The wanderer Vacchagotta questions the Buddha (by cross-reference)
Form
A single surviving line, identical in shape to SN 33.21–40
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
★☆☆☆☆ — understood only alongside SN 33.1–40
Why this discourse
The ninth diagnostic-verb cycle, using asamapekkhaṇa ("not examining") — a verb built on a different root (ikkh-, "to look") from the lakkh- cluster seen at SN 33.26–40, marking a return to a fresh etymological family even as the underlying compression stays identical.
Reading guide
The identical minimal shape, a fifth consecutive time
"At Sāvatthī. 'Vaccha, it is because of not examining form …'" — the same single-line compression, now confirmed across five consecutive cycles.
A new root, breaking the lakkh- cluster
Asamapekkhaṇa is built on ikkh- ("to look" or "to regard"), not lakkh- — a genuinely different word-family from the three-verb cluster spanning SN 33.26–40, showing this saṃyutta's eleven verbs aren't organized into one single continuous etymological progression.
Ninth of eleven diagnostic verbs
With this cycle, nine of eleven diagnostic verbs have now been applied, leaving only two more before this saṃyutta's own close: appaccupekkhaṇa (SN 33.46–50) and appaccakkhakamma (SN 33.51–55).
A pair of verbs sharing this new root still to come
This same ikkh- root will recur in the very next cycle (appaccupekkhaṇa, "not scrutinizing," at SN 33.46–50), forming a second small cluster of two related verbs closing out this saṃyutta's own sequence.
Key terms
asamapekkhaṇa — not examining, or not surveying — the ninth of eleven near-synonymous diagnostic verbs
rūpa — form — the only aggregate named in this file's own single surviving line
ikkhaṇa — looking or regarding — the root underlying asamapekkhaṇa, distinct from the lakkh- cluster seen at SN 33.26–40
appaccupekkhaṇa — not scrutinizing — the next cycle's own diagnostic verb, sharing this same ikkh- root
peyyāla — an elision mark — here compressing an entire five-discourse cycle to a single line
The text
The discourse exactly as the source preserves it: a single surviving line. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1At Sāvatthī. “Vaccha, it is because of not examining form …”
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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 diagnostic verb does this cycle use?
Correct: A. The ninth of eleven near-synonymous diagnostic verbs.
Question 2 of 5
What root is this verb built on, distinct from SN 33.26–40's own lakkh- cluster?
Correct: A. A genuinely different word-family, showing this saṃyutta's verbs aren't one continuous progression.
Question 3 of 5
Which upcoming cycle shares this same ikkh- root?
Correct: A. Forming a second small cluster of two related verbs closing out this saṃyutta's own sequence.
Question 4 of 5
How many diagnostic verbs remain after this one?
Correct: A. Appaccupekkhaṇa and appaccakkhakamma, closing this saṃyutta's own eleven-verb sequence.
Question 5 of 5
How many consecutive cycles has this saṃyutta now compressed to this exact single-line shape?
Correct: A. SN 33.21–25 through 33.41–45, all five compressed identically.
