Identical in structure to SN 32.53 and SN 32.54, with only the weather-type changed
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 playful, easy to follow
Why this discourse
The third of this saṃyutta's five closing discourses, applying the identical template to stormy weather: the stormy thundercloud gods wish to revel in their own kind of enjoyment, and storms follow. With three discourses now sharing this exact structure, the pattern is fully established as this closing arc's own standing form, one weather-type at a time.
Reading guide
A third confirmation of the same template
Stormy weather (abbha) receives the identical treatment already given to cool and warm weather at SN 32.53 and SN 32.54 — the same gods'-own-wish causal chain, applied without variation.
Storms, no more dramatic in cause than calm weather
Despite the greater intensity of a storm compared to ordinary coolness or warmth, this discourse offers no escalated or more elaborate explanation — the stormy thundercloud gods' own whim is treated as an equally sufficient cause.
A structural midpoint in this closing set
With cool, warm, and now stormy weather covered, this discourse marks the midpoint of SN 32.53–57's five-discourse set, windy and rainy weather still to come.
The template's own consistency as the point worth noting
As with SN 22.6's own brief peyyāla stub earlier in this project's coverage, this discourse's real interest lies in its very sameness: the compiler evidently judged each weather-type worth its own discourse-number despite changing nothing but the type itself.
Key terms
abbhavalāhaka — stormy thundercloud gods — the subject of this specific discourse
sakāya ratiyā — "our own kind of enjoyment" — identical phrasing to SN 32.53's and SN 32.54's own discourses
cetopaṇidhi — wish or resolve of mind — the technical term for the gods' own intention
hetu — cause — the mendicant's own opening word, unchanged across this closing set
paccayo — reason or condition — paired with hetu in the standard formula shared across this closing set
The text
The discourse in full. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1At Sāvatthī. Seated to one side, that mendicant said to the Buddha: “Sir, what is the cause, what is the reason why sometimes it becomes stormy?” “Mendicant, there are what are called gods of the stormy thunderclouds. Sometimes they think: ‘Why don’t we revel in our own kind of enjoyment?’ Then, in accordance with their wish, it becomes stormy. This is the cause, this is the reason why sometimes it becomes stormy.”
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Self-check quiz
5 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 5
What weather phenomenon does this discourse explain?
Correct: A. The third application of this closing arc's shared template.
Question 2 of 5
Does this discourse offer a more elaborate explanation for storms than SN 32.53 gave for coolness?
Correct: A. The stormy thundercloud gods' own whim is treated as an equally sufficient cause.
Question 3 of 5
Where does this discourse fall within the SN 32.53–57 closing set?
Correct: A. Cool, warm, and now stormy weather are covered; two more remain.
Question 4 of 5
What is this discourse's real point of interest, according to this reading guide?
Correct: A. Comparable to earlier brief peyyāla stubs in this project's coverage.
Question 5 of 5
Where is this discourse set?
Correct: A. Consistent with this saṃyutta's other discourses.
