The same fivefold template, matching SN 37.10's own compression level
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
★☆☆☆☆ — brief, holding steady with SN 37.10
Why this discourse
This discourse swaps “unlearned” (appassuta, lacking learning or instruction) into the template's own fifth position, matching SN 37.10's own settled level of compression exactly rather than compressing further — confirming this vagga has reached a stable shortened form for the remainder of the series.
Reading guide
A quality about knowledge, not conduct or emotion
Appassuta (little-heard, unlearned) names a deficiency in learning rather than a moral failing of conduct (dussīla) or emotional character (kodhana, issukī) — broadening what this series' own variable slot can hold beyond ethics and temperament alone.
Confirming the compression's own stability
This discourse's own wording matches SN 37.10's exactly in every respect but the swapped term, confirming the series has genuinely settled into its shortest form rather than merely pausing before compressing further.
A quality with a direct positive counterpart ahead
Bahussuta (“learned,” literally “much-heard”) will appear at SN 37.21 in Dutiyapeyyālavagga as this quality's own positive mirror.
The sixth of nine, past the series' own midpoint
With six of the nine variable qualities now named (irritable, acrimonious, jealous, stingy, unfaithful, unethical), this discourse's own “unlearned” moves the series past its midpoint toward its own close at SN 37.13.
Key terms
appassuta — unlearned, little-heard — this discourse's own variable fifth quality, naming a deficiency in learning rather than conduct or temperament
bahussuta — “learned,” literally “much-heard” — this quality's own positive counterpart, scheduled to appear at SN 37.21
…pe… nirayaṁ upapajjati — the compressed opening clause, matching SN 37.10's own settled level of compression
ekādasamaṁ — “eleventh” — this discourse's own untranslated closing marker
assaddha... ahirika... anottāpī... duppañña — the four fixed qualities, unchanged throughout this entire series
The text
The complete discourse as bilara-data preserves it — matching SN 37.10's own compression level exactly. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1“… They’re faithless, shameless, imprudent, unlearned, and witless. …”
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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 does "appassuta," this discourse's own variable fifth quality, name?
Correct: A. Broadening the variable slot beyond ethics and temperament to knowledge.
Question 2 of 5
How does this discourse's own compression compare to SN 37.10's?
Correct: A. Confirming the series has genuinely settled into its shortest form.
Question 3 of 5
What is this quality's own positive counterpart, and where does it appear?
Correct: A. Literally "much-heard," this quality's own positive mirror in Dutiyapeyyālavagga.
Question 4 of 5
How many of the nine variable qualities have now been named, including this discourse's own?
Correct: A. Moving the series past its own midpoint toward its close at SN 37.13.
Question 5 of 5
What broader point does this discourse's own quality choice illustrate about the series?
Correct: A. Appassuta broadens the range of what the fifth position names across the series.
