No formal SuttaCentral parallel record found by this project's own check, though its own opening line closely resembles this project's own future encounter with MN 117
Difficulty
★★☆☆☆ — short, but a precise technical definition
Why this discourse
Where every preceding discourse in this vagga names “right immersion” as simply the eighth factor alongside the other seven, this discourse defines it technically and specifically: “unification of mind” supported by the other seven factors as its own “vital conditions” and “prerequisites.” Right immersion is not one factor among equals here, but the culmination the other seven make possible.
Reading guide
Immersion, defined rather than merely named
“Unification of mind” (cittassekaggatā) is this discourse's own actual definition of samādhi — a technical term this project has not seen used to gloss right immersion directly within this saṃyutta before, confirmed by reading the discourse's own single sentence directly.
Seven factors as prerequisites, not seven equals
“With its vital conditions and its prerequisites” (sa-upanisaṁ sa-parikkhāraṁ) frames the other seven factors — right view through right mindfulness — as what supports and enables immersion specifically, a structural relationship distinct from this vagga's own earlier discourses, which listed all eight factors as a flat, unranked series.
A resemblance worth naming honestly
This discourse's own definition closely resembles the opening of MN 117 (the Mahācattārīsaka Sutta), which this project has not yet built — noted here as an observation from direct reading, not as a confirmed SuttaCentral parallel record, since the parallels API itself returns no formal match for this specific short discourse.
Key terms
ariyo sammāsamādhi — “noble right immersion” — this discourse's own subject, defined technically rather than simply named
sa-upaniso sa-parikkhāro — “with its vital conditions and its prerequisites” — the phrase framing the other seven factors as immersion's own support, not merely its equal companions
cittassekaggatā — “unification of mind” — this discourse's own actual definition of samādhi itself
sammādiṭṭhi... sammāsati — “right view... right mindfulness” — the seven factors named here as immersion's own prerequisites, not as seven unranked equals
upanisā — “vital conditions” — a term this project has met elsewhere describing supportive causal relationships, here applied structurally within the eightfold path itself
The text
The complete discourse. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, I will teach you noble right immersion with its vital conditions and its prerequisites. Listen … And what is noble right immersion with its vital conditions and its prerequisites? There are right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, and right mindfulness. Unification of mind with these seven factors as prerequisites is called noble right immersion ‘with its vital conditions’ and ‘with its prerequisites’.”
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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
How does this discourse define "noble right immersion," unlike this vagga's own earlier discourses?
Correct: A. A precise technical definition, distinct from the flat, unranked eight-factor lists this vagga's own earlier discourses gave.
Question 2 of 3
What role do the other seven path factors play in this discourse's own definition?
Correct: A. A structural relationship — supporting and enabling immersion specifically.
Question 3 of 3
How does this reading guide characterize the discourse's own resemblance to MN 117?
Correct: A. Honestly distinguished, since the parallels API itself returns no formal match for this specific short discourse.
