct: A. Yoniso manasi karotha, followed by samanupassatha — two steps rather than SN 22.51's one.
Question 2 of 10
What mutual-ending formula does this discourse share unchanged with SN 22.51?
Correct: A. The identical bidirectional phrasing distinguishing this pair from most of the book's one-directional chains.
Question 3 of 10
What does the discourse's untranslated Pali colophon confirm about its position?
Correct: A. "Dasamaṁ" (tenth) and "Attadīpavaggo pañcamo" (Attadīpavagga is the fifth).
Question 4 of 10
What larger structural claim does the source's colophon make, beyond the vagga level?
Correct: A. Confirming this discourse closes the first fifty discourses of Khandhasaṃyutta.
Question 5 of 10
What does the source's meta-uddāna (vagga-summary verse) list?
Correct: A. Matching exactly the structure this project verified independently through SuttaCentral's menu API.
Question 6 of 10
Is this colophon and its uddāna translated in Sujato's English translation?
Correct: A. Described in this reading guide's prose rather than quoted in the text-block, since the translation JSON leaves it empty.
Question 7 of 10
How many aggregates does this discourse's chain apply to?
Correct: A. Feeling, perception, and choices are elided but follow the same pattern.
Question 8 of 10
Where is this discourse set?
Correct: A. Continuing the same setting as SN 22.51.
Question 9 of 10
What agreement does this reading guide highlight between the source's own accounting and this project's prior research?
Correct: A. Both confirm the identical five vaggas making up Mūlapaṇṇāsaka.
Question 10 of 10
What comes immediately after this discourse, moving beyond Mūlapaṇṇāsaka?
Correct: A. The book's own systematic coverage continues into SN22's second paṇṇāsaka.
