The same fivefold template, now with its own closing clause compressed
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, marking a real shift in compression
Why this discourse
This discourse swaps “stingy” (maccharī) into the template's own fifth position and marks a genuine structural shift in the series: for the first time, bilara-data compresses the closing clause itself with a peyyāla marker (“…pe…”) rather than giving it in full, as SN 37.5–7 all did. The opening clause still remains complete at this point — the compression advances one step at a time rather than all at once.
Reading guide
A real escalation, not a repeat of earlier compression
SN 37.6 dropped only the narrative frame surrounding the teaching; this discourse is the first to compress part of the teaching's own formula — the closing clause — marking a genuinely new stage rather than repeating what SN 37.6 and SN 37.7 already did.
Stinginess, already met in a different form
Maccharī (stinginess) recurs here as a variable template quality, distinct from its earlier appearance at SN 37.4 as one of three qualities mapped to the morning — the same underlying trait, occupying two different structural roles in this vagga.
The opening clause, still given in full
Despite the closing compression, this discourse's own opening — naming the fivefold quality set and posing “what five?” — remains complete, confirming the compression proceeds gradually through the discourse rather than collapsing everything at once.
A pivot point in the series' own progression
From this discourse onward, later members of the series will compress increasingly more of the shared formula, with SN 37.9 extending the compression to the opening clause as well — this discourse marks where that progression genuinely begins.
Key terms
maccharī — stingy — this discourse's own variable fifth quality, previously met in a different structural role at SN 37.4
…pe… — the peyyāla (repetition) marker compressing this discourse's own closing clause for the first time in the series
assaddha... ahirika... anottāpī... duppañña — the four fixed qualities, still given in full in this discourse's own opening question
aṭṭhamaṁ — “eighth” — this discourse's own untranslated closing marker
apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjatī — the closing destination-clause, now standing alone after the peyyāla marker rather than following a fully spelled-out lead-in
The text
The complete discourse as bilara-data preserves it — the opening clause in full, the closing clause compressed by peyyāla. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1“… They’re faithless, shameless, imprudent, stingy, 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 structural shift does this discourse introduce, compared to SN 37.5-7?
Correct: A. A genuinely new stage, distinct from SN 37.6's earlier dropping of only the narrative frame.
Question 2 of 5
Where has "maccharī" (stinginess) appeared earlier in this vagga, in a different role?
Correct: A. The same underlying trait occupying two different structural roles in this vagga.
Question 3 of 5
Is this discourse's own opening clause also compressed?
Correct: A. Confirming the compression advances one step at a time through the series.
Question 4 of 5
What happens starting with the discourse immediately after this one?
Correct: A. This discourse marks where the progressive compression genuinely begins.
Question 5 of 5
What marker does bilara-data use to compress this discourse's own closing clause?
Correct: A. Used consistently throughout this project's coverage to mark repeated material assumed rather than restated.
