The bare six-item list plus a compressed reference to the three-tier formula, this saṃyutta's own compression pattern beginning here
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
★☆☆☆☆ — brief and familiar after SN 25.1 and 25.2
Why this discourse
The third step in this saṃyutta's ten-part sequence, and the point where the source text's own compression begins: rather than spelling out the full three-tier formula again, bilara-data trails off after "is called a follower by faith" with an ellipsis, trusting the reader to supply the rest from SN 25.1 and 25.2. This discourse examines the six sense-consciousnesses — eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, and so on — completing, with the two discourses before it, the classic set of eighteen elements (dhātu) in triadic form: six faculties, six objects, six consciousnesses.
Reading guide
Consciousness, the third leg of the eighteen elements
"Eye consciousness is impermanent, decaying, and perishing. Ear consciousness, nose consciousness, tongue consciousness, body consciousness, and mind consciousness are impermanent, decaying, and perishing" — each of the six consciousnesses arising in dependence on its corresponding faculty and object, completing SN 25.1 and 25.2's own pair.
The eighteen elements, now fully assembled across three discourses
Six internal faculties (SN 25.1) + six external objects (SN 25.2) + six consciousnesses (this discourse) = the eighteen dhātu, the canon's most granular standard analysis of sense experience — assembled here piece by piece rather than in one single discourse, mirroring how the Nikāyas themselves usually present this material.
The compression begins
Where SN 25.1 and 25.2 spelled out the complete three-tier formula in full, this discourse's source stops short after "is called a follower by faith..." — the first visible compression in this saṃyutta, establishing the pattern its remaining discourses (SN 25.4–9) will follow.
Why this saṃyutta doesn't merge these three into one discourse
Despite their tight conceptual relationship, faculty, object, and consciousness each receive independent treatment rather than being folded into a single eighteen-item discourse — consistent with this saṃyutta's own working method of one discourse per analytical category, however closely related the categories are to each other.
Key terms
cakkhuviññāṇa — eye-consciousness — the first of the six sense-consciousnesses named in this discourse
dhātu — element — faculty, object, and consciousness together comprise the classic eighteen elements, the canon's most granular sense-experience analysis
peyyāla — an elision mark — marking this saṃyutta's first compression, trusting the reader to supply the full formula from SN 25.1–2
saddhānusārī / dhammānusārī — follower by faith / follower of teachings — the same two tiers defined at SN 25.1, implied here though not spelled out
sotāpanno avinipātadhammo niyato sambodhiparāyano — a stream-enterer, not liable to be reborn in the underworld, assured, destined for awakening — this saṃyutta's standing conclusion
The text
The complete discourse as bilara-data preserves it: the six sense-consciousnesses named impermanent, then the formula's opening words alone. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, eye consciousness is impermanent, decaying, and perishing. Ear consciousness, nose consciousness, tongue consciousness, body consciousness, and mind consciousness are impermanent, decaying, and perishing. Someone who has faith and confidence in these teachings is called a follower by faith. …”
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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 six items does this discourse declare impermanent?
Correct: A. Completing, with SN 25.1 and 25.2, the classic eighteen elements in triadic form.
Question 2 of 10
What do SN 25.1, 25.2, and this discourse together assemble?
Correct: A. The canon's most granular standard analysis of sense experience, built piece by piece.
Question 3 of 10
What happens to the source text's compression starting with this discourse?
Correct: A. The first visible compression in this saṃyutta, establishing the pattern SN 25.4–9 will follow.
Question 4 of 10
Why doesn't this saṃyutta merge faculty, object, and consciousness into one discourse?
Correct: A. Consistent with how this saṃyutta treats each of its ten categories independently.
Question 5 of 10
On what does each sense-consciousness arise in dependence, according to the standard canonical analysis?
Correct: A. The standard dependent relationship underlying the eighteen elements.
Question 6 of 10
Where is this discourse set?
Correct: A. Matching the setting of most discourses in this saṃyutta.
Question 7 of 10
What discourse comes next in this saṃyutta's sequence?
Correct: A. Continuing the standard analytical chain: faculty, object, consciousness, then contact.
Question 8 of 10
What is the first of the six sense-consciousnesses named in this discourse?
Correct: A. Followed by ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind consciousness.
Question 9 of 10
What is this saṃyutta's own recurring three-tier formula, implied though not spelled out here?
Correct: A. Established in full at SN 25.1 and 25.2, now trusted to memory.
Question 10 of 10
What does bilara-data's own elision mark trust the reader to do?
Correct: A. This saṃyutta's own compression convention, beginning with this discourse.
