Ru-Yi Meditation Center
Saṃyutta Nikāya · Discourse 35.81

Several Mendicants

Sambahulabhikkhusutta — Gilānavagga

Setting
Not restated in this discourse
Speakers
Several unnamed mendicants questioning; the Buddha confirming and elaborating
Form
A defensive catechism: mendicants report how they answer other wanderers, the Buddha confirms their answer and supplies the elaboration across the six sense fields
Length
~2 minutes 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
★★☆☆☆ — a clear, defensible formula for stating the goal of the teaching

Why this discourse

This discourse addresses a practical problem several mendicants report facing: wanderers of other religions ask them directly what the goal of living the spiritual life under the ascetic Gotama actually is. Their own answer — “to completely understand suffering” — is confirmed word for word by the Buddha himself, who then supplies the fuller elaboration they can use if pressed further: the eye is suffering, and the goal is to completely understand this; the same for what arises dependent on the eye, and the same again for each of the remaining five sense fields. This gives the whole vagga's core concern — the six sense fields, examined under impermanence, suffering, and not-self — a single, portable, defensible formula that these mendicants (and, implicitly, this reading guide's own readers) can carry into a direct challenge from an outsider.

Reading guide

A question these mendicants have actually faced

Rather than a hypothetical, the discourse opens with several mendicants reporting a real situation: wanderers of other religions ask them directly what the goal of the spiritual life under the Buddha is, and they want to know if their own answer holds up.

An answer confirmed, not corrected

The mendicants’ own answer — to completely understand suffering — is confirmed by the Buddha exactly as given, with no correction needed: a rare moment in this project where disciples’ own formulation is affirmed rather than refined.

A portable formula for a direct challenge

The Buddha supplies the fuller version these mendicants can use if pressed: the eye is suffering, and the goal of the spiritual life is to completely understand this — repeated for what arises dependent on the eye, and for each of the remaining five sense fields in turn.

Key terms

aññatitthiyā paribbājakā — wanderers of other religions — the outside questioners these mendicants report facing
brahmacariya — the spiritual life, holy life — what these mendicants are asked the goal of
dukkhassa pariññā — the complete understanding of suffering — the answer confirmed by the Buddha as the goal of the spiritual life
vippaṭicoditā — grounds for rebuttal or criticism — what the mendicants trust their answer to be free of
dhammānudhammā — in line with the teaching — how the Buddha confirms the mendicants’ own answer to outsiders

The text

The complete discourse: several mendicants report their own answer to outside questioners, and the Buddha confirms and elaborates it across the six sense fields. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).

§1Then several mendicants went up to the Buddha … and asked him, “Sir, sometimes wanderers of other religions ask us: ‘Reverends, what’s the goal of leading the spiritual life under the ascetic Gotama?’ We answer them like this: ‘The goal of leading the spiritual life under the Buddha is to completely understand suffering.’ Answering this way, we trust that we repeat what the Buddha has said, and don’t misrepresent him with an untruth. We trust our explanation is in line with the teaching, and that there are no legitimate grounds for rebuttal or criticism.”

§2“Indeed, in answering this way you repeat what I’ve said, and don’t misrepresent me with an untruth. Your explanation is in line with the teaching, and there are no legitimate grounds for rebuttal or criticism. For the goal of leading the spiritual life under me is to completely understand suffering. If wanderers of other religions were to ask you: ‘Reverends, what is that suffering?’ You should answer them: ‘Reverends, the eye is suffering. The goal of leading the spiritual life under the Buddha is to completely understand this. Sights … Eye consciousness … Eye contact … The pleasant, painful, or neutral feeling that arises dependent on eye contact is also suffering. The goal of leading the spiritual life under the Buddha is to completely understand this.

§3Ear … Nose … Tongue … Body … Mind … The pleasant, painful, or neutral feeling that arises dependent on mind contact is also suffering. The goal of leading the spiritual life under the Buddha is to completely understand this. This is that suffering. The goal of leading the spiritual life under the Buddha is to completely understand this.’ When questioned by wanderers of other religions, that’s how you should answer them.”

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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 situation prompts these mendicants to approach the Buddha?
Correct: A. A real challenge from outside questioners, not a hypothetical.
Question 2 of 5
What answer do the mendicants report giving, which the Buddha then confirms?
Correct: A. Confirmed word for word, without correction.
Question 3 of 5
How does the Buddha's response to these mendicants differ from many other discourses in this project?
Correct: A. A rare moment of direct affirmation rather than correction.
Question 4 of 5
What fuller formula does the Buddha supply for these mendicants to use if pressed further?
Correct: A. The six sense fields, each declared suffering and each the object of complete understanding.
Question 5 of 5
How does this discourse connect to Gilānavagga's own broader concern with the six sense fields?
Correct: A. The vagga's own recurring six-field concern, now framed as a formula for defending the teaching to outsiders.
Answered 0 of 5 · Correct 0

Further reading

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