The compressed arising/cessation formula, matching SN 26.3–6'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
Why this discourse
The seventh step, and the last link this saṃyutta examines before craving itself: intention (cetanā) regarding each of the six sense objects, given the identical arising/cessation treatment as every category before it, standing immediately upstream of SN 26.8's own naming of craving directly.
Reading guide
Six intentions, the same identity once more
"The arising of intentions regarding sights... intentions regarding ideas... is the manifestation of old age and death" — volitional intention, elsewhere identified as karmically significant precisely for being volitional, receiving the identical arising/cessation treatment as every category preceding it.
Volition, no exception to the rule
If even the passive registering of a sense faculty's own arising already counts as suffering's arising (SN 26.1), intention's own arising — already a step closer to active response — receives no different treatment. The saṃyutta's equivalence holds uniformly across the entire chain, not more strongly at its volitional end.
One step from this saṃyutta's own climax
This discourse closes the contact-feeling-perception-intention sequence this saṃyutta has walked one link at a time since SN 26.4; SN 26.8 will name craving itself next, the point SN 25.8 identified as this chain's own destination.
The same compressed treatment, unchanged
As with the three discourses before it, only the six-item names at each end survive, with the closing phrase given in full.
Key terms
cetanā — intention — the volitional response to perceived experience, the subject of this discourse
rūpasañcetanā — intention regarding sights — the first of the six intentions named, framed by object as at SN 26.6
dukkhassa uppādo — the arising of suffering — asserted here of intention's own arising, uniformly with every other category
peyyāla — an elision mark — continuing this saṃyutta's compression pattern from SN 26.3–6
taṇhā — craving — the very next link in this saṃyutta's sequence (SN 26.8)
The text
The complete discourse as bilara-data preserves it: the six intentions' arising and cessation, compressed. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, the arising of intentions regarding sights … intentions regarding ideas … is the manifestation of old age and death. The cessation of intentions regarding sights … intentions regarding ideas … is the disappearance of old age and death.”
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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 examine?
Correct: A. Volitional intention, framed by object as at SN 26.6.
Question 2 of 10
Does this saṃyutta treat intention's arising as more significant than the sense faculties' own arising?
Correct: A. Even the passive sense faculties already count as suffering's arising, at SN 26.1.
Question 3 of 10
What does this discourse close, in terms of this saṃyutta's own sequence?
Correct: A. SN 26.8 will name craving next, this chain's own destination.
Question 4 of 10
What earlier discourse in this project identified craving as this chain's own destination?
Correct: A. The identical structural point, now approached via this saṃyutta's own arising/cessation formula.
Question 5 of 10
How does this discourse's compression compare to SN 26.3–6's own?
Correct: A. The six-item names at each end, closing phrase kept in full, unchanged since SN 26.3.
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 examines the link that follows intention in this sequence?
Correct: A. Reaching this sequence's own climax before two final, broader categories.
Question 8 of 10
What is the first of the six intentions named in this discourse?
Correct: A. Followed by intention regarding sounds, smells, tastes, touches, and ideas.
Question 9 of 10
What distinguishes intention from perception in the standard chain?
Correct: A. A step closer to active response than perception's own recognition.
Question 10 of 10
What is this saṃyutta's own recurring pair of terms?
Correct: A. The pair giving this saṃyutta its own working method and name.
