Ru-Yi Meditation Center
Saṃyutta Nikāya · Discourse 48.6

Ascetics and Brahmins (1st)

Paṭhamasamaṇabrāhmaṇasutta — Suddhikavagga

Setting
Not specified in the source
Speakers
The Buddha, addressing the mendicants directly
Form
Two contrasting cases — ascetics and brahmins who fail to understand the five faculties, and those who succeed — using two DIFFERENT analytical lenses within the same discourse
Length
1-2 minutes to read
Northern parallel
No individual parallel confirmed by this project's own check
Significance
★★★☆☆ — a genuine departure from the two-discourse pairing pattern this project confirmed at SN 48.2-5

Why this discourse

This discourse breaks the pattern this project confirmed twice already (SN 48.2-3, SN 48.4-5): rather than a threefold lens and a fivefold lens split across TWO separate discourses, THIS single discourse itself uses a threefold lens (gratification, drawback, escape) for its own negative case — ascetics and brahmins who fail to understand — and a FIVEFOLD lens (adding origin and disappearance) for its own positive case, those who succeed.

Reading guide

An asymmetry within one discourse, not across two

Confirmed by direct reading, this discourse's own two halves are NOT symmetrical: the negative case (§1, ascetics and brahmins who fail) uses only the threefold lens (assāda, ādīnava, nissaraṇa), while the positive case (§2, those who succeed) uses the fuller fivefold lens (samudaya, atthaṅgama, assāda, ādīnava, nissaraṇa) — a genuine textual asymmetry this project reports honestly rather than smoothing into false uniformity.

Denying, not merely criticizing, the title itself

The discourse's own claim is stronger than simple criticism: those who fail to understand the five faculties this way are NOT DEEMED true ascetics or brahmins at all by the Buddha, and are said not to realize, with their own insight, the very GOAL of ascetic or brahmin life — a denial of the title's own legitimate application, not merely a judgment of their practice's quality.

"(1st)" once more -- a companion expected, not assumed

Confirmed by direct reading, this discourse's own title again carries the “(1st)” marker this project has now met three times — but given the genuine asymmetry just confirmed within THIS discourse itself, this project will confirm the companion discourse's own actual content directly rather than assuming it repeats the earlier pairs' own three-then-five pattern.

Key terms

samaṇā vā brāhmaṇā — “ascetics and brahmins” — the discourse's own subject, whose own claim to the title is denied or affirmed based on understanding the five faculties
na me te... samaṇasammatā... brāhmaṇasammatā — “I don't deem them true ascetics and brahmins” — the discourse's own denial of the title, not merely a criticism of quality
sāmaññatthaṁ vā brahmaññatthaṁ vā — “the goal of life as an ascetic or brahmin” — what those who fail to understand the five faculties are said not to realize
assādañca ādīnavañca nissaraṇañca — “gratification, drawback, and escape” — the threefold lens used for this discourse's own negative case only
samudayañca atthaṅgamañca assādañca ādīnavañca nissaraṇañca — “origin, disappearance, gratification, drawback, and escape” — the fuller fivefold lens used for this discourse's own positive case

The text

The complete discourse, in its own two contrasting cases. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).

§1 — those who fail to understand“Mendicants, there are these five faculties. What five? The faculties of faith, energy, mindfulness, immersion, and wisdom. There are ascetics and brahmins who don’t truly understand the gratification, drawback, and escape when it comes to these five faculties. I don’t deem them as true ascetics and brahmins. Those venerables don’t realize the goal of life as an ascetic or brahmin, and don’t live having realized it with their own insight.

§2 — those who truly understandThere are ascetics and brahmins who do truly understand the gratification, drawback, and escape when it comes to these five faculties. I deem them as true ascetics and brahmins. Those venerables realize the goal of life as an ascetic or brahmin, and live having realized it with their own insight.”

· · ·

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 the pairing pattern already confirmed at SN 48.2-5?
Correct: A. A genuine textual asymmetry this project reports honestly, not smoothed into false uniformity.
Question 2 of 3
What does the discourse claim about ascetics and brahmins who fail to understand the five faculties?
Correct: A. A denial of the title's own legitimate application, not merely a judgment of practice quality.
Question 3 of 3
How does this project approach the "(1st)" title's own implied companion discourse?
Correct: A. Given the genuine asymmetry just confirmed within this discourse, assumption is not warranted.
Answered 0 of 3 · Correct 0

Further reading

← PreviousSN 48.5 · A Perfected One (2nd)