Saṃyutta Nikāya · Discourses 35.192–194

The Interior as Not-Self in the Three Times

Ajjhattātītādianattasutta — Saṭṭhipeyyālavagga

Setting
Not restated in this discourse
Speakers
The Buddha, addressing the mendicants
Form
Three discourses compressed into a single file, identical in shape to SN 35.189-191
Length
under 1 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
★☆☆☆☆ — the third and final quality in round two's interior half

Why this discourse

This file completes round two's interior half: the six interior sense fields declared not-self, across past, future, and present — mirroring SN 22.11 (Kālattayaanattasutta), already published in Book III for the five aggregates, and completing the identical impermanent/suffering/not-self cycle round one already ran with a different second variable.

Reading guide

Not-self, across all three times

“The eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind are not-self”, with past, future, and present merged into the same single-line pattern as SN 35.189-191's own suffering.

Interior half of round two now complete

SN 35.186-194 together give round two's own three interior combinations (impermanent, suffering, not-self), each crossed with past/future/present, mirroring SN 22.9-11's identical three-discourse set for the five aggregates. SN 35.195 turns to the exterior sense fields.

Key terms

anattā — not-self — the quality declared here, completing round two's three-mark cycle
atītaṁ anāgataṁ paccuppannaṁ — past, future, present — merged into this file's own single line, unchanged from SN 35.189-191
ajjhattikāyatana — the six interior sense fields — completing their own three-quality cycle in round two with this file
bāhirāyatana — the six exterior sense fields — taken up next, starting at SN 35.195
kālattaya — the three times — the structure this file shares with SN 22.9-11's own identical set

The text

The complete merged file, apart from its own closing ellipsis: the declaration. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).

§1“Mendicants, in the past … future … present the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind are not-self …”

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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 quality does this file declare of the interior sense fields, completing round two's three-mark cycle?
Correct: A. Anattā, following anicca at SN 35.186-188 and dukkha at SN 35.189-191.
Question 2 of 5
What already-published discourse runs the identical not-self-across-three-times formula for the five aggregates?
Correct: A. SN 22.11 completes the identical three-discourse set (SN 22.9-11) this project already published.
Question 3 of 5
What does this file complete, together with SN 35.186-191?
Correct: A. SN 35.186-194 together give the interior half of round two's own combinatorial matrix.
Question 4 of 5
What begins immediately after this file, at SN 35.195?
Correct: A. SN 35.195-203 gives round two's exterior half, cycling through the same three qualities again.
Question 5 of 5
How does this file's own compression compare to SN 35.189-191's own?
Correct: A. The same compression pattern established at SN 35.189-191 continues unchanged.
Answered 0 of 5 · Correct 0