The full closing exhortation restored, as SN 43.1–2, plus this vagga's own closing colophon and an untranslated meta-uddāna in verse
Length
~1 minute to read
Northern parallel
No individual parallel confirmed for this discourse; SA 890 is matched to the SN 43.11–43 range as a whole, not confirmed against this discourse alone
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — short, but closes a structural unit
Why this discourse
The eleventh and last path-formulation of Paṭhamavagga names the noble eightfold path itself — the formulation already treated at length in this project's own SN 45.8 — and restores the full closing exhortation last given at SN 43.1, before adding this vagga's own closing colophon (“Paṭhamavagga of Asaṅkhatasaṃyutta is complete”) and an untranslated meta-uddāna naming all eleven path-formulations in verse.
Reading guide
Eleven formulations, one closing summary
The untranslated meta-uddāna at this discourse's own close names all eleven path-formulations of this vagga in a compact Pāli verse (body, serenity, applied thought, emptiness, foundations of mindfulness, right efforts, bases of psychic power, faculties, powers, awakening factors, and the path, closing at “eleventh”) — described here rather than translated, since the root itself leaves it untranslated and this reading guide does not fabricate English for content Sujato's own translation does not supply.
The same eightfold path, a different framing
This project's own already-published SN 45.8 analyzes the noble eightfold path's own eight factors one by one; here the identical path is named as a single unit and paired with a goal explicitly called “unconditioned” rather than with the cessation of suffering directly — the same practice, framed through this saṃyutta's own distinctive vocabulary.
Key terms
ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo — “the noble eightfold path” — the eleventh and last path-formulation, already analyzed factor by factor in this project's own SN 45.8
etāni rukkhamūlāni... jhāyatha — “here are these roots of trees... practice absorption!” — the closing exhortation, restored here in full for the first time since SN 43.1
ekādasamaṁ — “eleventh” — this vagga's own final count-marker, left untranslated in the root
asaṅkhatasaṁyuttassa paṭhamo vaggo — “Paṭhamavagga of Asaṅkhatasaṃyutta is complete” — this vagga's own closing colophon, left untranslated in the root and described rather than quoted as English here
tassuddānaṁ — “its own summary verse” — the heading introducing the untranslated meta-uddāna naming all eleven path-formulations
The text
The complete genuinely translated portion of the discourse. This vagga's own closing colophon and meta-uddāna are left untranslated in the source and are described, not quoted, above rather than fabricated into English by this reading guide. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1“And what is the path that leads to the unconditioned? The noble eightfold path. This is called the path that leads to the unconditioned. So, mendicants, I’ve taught you the unconditioned and the path that leads to the unconditioned. Out of sympathy, I’ve done what a teacher should do who wants what’s best for their disciples. Here are these roots of trees, and here are these empty huts. Practice absorption, mendicants! Don’t be negligent! Don’t regret it later! This is my instruction to you.”
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Self-check quiz
3 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 3
What does this discourse name as the eleventh and last path-formulation?
Correct: A. The same eightfold path already analyzed factor by factor in this project's own SN 45.8, here named as a single unit.
Question 2 of 3
What is restored in this discourse for the first time since SN 43.1?
Correct: A. Elided since SN 43.2, the full closing exhortation returns here as Paṭhamavagga's own last discourse.
Question 3 of 3
How does this reading guide handle the vagga's own closing colophon and meta-uddāna?
Correct: A. Consistent with this project's standing rule: untranslated Pali content is described, never fabricated into invented English.
