Saṃyutta Nikāya · Discourse 39.16

Hard to Do

Dukkarasutta — Sāmaṇḍakavagga

Setting
Not restated; continues as dialogue from this saṃyutta's own setting at SN 39.1–15 (Ukkacelā, on the Ganges, in the land of the Vajjis)
Speakers
The wanderer Sāmaṇḍaka questioning Venerable Sāriputta
Form
The identical four-step chained dialogue already given in full at SN 38.16
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
★★☆☆☆ — closes both the vagga and the entire saṃyutta at once

Why this discourse

This discourse closes Sāmaṇḍakasaṃyutta with the exact same four-step chained dialogue already given in full at SN 38.16 — going forth, then finding satisfaction, then practicing in line with the teaching, then arahantship “not long” away — confirmed word for word identical by direct comparison, apart from this saṃyutta's own closing colophon: “The Linked Discourses with Sāmaṇḍaka are complete.” This confirms, discourse by discourse, that this saṃyutta's own compression pattern (identical content, a different wanderer's name) extends through to its very last page — and this saṃyutta does not even bother restating its own summary verse, cross-referencing that too directly back to SN 38's own.

Reading guide

Word for word, confirmed by direct comparison

Every line of this discourse's own dialogue — the chain from going forth through finding satisfaction, practicing in line with the teaching, and finally arahantship “not long” away — matches SN 38.16's own wording exactly, confirmed by reading both bilara-data files directly rather than assumed from either saṃyutta's own reputation.

A summary borrowed, not repeated

Where SN 38.16 spelled out its own full uddāna (left untranslated but genuinely present in the Pali root), this discourse's own closing note instead says “Purimakasadisaṁ uddānaṁ” — “the uddāna is the same as the previous one's” — deferring even its own summary verse to SN 38's, a second-order compression this saṃyutta's own opening page did not need.

A different name, closing the same chain

“The Linked Discourses with Sāmaṇḍaka are complete” replaces SN 38.16's own “The Linked Discourses with Jambukhādaka are complete” — the one line in either discourse's own closing material that could not simply be cross-referenced, since each saṃyutta must name itself.

Key terms

pabbajjā... dukkarā — “going forth is hard to do” — the first link in this discourse's own four-stage chain, identical to SN 38.16's own
dhammānudhammappaṭipatti dukkarā — “practicing in line with the teaching is hard to do” — the third and hardest link, identical to SN 38.16's own
naciraṁ — “not long” — Sāriputta's own answer to how long arahantship takes once that third stage is genuinely reached
Purimakasadisaṁ uddānaṁ — “the uddāna is the same as the previous one's” — this saṃyutta's own second-order cross-reference, deferring even its own summary verse back to SN 38's
Sāmaṇḍakasaṁyuttaṁ samattaṁ — “The Linked Discourses with Sāmaṇḍaka are complete” — this saṃyutta's own genuinely Sujato-translated closing line, the one element of this discourse's own close that could not be cross-referenced

The text

The complete discourse, together with this saṃyutta's own genuinely translated final line. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).

§1“Reverend Sāriputta, in this teaching and training, what is hard to do?” “Going forth, reverend, is hard to do in this teaching and training.” “But what’s hard to do for someone who has gone forth?” “When you’ve gone forth it’s hard to be satisfied.” “But what’s hard to do for someone who is satisfied?” “When you’re satisfied, it’s hard to practice in line with the teaching.” “But if a mendicant practices in line with the teaching, will it take them long to become a perfected one?” “Not long, reverend.”

§2The Linked Discourses with Sāmaṇḍaka are complete.

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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 does this discourse's own dialogue compare to SN 38.16's own?
Correct: A. The same four-stage chain, confirmed by reading both bilara-data files directly.
Question 2 of 5
What does "Purimakasadisaṁ uddānaṁ" mean, and what does it imply?
Correct: A. A second-order compression: even the closing uddāna is cross-referenced rather than restated.
Question 3 of 5
What is the one element of this discourse's own close that could not simply be cross-referenced to SN 38.16?
Correct: A. Each saṃyutta must name itself in its own closing line, even when everything else is shared.
Question 4 of 5
How long does Sāriputta say arahantship takes once a mendicant genuinely practices in line with the teaching?
Correct: A. The same reassurance as SN 38.16's own closing exchange.
Question 5 of 5
What does this page confirm about Sāmaṇḍakasaṃyutta's own overall structure?
Correct: A. Confirmed directly by counting bilara-data's own files: sn39.1-15 and sn39.16, nothing more.
Answered 0 of 5 · Correct 0