Reading guide
Wisdom singled out among this vagga's own ten topics
This project's own reading: unlike this vagga's own other nine topics (rebirth as human, geography, sobriety, birth-medium, filial and social respect), this discourse alone concerns an inner quality directly — the “noble eye of wisdom” (ariyapaññācakkhu) — rather than an external circumstance or observable behavior.
Key terms
appakā te sattā ye pana ariyena paññācakkhunā samannāgatā — “the sentient beings who have the noble eye of wisdom are few” — the rare category, matching the tiny pinch of dirt
ariyena paññācakkhunā — “the noble eye of wisdom” — a term this project notes elsewhere in the canon names direct insight into the four truths themselves
avijjāgatā sammuḷhā — “ignorant and confused” — the vast majority category, matching the whole earth
… — the elision marking, standing in for the fingernail demonstration already given in full at SN 56.61-62
tatiyaṁ — “the third” — this discourse's own root text confirming its own position directly, read rather than assumed
The text
Every genuinely translated fragment given in the consulted English source, which itself preserves the elision back to SN 56.61's own full statement. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1“… the sentient beings who have the noble eye of wisdom are few, while those who are ignorant and confused are many. …”
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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 claim does this discourse make about the noble eye of wisdom?
Correct: A. Confirmed by direct reading — matching this vagga's own recurring comparative structure.
Question 2 of 3
How does this discourse's own topic differ from most of this vagga's own others, per this project's own reading?
Correct: A. This project's own reading distinguishing this discourse's own inward focus from the vagga's own other topics.
Question 3 of 3
What position does this discourse occupy in this vagga's own ten-discourse sequence?
Correct: A. Confirmed by direct reading of the root text's own closing marker "Tatiyaṁ" ("third").