Reading guide
The nine-level scale, repeated exactly
Confirmed by direct reading, this discourse's own scale — arahant, the five kinds of non-returner, once-returner, stream-enterer, follower of teachings, follower by faith — is identical to SN 48.15's own nine-level scale, with no further changes to its own content.
The identical closing already met at SN 48.13
Confirmed by direct reading, this discourse's own closing line — “indriyavemattatā phalavemattatā hoti, phalavemattatā puggalavemattatā” (“from a disparity of faculties there's a disparity of fruits, and from a disparity of fruits there's a disparity of individuals”) — is WORD FOR WORD the same closing already met at SN 48.13, confirming the “in detail” set mirrors the “in brief” set's own internal sequence.
A parallel structure across two sets, confirmed step by step
This project's own direct comparison, confirmed rather than assumed in advance, shows the “in detail” discourses (SN 48.15-16 so far) following the exact same closing-by-closing pattern as the “in brief” discourses (SN 48.12-14) — this project will confirm, when SN 48.17 is reached, whether the parallel extends to a third matching closing as well.
Key terms
The text
§1“Mendicants, there are these five faculties. What five? The faculties of faith, energy, mindfulness, immersion, and wisdom. These are the five faculties. Someone who has completed and fulfilled these five faculties is a perfected one. If they are weaker than that, they’re one who is extinguished between one life and the next … one who is extinguished upon landing … one who is extinguished without extra effort … one who is extinguished with extra effort … one who heads upstream, going to the Akaniṭṭha realm … a once-returner … a stream-enterer … a follower of teachings … a follower by faith. So from a disparity of faculties there’s a disparity of fruits. And from a disparity of fruits there’s a disparity of individuals.”
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