Reading guide
Arising itself equated with suffering's own arising
"The arising, continuation, and manifestation and regeneration of the eye is the arising of suffering, the continuation of diseases, and the manifestation of old age and death" — not merely that the eye produces suffering, but that the eye's own coming-into-being is identical with suffering's own coming-into-being.
Cessation given the identical structure, in full
"The cessation, settling, and disappearance of the eye is the cessation of suffering, the settling of diseases, and the disappearance of old age and death" — the precise mirror image of the arising claim, applied identically across all six interior sense fields.
A genuine structural break from this vagga's own pattern
Every one of this vagga's first four pairs compressed its own exterior half; this final pair breaks that pattern, with SN 35.22 also given in full — perhaps because this pair's own claim, equating the senses' arising with suffering's arising, was judged significant enough to warrant complete restatement on both sides.
This vagga's own fifth and final named pair
SN 35.22 will complete "The Arising of Suffering" pair for the exterior sense objects, closing this vagga's own structure of five pairs (ten discourses) before its own colophon and uddāna.
Key terms
The text
§1“Mendicants, the arising, continuation, and manifestation and regeneration of the eye is the arising of suffering, the continuation of diseases, and the manifestation of old age and death. The arising, continuation, and manifestation and regeneration of the ear … nose … tongue … body … and mind is the arising of suffering, the continuation of diseases, and the manifestation of old age and death.
§2The cessation, settling, and disappearance of the eye is the cessation of suffering, the settling of diseases, and the disappearance of old age and death. The cessation, settling, and ending of the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind is the cessation of suffering, the settling of diseases, and the disappearance of old age and death.”
Self-check quiz
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