The identical corruption/renunciation/insight formula, now applied to the six sense objects
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
★☆☆☆☆ — familiar territory immediately after SN 27.1
Why this discourse
The second step in this saṃyutta's ten-part sequence: desire and greed for the six sense objects (sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, ideas) named a corruption of the mind, completing with SN 27.1 the classic twelve sense bases in this saṃyutta's own frame.
Reading guide
The other half of the twelve sense bases, a third time
"Desire and greed for sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, or ideas is a corruption of the mind" — the identical formula from SN 27.1, applied here to the external half of the twelve āyatana already examined twice before (SN 25.2, SN 26.2) under two different formulas.
A fixed formula, held constant a third time
As with SN 25 and SN 26's own working methods, this saṃyutta repeats a fixed formula word for word across its discourses, changing only the opening category — confirming this saṃyutta's structure mirrors its two siblings' exactly, down to the level of formulaic repetition.
Desire for any of the six, equally corrupting
The discourse gives no priority among the six objects — desire for sights corrupts the mind no more or less directly than desire for sounds, smells, tastes, touches, or ideas. All six receive identical treatment.
Eight categories still to come
This saṃyutta's remaining eight discourses will proceed through the same chain SN 25 and SN 26 already walked: consciousness, contact, feeling, perception, intention, craving, the elements, and finally the five aggregates.
Key terms
rūpa — sights, visible forms — the first of the six external sense objects named in this discourse
āyatana — sense base — the internal faculties (SN 27.1) and external objects (this discourse) together comprise the classic twelve sense bases
chandarāga — desire and greed — this saṃyutta's own standing corrupting factor, unchanged from SN 27.1
nekkhamma — renunciation — where the mind inclines once this corruption is given up
abhiññā — insight, direct knowledge — the work a renunciation-imbued mind becomes fit for
The text
The complete discourse: the six sense objects named a corruption of the mind, and the path to fitness for insight work. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, desire and greed for sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, or ideas is a corruption of the mind. When a mendicant has given up mental corruption in these six cases, their mind inclines to renunciation. A mind imbued with renunciation is said to be fit for work regarding anything that can be realized by insight.”
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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. Completing the classic twelve sense bases together with SN 27.1's own six internal faculties.
Question 2 of 10
How does this discourse's formula compare to SN 27.1's own?
Correct: A. Confirming this saṃyutta's own fixed-formula working method, mirroring its two siblings'.
Question 3 of 10
Does this discourse treat any of the six sense objects as more corrupting than the others?
Correct: A. The equivalence holds regardless of which sense door is in question.
Question 4 of 10
How many times has this project now examined the twelve sense bases under different formulas?
Correct: A. Three complementary formulas applied to the identical categories.
Question 5 of 10
What eight further categories will this saṃyutta's remaining discourses proceed through?
Correct: A. The identical sequence already established at SN 25 and SN 26.
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 does giving up corruption in these six cases lead to, according to this discourse?
Correct: A. The same claim made at SN 27.1, unchanged here.
Question 8 of 10
What is a mind imbued with renunciation said to be fit for?
Correct: A. Unchanged from SN 27.1's own closing claim.
Question 9 of 10
What discourse comes next in this saṃyutta's sequence?
Correct: A. Continuing the standard analytical chain.
Question 10 of 10
What is this saṃyutta's own standing corrupting factor?
Correct: A. The specific factor this saṃyutta locates the corruption in, not the categories themselves.
