The bare opening claim alone, mirroring SN 24.41's own minimal treatment
Length
Under a minute 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
★☆☆☆☆ — trivially brief, best read as SN 24.41's direct completion
Why this discourse
The direct opposite of SN 24.41: the self claimed exclusively suffering (ekantadukkhī) and healthy after death — the second corner of this vagga's hedonic-quality set, pairing pure pleasure against pure pain exactly as SN 24.37 and 24.38 paired form against formlessness.
Reading guide
The mirror claim
"The self is exclusively suffering, and is healthy after death" (ekantadukkhī attā hoti arogo paraṁ maraṇā) — SN 24.41's direct negation, pure suffering claimed rather than pure happiness.
A striking juxtaposition: suffering and health together
As with every discourse in this set, the shared qualifier "free of disease" (arogo) sits oddly beside a claim of exclusive suffering — the formula's mechanical consistency across all eight new views means this particular combination goes unremarked in the source text itself, an artifact of the catalog's own systematic construction rather than a considered position.
Two corners down in this set, two to go
With SN 24.41 and this discourse, half of this vagga's second new four-corner set is complete; SN 24.43 and SN 24.44 will close it with the combined and negated positions.
The same minimal treatment throughout
As with SN 24.41, bilara-data preserves only this discourse's opening claim, relying entirely on the pattern this saṃyutta has established since SN 24.11.
Key terms
ekantadukkhī attā — the self is exclusively suffering — this discourse's claim, the direct negation of SN 24.41's
arogo paraṁ maraṇā — free of disease after death — the shared qualifier, oddly juxtaposed here with a claim of pure suffering
catuṣkoṭi — "four corners" — this set's own second corner, pairing pure suffering against SN 24.41's pure happiness
peyyāla — an elision mark — compressing this discourse to its bare opening claim, matching SN 24.41
upādāya... abhinivissa — grasping... and insisting on — the formula this discourse's compression trusts the reader to supply
The text
The complete discourse as bilara-data preserves it: the opening claim alone. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1“‘The self is exclusively suffering, and is healthy after death’?” …
· · ·
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 claim does this discourse examine?
Correct: A. SN 24.41's direct negation, pure suffering claimed rather than pure happiness.
Question 2 of 10
What odd juxtaposition appears in this claim?
Correct: A. An artifact of the catalog's own mechanical, systematic construction across all eight new views.
Question 3 of 10
Why does this juxtaposition go unremarked in the source text?
Correct: A. A systematic catalog's own byproduct rather than a deliberate philosophical stance.
Question 4 of 10
How many corners of this hedonic-quality set are complete after this discourse?
Correct: A. SN 24.43 and SN 24.44 will close the set with the combined and negated positions.
Question 5 of 10
What earlier pair does this happy/suffering pairing structurally resemble?
Correct: A. The same catuṣkoṭi structure already used twice before in this saṃyutta.
Question 6 of 10
Where is this discourse nominally set?
Correct: A. Matching the setting inherited from this vagga's established pattern.
Question 7 of 10
What does bilara-data preserve for this discourse beyond its opening claim?
Correct: A. Relying entirely on this saṃyutta's established pattern since SN 24.11.
Question 8 of 10
What discourse comes next, completing this set's third corner?
Correct: A. The combined position, affirming both happiness and suffering together.
Question 9 of 10
What discourse closes this entire four-corner set and the vagga itself?
Correct: A. The fourth and final corner, doubling as this vagga's own true close.
Question 10 of 10
What shared qualifier continues from SN 24.41?
Correct: A. Running through all eight of this vagga's new views regardless of their specific content.
