A second substitution on SN 35.53's own template, pairing with SN 35.54 — but changing two things at once, not one
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 verb changes and, with it, the lens itself changes; easy to read past both shifts at once
Why this discourse
This discourse completes the fetters' own pair, begun at SN 35.54: where that discourse asked how the fetters are given up (pahīyati), this one asks how they are uprooted (samugghātaṁ gacchanti) — a stronger, more complete removal than mere abandonment. The shift is not only in the verb: this discourse's own lens changes too, from aniccato (as impermanent, SN 35.53 and SN 35.54's own shared lens) to anattato (as not-self) — the first confirmation, within this vagga, that “giving up” runs on impermanence while “uprooting” runs on not-self, a distinction this vagga's own remaining pahāna/samugghāta pairs (defilements, underlying tendencies) will repeat.
Reading guide
Two changes at once, not one
This discourse doesn't merely swap in a new verb; it swaps the lens as well, moving from aniccato to anattato in the same stroke as pahāna gives way to samugghāta.
Giving up sees impermanence; uprooting sees not-self
This is the first place in Avijjāvagga where the distinction becomes visible: the gentler removal (pahāna) is reached by seeing impermanence, while the more thorough removal (samugghāta) requires seeing not-self instead — a real content difference this vagga's own remaining pairs will confirm again.
Compressed exactly like its companion
Sujato's own English collapses this discourse into a single sentence with an ellipsis, exactly as it did for SN 35.54, even though (as with SN 35.54) the Pali root still spells out the full six-field chain.
Key terms
samugghāta — uprooting — this discourse's own verb, the more thorough companion to pahāna
anattato — as not-self — the lens this discourse introduces in place of aniccato
saṁyojana — fetter — carried over from SN 35.54, this pair's own shared target
aniccato — as impermanent — SN 35.53 and SN 35.54's own shared lens, named here for contrast
pahāna — giving up — the gentler companion verb, SN 35.54's own
The text
The complete discourse, as Sujato's own English gives it: the question, and a single collapsed sentence carrying the answer, its lens now shifted to not-self. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1“Sir, how does one know and see so that the fetters are uprooted?”
§2“Mendicant, knowing and seeing the eye as not-self, the fetters are uprooted …”
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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 verb does this discourse use for the fetters' removal, in place of SN 35.54's “given up”?
Correct: A. A stronger, more complete removal than SN 35.54's own pahāna.
Question 2 of 5
What lens does this discourse specify, in place of SN 35.53 and SN 35.54's shared “as impermanent”?
Correct: A. The first confirmed instance of this vagga's own giving-up/uprooting, impermanence/not-self pairing.
Question 3 of 5
What pattern does this shift establish for the rest of this vagga?
Correct: A. Confirmed again at this vagga's later defilement and underlying-tendency pairs.
Question 4 of 5
Which discourse does this one complete a pair with?
Correct: A. Both discourses share the fetters (saṁyojanā) as their own target.
Question 5 of 5
How does Sujato's own English translation present the sixfold sense-field sweep here?
Correct: A. Both fetter discourses receive the same English-side compression, even as the root retains the full chain.
