Ru-Yi Meditation Center
Saṃyutta Nikāya · Discourse 38.5

Solace

Assāsappattasutta — Jambukhādakavagga

Setting
Not restated; continues directly as dialogue from SN 38.1's own setting
Speakers
The wanderer Jambukhādaka questioning Venerable Sāriputta
Form
A direct question and answer, closing on the elided path-confirmation
Length
<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
★☆☆☆☆ — a five-part analytical formula applied to the six sense fields

Why this discourse

Jambukhādaka asks at what point one has “gained solace” (assāsappatta). Sāriputta answers with a five-part analytical formula — truly understanding the six fields of contact's origin, disappearance, gratification, drawback, and escape — already familiar from Book IV's own Saḷāyatanasaṃyutta (SN 35), applied here to define a specific attainment rather than as a standalone teaching. This discourse also sets up SN 38.6, which will apply the identical formula to a stronger, “ultimate” version of the same attainment.

Reading guide

A familiar formula, in a new role

Origin, disappearance, gratification, drawback, and escape — the same five-part analytical formula this project has already encountered applied to the six sense fields throughout SN 35 — here defines a named attainment (solace) rather than standing alone as direct teaching.

Setting up a comparison still to come

This discourse names plain “solace” (assāsappatta); the next discourse will name “ultimate solace” (paramassāsappatta) using the identical five-part formula plus one further condition — worth reading these two together.

Key terms

assāsappatto — “one who has gained solace” — this discourse's own title term
samudayañca atthaṅgamañca assādañca ādīnavañca nissaraṇañca — “origin, disappearance, gratification, drawback, and escape” — the same five-part analytical formula already familiar from SN 35, applied here to the six fields of contact
āvuso — “reverend, friend” — the reciprocal address term Jambukhādaka and Sāriputta use throughout this saṃyutta
pañhā — “question” — the recurring suffix naming every discourse's own Pali title throughout this saṃyutta
pañcamaṁ — “fifth” — this discourse's own untranslated closing ordinal

The text

The portion of this discourse Sujato's own English translation renders; the remainder of the catechism is elided, matching SN 38.1's own full wording. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).

§1“Reverend Sāriputta, they speak of this thing called ‘gaining solace’. At what point do you gain solace?” “When a mendicant truly understands the six fields of contact’s origin, disappearance, gratification, drawback, and escape, at that point they’ve gained solace.” “But, reverend, is there a path and a practice for realizing this solace?” “There is.” …

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Self-check quiz

2 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.

Question 1 of 2
How does Sāriputta define "gaining solace"?
Correct: A. A five-part analytical formula already familiar from Book IV's own SN 35.
Question 2 of 2
What does this discourse set up for the next discourse in this saṃyutta?
Correct: A. Worth reading SN 38.5 and 38.6 together as a matched pair.
Answered 0 of 2 · Correct 0

Further reading

← PreviousSN 38.4 · What's the Goal?