Ru-Yi Meditation Center
Saṃyutta Nikāya · Discourse 51.30

Several Mendicants (2nd)

Dutiyabhikkhusutta — Ayoguḷavagga

Setting
Sāvatthī
Speakers
The Buddha and several mendicants
Form
A reversed question-and-answer, echoing SN 51.29 with the direction of questioning flipped
Length
~2 minutes to read
Northern parallel
No individual parallel confirmed by this project's own check
Significance
★★★★ — completes this saṃyutta's own cycle of four questioner-configurations; its own closing marker raises a genuine structural question this project does not resolve

Why this discourse

Confirmed by direct reading, this discourse mirrors SN 51.29 with the questioning reversed, exactly as SN 51.28 mirrored SN 51.27 — completing a full cycle of four questioner-configurations for the same fourfold analysis. Its own closing Pāli word, “Dasamaṁ” (“tenth”), might suggest a vagga closing exactly as Vagga 1 and Vagga 2 both did — but this project does not assume that, since SN 51.31 and SN 51.32 are directly confirmed to still carry the same “Ayoguḷavagga” header.

Reading guide

A full cycle of four questioners, now complete

This project's own count: SN 51.19 (unprompted), SN 51.27 (Ānanda asks), SN 51.28 (the Buddha asks Ānanda), SN 51.29 (several mendicants ask), and now SN 51.30 (the Buddha asks several mendicants, who defer with the same “our teachings are rooted in the Buddha” formula already met at SN 51.14 and SN 51.28) — five discourses, the same content, every combination of individual and group, prompted and unprompted.

An honest structural puzzle: does the vagga close here?

Confirmed by direct reading of this discourse's own closing Pāli line, “Dasamaṁ” (“tenth”) appears exactly as it did at the true closes of Vagga 1 (SN 51.10) and Vagga 2 (SN 51.20) — but this discourse's own file carries no matching “Ayoguḷavaggo tatiyo” colophon or uddāna, and this project's own direct check of SN 51.31 and SN 51.32 confirms both are still headed “3. Ayoguḷavagga.” This project does not resolve the discrepancy — it is reported honestly as an open structural question, not assumed to mean the vagga closes at exactly ten discourses this time.

Key terms

Buddhamūlakā no...bhante, dhammā — “our teachings are rooted in the Buddha” — the group's own deferral, the same formula already met at SN 51.14 and SN 51.28
iddhi — “psychic power” — defined a fifth time, identically to every prior occurrence
iddhipādabhāvanā — “the development of the bases of psychic power” — the same four-part formula, unchanged across every occurrence
ayameva ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo — “it is simply this noble eightfold path” — named a fifth time as the deepest layer beneath the four bases
Dasamaṁ — “tenth” — this discourse's own closing word, matching the true vagga-closing marker seen at SN 51.10 and SN 51.20, though without a matching colophon here

The text

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

§1Then several mendicants went up to the Buddha … The Buddha said to them: “Mendicants, what is psychic power? What is the basis of psychic power? What is the development of the bases of psychic power? And what is the practice that leads to the development of the bases of psychic power?” “Our teachings are rooted in the Buddha. He is our guide and our refuge. …”

§2“And what is psychic power? It’s a mendicant who wields the many kinds of psychic power: multiplying themselves and becoming one again … controlling the body as far as the realm of divinity. This is called psychic power.

§3And what is the basis of psychic power? The path and practice that leads to gaining psychic power. This is called the basis of psychic power.

§4And what is the development of the bases of psychic power? It’s when a mendicant develops the basis of psychic power that has immersion due to enthusiasm … energy … mental development … inquiry, and active effort. This is called the development of the bases of psychic power.

§5And what is the practice that leads to the development of the bases of psychic power? It is simply this noble eightfold path, that is: right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion. This is called the practice that leads to the development of the bases of psychic power.”

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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 does this project's own count identify as now complete?
Correct: A. Five discourses (SN 51.19, 27, 28, 29, 30), the same content delivered through every combination of individual/group and prompted/unprompted.
Question 2 of 3
What genuine structural question does this discourse raise, according to this project's own honest reporting?
Correct: A. An open discrepancy this project reports honestly rather than resolves — the marker looks like a vagga close, but the following discourses contradict that.
Question 3 of 3
How does the group of mendicants respond when the Buddha asks them the four questions directly?
Correct: A. The same deferral formula, now used by a group rather than an individual.
Answered 0 of 3 · Correct 0

Further reading

← PreviousSN 51.29 · Several Mendicants (1st)