Ru-Yi Meditation Center
Saṃyutta Nikāya · Discourse 46.35

Irrational Application of Mind

Ayonisosutta — Nīvaraṇavagga

Setting
Not specified — an abbreviated narrative frame
Speakers
The Buddha, addressing the mendicants directly
Form
Two separate, standalone statements, not a single mirrored discourse
Length
<1 minute to read
Northern parallel
No individual parallel confirmed by this project's own check
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — brief, but formally distinct from its own earlier counterpart

Why this discourse

This discourse restates the same basic claim already met at SN 46.24 — irrational attention feeds the hindrances, rational attention feeds the awakening factors — but structures it as two independent, standalone statements rather than one continuous mirrored teaching.

Reading guide

Two statements, not one symmetric discourse

Confirmed by direct reading of the source's own key structure, this discourse presents irrational and rational application of mind as two separate assertions — each complete on its own — rather than SN 46.24's own single unified statement moving between both conditions within one continuous passage.

Key terms

ayoniso manasikaroto — “when you apply the mind irrationally” — the condition named in this discourse's own first, standalone statement
kāmacchando byāpādo thinamiddhaṁ uddhaccakukkuccaṁ vicikicchā — the five hindrances, named as what irrational attention causes to arise and grow
yoniso manasikaroto — “when you apply the mind rationally” — the condition named in this discourse's own second, standalone statement
sati... upekkhā — the seven awakening factors, named as what rational attention causes to arise and be fully developed
pañcamaṁ — “the fifth” — the Pāli root's own closing numeral for this discourse

The text

The complete discourse, both standalone statements in full. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).

§1 — irrational application of mind“Mendicants, when you apply the mind irrationally, sensual desire, ill will, dullness and drowsiness, restlessness and remorse, and doubt arise, and once arisen they increase and grow.”

§2 — rational application of mind“Mendicants, when you apply the mind rationally, the awakening factors of mindfulness, investigation of principles, energy, rapture, tranquility, immersion, and equanimity arise, and once they’ve arisen, they’re fully developed.”

· · ·

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's own structure differ from SN 46.24's own treatment of the same claim?
Correct: A. Confirmed by direct reading of the source's own key structure — two independent assertions.
Question 2 of 3
What basic claim does this discourse share with SN 46.24, despite the structural difference?
Correct: A. The same underlying mechanism, restated in a different formal structure.
Question 3 of 3
Why might this project treat the two standalone statements as two occasions rather than one continuous teaching?
Correct: A. Confirmed by direct reading of the bilara-data's own key numbering, distinct from SN 46.24's own single continuous passage.
Answered 0 of 3 · Correct 0

Further reading

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