Reading guide
A foundational category, briefly held
Unlike the more specialized classifications named earlier in this vagga (defilements, states of existence, forms of suffering), the three feelings are a foundational category discussed at length elsewhere in the canon — here given only this vagga's own single compressed line, without further elaboration.
Key terms
tisso vedanā — “three feelings” — one of the most foundational categories in the entire canon, discussed at far greater length elsewhere
sukhā vedanā dukkhā vedanā adukkhamasukhā vedanā — pleasant feeling, painful feeling, and neutral (neither-painful-nor-pleasant) feeling — the three named here
abhiññāya pariññāya parikkhayāya pahānāya — the four verbs established at SN 45.161-162, still implicitly governing this discourse
ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo bhāvetabbo — “the noble eightfold path should be developed” — this discourse's own base-formula conclusion
navamaṁ — “the ninth” — the Pāli root's own closing numeral for this discourse
The text
The complete discourse. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1“Mendicants, there are these three feelings: What three? Pleasant, painful, and neutral feeling. These are the three feelings. The noble eightfold path should be developed for the direct knowledge, complete understanding, finishing, and giving up of these three feelings.”
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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 three feelings does this discourse name?
Correct: A. One of the most foundational threefold categories in the entire canon.
Question 2 of 3
How does this discourse's own treatment of feelings compare to its treatment elsewhere in the canon?
Correct: A. A foundational topic treated briefly here, consistent with this vagga's own compressed format.
Question 3 of 3
What discourse closes this vagga, immediately following this one?
Correct: A. SN 45.170's own single bilara-data file bundles two traditionally numbered discourses, closing this vagga's own eleven.