Reading guide
Two matched pairs, one recurring device
With this discourse, this vagga's own two definitional pairs (witless/wise, poor/prosperous) are both complete — confirmed by direct comparison to share the identical structural device: an ordinary term redefined purely in terms of the seven awakening factors, stated and then immediately reversed in its own paired companion discourse.
Key terms
The text
§1“Sir, they speak of someone who is ‘prosperous’. How is a prosperous person defined?” “Mendicant, they’re called prosperous because they’ve developed and cultivated the seven awakening factors. What seven? The awakening factors of mindfulness, investigation of principles, energy, rapture, tranquility, immersion, and equanimity. They’re called prosperous because they’ve developed and cultivated these seven awakening factors.”
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