Saṃyutta Nikāya · Discourse 46.48

The Sun

Ādiccasutta — Cakkavattivagga

Setting
Not specified — an abbreviated narrative frame
Speakers
The Buddha, addressing the mendicants directly
Form
The identical simile already met at SN 46.12, with one word substituted
Length
<1 minute to read
Northern parallel
No individual parallel confirmed by this project's own check
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — short, a confirmed deliberate repeat

Why this discourse

This discourse is confirmed, by direct Pāli comparison, to be word-for-word identical to SN 46.12 — good friendship as the forerunner and harbinger of the seven awakening factors, exactly as dawn heralds the sunrise — except that its own title and opening line use “ādicca” rather than “sūriya,” two Pāli synonyms both meaning “sun.”

Reading guide

Confirmed identical, not merely similar

Direct comparison of the two discourses' own root Pāli text (checked segment by segment) confirms this is not a loose thematic echo but the identical discourse, reappearing with only a single synonym substituted — a genuine confirmed repeat, of the kind this project has now documented several times across both saṃyuttas of Book V (the dragon and roof-peak similes at SN 46.1 and 46.7, for instance).

Key terms

ādiccassa udayato — “of the sun's own rising” — this discourse's own opening phrase, using “ādicca” where SN 46.12 used “sūriya”, both standard Pāli terms for the sun
aruṇuggaṁ — “the dawn” — the identical term already met at SN 46.12, unchanged here
kalyāṇamittatā — “good friendship” — named as the forerunner of the seven awakening factors, identically to SN 46.12's own claim
kalyāṇamitto bhikkhu pāṭikaṅkho — “a mendicant with good friends can expect” — the identical claim of reliable expectation already met at SN 46.12
sati... upekkhā — the seven awakening factors, named in brief succession, identically to SN 46.12's own

The text

The complete discourse. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).

§1“Mendicants, the dawn is the forerunner and harbinger of the sunrise. In the same way, for a mendicant good friendship is the forerunner and harbinger of the arising of the seven awakening factors. A mendicant with good friends can expect to develop and cultivate the seven awakening factors. And how does a mendicant with good friends develop and cultivate the seven awakening factors? It’s when a mendicant develops the awakening factors of mindfulness, investigation of principles, energy, rapture, tranquility, immersion, and equanimity, which rely on seclusion, fading away, and cessation, and ripen as letting go. That’s how a mendicant with good friends develops and cultivates the seven awakening factors.”

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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 confirms this discourse is a genuine repeat of SN 46.12, not merely a similar teaching?
Correct: A. Confirmed by direct reading, following this project's own established practice of checking rather than assuming.
Question 2 of 3
What single word differs between this discourse and SN 46.12?
Correct: A. Two standard Pāli synonyms for the same natural phenomenon.
Question 3 of 3
What other confirmed repeat has this project already documented across Book V's own two saṃyuttas?
Correct: A. A recurring pattern of shared templates confirmed across multiple points in this project's own coverage.
Answered 0 of 3 · Correct 0