Saṃyutta Nikāya · Discourses 39.1–15

With Sāmaṇḍaka on Extinguishment

Sāmaṇḍakasutta — Sāmaṇḍakavagga

Setting
Ukkacelā, on the bank of the Ganges river, in the land of the Vajjis
Speakers
The wanderer Sāmaṇḍaka questioning Venerable Sāriputta
Form
One discourse (extinguishment) spelled out in full, followed by the source's own single editorial cross-reference covering fourteen more
Length
~1 minute to read for this page; the fourteen cross-referenced discourses are already published in full at their own SN 38 pages
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 in its own wording, though its compression is worth understanding precisely

Why this discourse

This single page covers all of SN 39.1 through SN 39.15 — bilara-data's own file boundary, not an editorial choice made by this project. Sāmaṇḍakasaṃyutta is bilara-data's own most compressed encoding built on this site so far: only the very first discourse (the same extinguishment question already answered at SN 38.1) is spelled out in full, here in a different setting (Ukkacelā on the Ganges, in the land of the Vajjis, rather than Nālakagāmaka in Magadha) and with a different wanderer's name (Sāmaṇḍaka rather than Jambukhādaka). Everything from SN 39.2 through SN 39.15 is covered by a single closing editorial instruction in the source text itself, genuinely translated by Sujato as: “Tell in full as the Linked Discourses with Jambukhādaka.” This confirms, by direct reading of both bilara-data files rather than by repeating SuttaCentral's own blurb, that this saṃyutta is deliberately built as a name-swapped repetition of SN 38, not as independently composed content. This project does not fabricate fourteen separate English translations the source itself never provides; instead, the reading guide below maps each of the fourteen implied discourses to its own already-published SN 38 counterpart, linked in the further-reading list.

Reading guide

One frame, two settings and two names

Sāriputta staying near Ukkacelā on the Ganges, in the land of the Vajjis, rather than near Nālakagāmaka in Magadha; the wanderer Sāmaṇḍaka rather than Jambukhādaka. Apart from these two changes, the dialogue — the definition of extinguishment as the ending of greed, hate, and delusion, the confirmation that a path exists, and the noble eightfold path spelled out in full — is word for word identical to SN 38.1, confirmed by direct comparison rather than assumed from the two saṃyuttas' shared reputation.

An instruction, not a gap this project is filling

“Tell in full as the Linked Discourses with Jambukhādaka” is itself part of Sujato's own genuine English translation, quoted directly in the text below — not a placeholder this project has invented to paper over missing content. The compilers of the Pali canon themselves chose to abbreviate this saṃyutta this way, and bilara-data preserves that choice exactly as a single file covering fifteen discourse numbers.

Fourteen discourses, mapped rather than invented

SN 39.2 corresponds to SN 38.2 (perfection), SN 39.3 to SN 38.3 (principled speech), and so on in sequence through SN 39.15 corresponding to SN 38.15 (substantial reality) — each already published on this site in full, with its own reading guide, terms, and quiz. The further-reading list below links each of the fourteen directly, rather than repeating fourteen already-written reading guides on this single page.

Key terms

nibbānaṁ — “extinguishment” — this discourse's own subject term, identical to SN 38.1's own
rāgakkhayo dosakkhayo mohakkhayo — “the ending of greed, hate, and delusion” — the identical defining phrase already given at SN 38.1
ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo — “the noble eightfold path” — spelled out in full here, word for word identical to SN 38.1's own recitation
sāmaṇḍako paribbājako — “the wanderer Sāmaṇḍaka” — this saṃyutta's own interlocutor, distinct from SN 38's Jambukhādaka but otherwise playing the identical role
Yathā jambukhādakasaṁyuttaṁ, tathā vitthāretabbaṁ — “as with the Linked Discourses with Jambukhādaka, so it should be expanded” — the source's own untranslated Pali editorial instruction, matched by Sujato's own genuine English rendering quoted in the text below

The text

The complete discourse actually spelled out in the source (SN 39.1's own full extinguishment dialogue), together with the source's own genuine editorial cross-reference covering SN 39.2 through SN 39.15. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).

§1At one time Venerable Sāriputta was staying in the land of the Vajjis near Ukkacelā on the bank of the Ganges river. Then the wanderer Sāmaṇḍaka went up to Venerable Sāriputta and exchanged greetings with him. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side and said to Sāriputta:

§2“Reverend Sāriputta, they speak of this thing called ‘extinguishment’. What is extinguishment?” “Reverend, the ending of greed, hate, and delusion is called extinguishment.” “But, reverend, is there a path and a practice for realizing this extinguishment?” “There is, reverend.”

§3“Well, what is it?” “It is simply this noble eightfold path, that is: right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion. This is the path, the practice, for realizing this extinguishment.” “Reverend, this is a fine path, a fine practice, for realizing this extinguishment. Just this much is enough for diligence.”

The source's own cross-reference for SN 39.2–15

§4(Tell in full as the Linked Discourses with Jambukhādaka.)

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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
How many of SN 39's own 16 discourses does this single page cover, and why?
Correct: A. Bilara-data's own file boundary, confirmed directly, not an editorial choice made by this project.
Question 2 of 5
What differs between this discourse's own frame and SN 38.1's own?
Correct: A. Confirmed by direct comparison between the two discourses' own bilara-data files.
Question 3 of 5
What does the source's own closing instruction for SN 39.2-15 actually say?
Correct: A. Part of Sujato's own genuine English translation, not a gap this project is filling in.
Question 4 of 5
How does this reading guide handle SN 39.2-15's own implied content?
Correct: A. Rather than duplicating fourteen already-written reading guides on a single page.
Question 5 of 5
What role does Sāmaṇḍaka play in this saṃyutta?
Correct: A. Playing the identical structural role Jambukhādaka plays throughout SN 38.
Answered 0 of 5 · Correct 0