The Buddha addressing the mendicants (by cross-reference)
Form
A peyyāla stub compressed to just two lines, unlike SN 35.7's own full opening 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
★☆☆☆☆ — understood only alongside SN 35.4 and SN 35.7
Why this discourse
This discourse opens the exterior's own three-times cycle — but unlike SN 35.4, which restated SN 35.1's own full treatment when the exterior's present-tense cycle began, this discourse compresses immediately, giving only the opening line rather than a full restatement. This vagga's own compiler evidently judged the three-times pattern sufficiently established by SN 35.7–9 that even this cycle's own opening discourse could be elided.
Reading guide
A genuinely different compression choice than SN 35.4's own
"Sights of the past and future are impermanent, let alone the present …" — where SN 35.4 restated SN 35.1's own full treatment when the exterior's present-tense cycle opened, this discourse compresses immediately, without a comparable full restatement.
The three-times pattern, evidently now assumed familiar
By this point in the vagga, both the exterior-vs-interior parallel and the three-times structure have each already received one full demonstration (SN 35.4 and SN 35.7 respectively) — the compiler evidently judged no further full restatement necessary before compressing.
First of the exterior's own three-times cycle
This discourse opens the vagga's own fourth and final three-discourse cycle: SN 35.11–12 will complete it with suffering and not-self, closing this entire vagga.
Ten of this vagga's own twelve discourses now complete
With this discourse, only two further discourses remain before Aniccavagga's own twelve-discourse structure is fully closed.
Key terms
anicca — impermanent — this discourse's own claim, opening the exterior's own three-times cycle
atītānāgata — past and future — the temporal scope carried over from SN 35.7–9
bāhira — exterior — the six sense objects this discourse concerns
rūpa — sights — the first exterior sense object named, standing in for all six by cross-reference
peyyāla — an elision mark — here compressing everything past the opening line, without the fuller restatement SN 35.4 gave its own equivalent opening
The text
The discourse as the source itself preserves it, compressed to its opening line. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1“Mendicants, sights of the past and future are impermanent, let alone the present. …”
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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 claim does this discourse make about the exterior sense objects?
Correct: A. Opening the exterior's own three-times cycle.
Question 2 of 5
How does this discourse's compression compare to SN 35.4's own equivalent opening?
Correct: A. The compiler evidently judged the pattern already sufficiently established.
Question 3 of 5
Why might this discourse compress immediately, unlike SN 35.4's own full restatement?
Correct: A. At SN 35.4 and SN 35.7 respectively, no further full restatement was judged necessary.
Question 4 of 5
How many of this vagga's own twelve discourses remain after this one?
Correct: A. SN 35.11–12 will complete this vagga's own fourth and final three-discourse cycle.
Question 5 of 5
Where is this discourse set?
Correct: A. Consistent with this saṃyutta's other discourses, though given here only by cross-reference.
