The bare six-item list plus the compressed formula reference, matching SN 25.3–4's own 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
★☆☆☆☆ — brief and familiar by this point in the sequence
Why this discourse
The fifth step in this saṃyutta's sequence: feeling (vedanā) born of each of the six contacts already examined at SN 25.4 — the link the standard chain treats as the direct condition for craving, and the point in dependent origination most often singled out as where mindful practice can intervene before craving takes hold.
Reading guide
Six feelings, each born of its own contact
"Feeling born of eye contact is impermanent, decaying, and perishing. Feeling born of ear contact, feeling born of nose contact, feeling born of tongue contact, feeling born of body contact, and feeling born of mind contact are impermanent, decaying, and perishing" — each feeling traced explicitly back to the contact that produces it, keeping the chain's own causal structure visible in the wording itself rather than leaving it implicit.
The hinge point of the standard chain
Elsewhere in the Nikāyas, feeling is repeatedly identified as the point where the causal chain from contact to craving can be interrupted — a feeling arises, but whether craving follows depends on how it is met. This discourse doesn't make that argument explicitly; it simply declares feeling impermanent, trusting the reader to recognize why this particular link matters so much elsewhere.
Continuing the same compressed treatment
As with SN 25.3 and 25.4, only the six-item list and the formula's opening words survive in the source; the complete three-tier conclusion is supplied by memory from SN 25.1 and 25.2.
One link closer to craving
SN 25.6 and SN 25.7 will examine perception and intention — two further links this saṃyutta inserts before reaching craving itself at SN 25.8, filling out the chain more granularly than a simple contact-feeling-craving summary would.
Key terms
vedanā — feeling — the sensation born of contact, the subject of this discourse
cakkhusamphassajā vedanā — feeling born of eye contact — the first of the six feelings named, each explicitly traced to its producing contact
taṇhā — craving — the link several steps ahead in this sequence (SN 25.8), which feeling is elsewhere identified as directly conditioning
peyyāla — an elision mark — continuing this saṃyutta's compression pattern from SN 25.3–4
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 feelings named impermanent, then the formula's opening words alone. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, feeling born of eye contact is impermanent, decaying, and perishing. Feeling born of ear contact, feeling born of nose contact, feeling born of tongue contact, feeling born of body contact, and feeling born of mind contact 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. Feeling born of eye contact, ear contact, and the other four.
Question 2 of 10
How does this discourse's wording keep the chain's causal structure visible?
Correct: A. "Feeling born of eye contact," and so on for each of the six.
Question 3 of 10
Why is feeling repeatedly singled out elsewhere in the Nikāyas as significant?
Correct: A. Whether craving follows a feeling depends on how that feeling is met.
Question 4 of 10
Does this discourse itself explicitly make the argument about feeling's significance?
Correct: A. A quiet reliance on context this reading guide makes explicit.
Question 5 of 10
What two further links does this saṃyutta insert before reaching craving itself?
Correct: A. Filling out the chain more granularly than a simple contact-feeling-craving summary.
Question 6 of 10
Where is this discourse set?
Correct: A. Matching the setting of most discourses in this saṃyutta.
Question 7 of 10
How does this discourse's compression compare to SN 25.3 and 25.4's own?
Correct: A. The six-item list plus the formula's opening words, unchanged from the pattern established at SN 25.3.
Question 8 of 10
What discourse examines the link that arises next in this chain?
Correct: A. Continuing one link at a time rather than skipping to craving directly.
Question 9 of 10
What is the first of the six feelings named in this discourse?
Correct: A. Followed by feeling born of ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind contact.
Question 10 of 10
What formula does this discourse's compressed conclusion trust the reader to supply?
Correct: A. Supplied by memory from this saṃyutta's own opening two discourses.
